1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,240 Speaker 1: Get ready to look up and maybe, uh, fasten your 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,759 seat belts, because the inner Solar system is currently acting 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,839 a bit like a cosmic freeway during rush. 4 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:10,839 Speaker 2: Hour, it's a good way to put it. 5 00:00:10,919 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: We're not just observing a few straight comets here and there. 6 00:00:13,919 --> 00:00:18,120 We're tracking what astronomers are calling well, an unprecedented swarm 7 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:20,600 of major celestial objects. 8 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 2: That's right, seven distinct, quite volatile bodies, and. 9 00:00:25,359 --> 00:00:29,399 Speaker 1: They're all making these rapid successive close approaches to the 10 00:00:29,399 --> 00:00:31,519 Sun and Earth basically between now and the end of 11 00:00:31,559 --> 00:00:32,280 twenty twenty five. 12 00:00:32,439 --> 00:00:36,399 Speaker 2: The word unprecedented really does apply here. It's partly the 13 00:00:36,439 --> 00:00:40,159 sheer quantity, but also how synchronized. 14 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: Their approach seems to be synchronized. 15 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:44,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, two objects have already passed their closest point to 16 00:00:44,439 --> 00:00:46,759 the Sun, their perihelium, but the other five they're all 17 00:00:46,799 --> 00:00:49,359 barreling toward that critical zone in the next few months. 18 00:00:49,439 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: Okay, And this isn't just about pretty pictures for amateur astronomers. 19 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,039 Speaker 2: Oh definitely not. I mean, the views could be amazing, 20 00:00:56,119 --> 00:01:00,399 but this level of synchronized volatile activity actually fund mentally 21 00:01:00,479 --> 00:01:04,000 changes the electromagnetic dynamics of the space right around our 22 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:05,159 star right. 23 00:01:05,079 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 1: Okay, let's unpack this a bit. Our mission today for 24 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,680 you listening is really to cut through the maybe complex 25 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,959 astronomical data and give you a shortcut to being completely informed. 26 00:01:16,079 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 2: At deep dive, you could say, exactly. 27 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:21,599 Speaker 1: We're diving deep into these seven travelers, where they're going, 28 00:01:21,680 --> 00:01:24,120 what they're made of, the physics of how they interact with. 29 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:26,239 Speaker 2: The Sun, and especially why one of them is being 30 00:01:26,239 --> 00:01:29,719 called an interstellar heavyweight. That one could sort of change 31 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,040 our definition of space debris. 32 00:01:31,599 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 1: And maybe most importantly, how this intense influx of dusty 33 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:39,959 volatile plasma relates directly to changes we see in the 34 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:45,400 Sun's activity, things like big solar flares and coronal mass ejections, CMEs. 35 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 2: That connection between the commets and the Sun's behavior, that's 36 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,760 really the core takeaway here as well. Think about it, 37 00:01:51,799 --> 00:01:55,959 When you inject seven large electrically active bodies into the 38 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,439 inner Solar system, you're essentially throwing seven big disruptors onto 39 00:02:00,519 --> 00:02:03,280 an already highly charged electrical circuit. 40 00:02:03,319 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: And we're heading towards solar maximum anyway, right the Sun's 41 00:02:06,079 --> 00:02:07,519 activity is already ramping up. 42 00:02:07,599 --> 00:02:11,479 Speaker 2: Precisely, we're nearing that peak period. So the interaction between 43 00:02:11,479 --> 00:02:15,000 these enormous plasma bubbles from the comets and the Sun's 44 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:19,800 own electromagnetic field lines. That's where the physics gets really fascinating. 45 00:02:19,879 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: It creates a very dynamic environment. 46 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:26,879 Speaker 2: Extremely it promotes instability and potentially well cosmic fireworks. 47 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,599 Speaker 1: Okay, so when we talk about these objects influencing solar dynamics, 48 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,560 we have to start by accepting that space, especially near 49 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,280 the Sun, isn't just empty vacuum. 50 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 2: Not at all. It's a highly energized electromagnetic environment. 51 00:02:40,759 --> 00:02:44,039 Speaker 1: So how should we picture this circuit that these icy 52 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:45,120 bodies are flying into. 53 00:02:46,599 --> 00:02:49,159 Speaker 2: Think of the inner Solar system maybe as a giant 54 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,680 energetic engine. We all know about the solar wind, right, 55 00:02:51,719 --> 00:02:54,360 that steady stream of charged particles flowing out. 56 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,319 Speaker 1: From the Sun pushing everything away, right. 57 00:02:56,360 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 2: But for the system to be electrically stable, there has 58 00:02:58,719 --> 00:03:00,919 to be a return path. The circuit needs to complete, 59 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,000 and the closer you get to the Sun, the stronger 60 00:03:03,039 --> 00:03:06,319 these electric circuits and magnetic fields become much stronger. 61 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: And this is where that idea of the inward flowing 62 00:03:09,159 --> 00:03:12,719 electric current comes in. That's often hard to visualize because, 63 00:03:12,719 --> 00:03:14,719 like you said, we mostly hear about the solar wind 64 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:16,439 pushing things out exactly. 65 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 2: It's a bit counterintuitive, but there's this constant, powerful flow 66 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,560 of energy and electric current that spirals in along the 67 00:03:24,599 --> 00:03:28,319 ecliptic plane. That's the sort of flat plane where the planet's. 68 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,479 Speaker 1: Orbit spirals in. Not a straight line, no, it follows. 69 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: The geometry of the interplanetary magnetic field, which itself has 70 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:37,919 a spiral shape due to the Sun's rotation. So these 71 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,439 inward currents mean objects farther out can actually exert an 72 00:03:41,599 --> 00:03:44,599 energetic influence on the region closer to the Sun. Okay, 73 00:03:44,719 --> 00:03:48,639 so when a comet, which is fundamentally a complex electrical 74 00:03:48,639 --> 00:03:49,560 system itself. 75 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,439 Speaker 1: Wait, a comet is an electrical system. 76 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,879 Speaker 2: In a way. Yes, it's interacting electrically. When it flies 77 00:03:55,919 --> 00:03:59,639 into this highly charged inward spiraling energy field. It acts 78 00:03:59,639 --> 00:04:02,560 almost like a massive short circuit or maybe a capacitor 79 00:04:02,599 --> 00:04:04,240 suddenly introduced into this system. 80 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,599 Speaker 1: So if the inter solar system is a circuit, the 81 00:04:06,719 --> 00:04:09,719 comet is this component that suddenly lights up and starts 82 00:04:09,719 --> 00:04:10,639 affecting the whole thing. 83 00:04:10,919 --> 00:04:14,759 Speaker 2: You got it, Which makes the comets composition absolutely critical. 84 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:18,560 What makes is volatile material different from just a simple 85 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:20,079 dirty snowball. 86 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: Right, what's the key difference? 87 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 2: Plasma? The key difference is plasma. A comet starts as 88 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:29,720 a mix of dust, frozen water, various frozen gases like methane, carbon. 89 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,480 Speaker 1: Dioxide, the dirty snowball part. 90 00:04:31,319 --> 00:04:34,240 Speaker 2: The dirty snowball part initially, but as it gets closer 91 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,600 to the Sun, the heat and radiation cause these volatile 92 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:41,560 materials to sublimate turned directly into gas. Okay, but in 93 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,439 space gas doesn't stay neutral for long. The intense solar radiation, 94 00:04:45,519 --> 00:04:49,079 the UV light strips electrons off the gas atoms. That 95 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,839 process is called ionization, and it turns that gas into 96 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,600 an electrically charged fluid plasma. 97 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,519 Speaker 1: Plasma the fourth state of matter. I remember that from school. 98 00:04:58,639 --> 00:05:00,120 It behaves differently. 99 00:05:00,079 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 2: Differently, it conducts electricity, it responds instantly to magnetic fields. 100 00:05:03,759 --> 00:05:06,519 So the cometary tail isn't just smoke or gas. It's 101 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:11,000 a mix of neutral gas, tiny ice crystals, dust, and crucially, 102 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,240 this electrically charged plasma. 103 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: And the amount of plasma varies. 104 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, It depends entirely on how intense the solar 105 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,279 radiation is at that moment and the solar wind conditions. 106 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:24,639 It's flying through this whole structure, the coma and the 107 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:28,839 tail sometimes millions of kilometers long. Becomes like a giant 108 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:33,319 natural electromagnetic antenna feeding back into the solar system's circuitry. 109 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 1: Wow. Okay, that immediately clears up that misconception about the tail. 110 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,800 Most people, myself included, sometimes instinctively think the tail just 111 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:43,439 trails behind where the comet's going. 112 00:05:43,519 --> 00:05:47,399 Speaker 2: It's a very common mistake, often from textbook diagrams that oversimplify. 113 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,519 Speaker 1: But if it's driven by radiation and plasma forces from 114 00:05:50,519 --> 00:05:51,120 the Sun. 115 00:05:51,199 --> 00:05:53,639 Speaker 2: Then the tail has to point away from the Sun always. 116 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,360 It's formed by two main forces, the Sun's radiative pressure 117 00:05:57,399 --> 00:06:00,800 photons literally pushing the dust particles, and the pressure from 118 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:03,000 the solar wind the charge particles pushing. 119 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,600 Speaker 1: The plasma, both coming from the Sun. 120 00:06:04,439 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 2: Both originating at the Sun. So the tails, both the 121 00:06:07,319 --> 00:06:10,279 dust tail and the plasma or ion tail, always point 122 00:06:10,319 --> 00:06:12,839 directly away from the Sun. Doesn't matter if the comet 123 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:15,160 is speeding toward the Sun or flying away from it. 124 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:17,319 Speaker 1: I always think back to comet love Joy in twenty 125 00:06:17,319 --> 00:06:21,000 eleven that one survived a really close pass right. 126 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,160 Speaker 2: It did a sungrazer that made it and as it. 127 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: Flew back out away from the Sun, you could literally 128 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,040 see its massive tail pointing ahead of it, leading the 129 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:31,800 way because the Sun was behind it. 130 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,600 Speaker 2: A perfect illustration of the physics in action. And often 131 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,160 we even see multiple tails multiple Yeah, you might see 132 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:43,120 a slightly curved, yellowish dust tail which responds more to 133 00:06:43,319 --> 00:06:47,680 sunlight pressure and orbital mechanics, and a much straighter, often bluish, 134 00:06:47,879 --> 00:06:52,319 highly energetic ion tail. That ion tail is the plasma component, 135 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:53,160 and that's. 136 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:54,600 Speaker 1: The one that really interacts electrically. 137 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,560 Speaker 2: That's the key one for the electromagnetic interaction. Because plasma 138 00:06:58,639 --> 00:07:02,040 is so reactive to magnetic fields. The iontail interacts violently 139 00:07:02,079 --> 00:07:04,600 with the magnetic field lines stretching out from the Sun, 140 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:08,639 the interplanetary magnetic field now violently. Well, when the Comets 141 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,959 plasma field intersects the Sun's magnetic field lines in just 142 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,759 the right way, it can facilitate something called magnetic reconnection, 143 00:07:16,519 --> 00:07:20,639 a massive, often exclusive release of stored magnetic energy. 144 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,639 Speaker 1: Ah Okay, So when we see a big solar flare 145 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:26,920 or a CME eruption, that's energy that was already building 146 00:07:26,959 --> 00:07:29,360 up in the Sun's magnetic field correct, and the Commets 147 00:07:29,399 --> 00:07:31,920 plasma tail can act as sort of a trigger or 148 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:35,160 maybe a catalyst that helps release that energy faster. 149 00:07:35,519 --> 00:07:37,120 Speaker 2: That's a very good way to think about it, it's 150 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,639 an external influence that can promote instability in the Sun's 151 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,480 already complex magnetic structures. It provides a pathway for that 152 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:45,600 energy release. 153 00:07:45,399 --> 00:07:47,199 Speaker 1: So it doesn't cause the flare out of nothing, but 154 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:48,279 it can help set it off. 155 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 2: Precisely, it's a mechanism for instability. And having seven highly 156 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,920 volatile plasma producing structures all flying through the inner Solar 157 00:07:57,959 --> 00:08:01,639 System relatively close together, it means we have potentially seven 158 00:08:01,759 --> 00:08:05,319 sights for these kinds of interactions over a very short period. 159 00:08:05,399 --> 00:08:08,399 Speaker 1: That's why this form is so interesting to heliophysicists, the 160 00:08:08,439 --> 00:08:09,800 scientists who study the Sun. 161 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 2: Absolutely it's a natural laboratory for these kinds of interactions. 162 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: Okay, of these seven objects, one really stands out, not 163 00:08:15,879 --> 00:08:18,120 just for its size or activity, but for where it 164 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,079 came from. Let's talk about three iatless. 165 00:08:20,639 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 2: Ah Yes, three IAD glass. That's the true heavyweight of 166 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,920 this group and maybe the key driver of the electromagnetic 167 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,720 changes we're anticipating. What makes it a heavyweight and what 168 00:08:29,759 --> 00:08:32,919 does I in three I mean The eye stands for interstellar. 169 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,879 This object isn't from our Solar systems ort cloud or 170 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:39,799 Kuiper Belt like most comets, it came from somewhere else 171 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:41,919 entirely another star system. 172 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,200 Speaker 1: Wow, okay, and it's acting differently. 173 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:47,840 Speaker 2: Very differently. It was classified as very very active the 174 00:08:47,879 --> 00:08:51,440 moment it was detected, way out beyond the orbit of Jupiter. 175 00:08:51,519 --> 00:08:54,960 That's unusual, tilely anomalous at that distance. Solar heating is 176 00:08:55,039 --> 00:08:58,799 minimal for it to be off gassing so vigorously, releasing 177 00:08:58,879 --> 00:09:01,919 so much gas and dust. Well, it suggests either it 178 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,879 has an incredibly high concentration of materials that turn to 179 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:07,480 gas very easily, maybe ices we don't typically see in 180 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:11,000 our local comets, or perhaps its structure retains internal heat 181 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:11,639 much better. 182 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: And the scale of this activity, particularly it's coma that 183 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:17,519 bubble of gas and plasma around it. The numbers are 184 00:09:17,519 --> 00:09:18,159 just staggering. 185 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,759 Speaker 2: They really are. The nucleus itself. The solid bit is 186 00:09:21,919 --> 00:09:25,679 hard to measure precisely, maybe somewhere between five kilometers and 187 00:09:26,279 --> 00:09:29,879 an upper estimate of forty six kilometers across, So pretty big, yes, 188 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,120 But the solid part is almost secondary here. What matters 189 00:09:33,159 --> 00:09:36,759 more is the electromagnetic footprint. Recent measurements of its CO 190 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:40,679 two coma, this dense surrounding bubble of gas and plasma 191 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,399 showed it measured about seven hundred thousand kilometers across seven. 192 00:09:44,279 --> 00:09:48,919 Speaker 1: Hundred thousand kilometers. That's let me think the Sun's diameter 193 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,240 is about one point four million kilometers, so its com 194 00:09:51,399 --> 00:09:52,679 is half the width of the Sun. 195 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 2: Exactly half the diameter of our star. It's difficult to 196 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:58,440 wrap your head around a nucleus maybe only tens of 197 00:09:58,519 --> 00:10:01,159 kilometers wide, creating a plasma field. 198 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: That enormous, and that was measured a while ago, weeks ago. 199 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 2: Yes, as it continues its journey inward toward perihelium, that complex, 200 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,639 dusty plasma bubble is expected to grow even larger. It 201 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:15,159 could potentially encompass an area equivalent to the Sun's full diameter. 202 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,320 Speaker 1: But its mass is still tiny compared to the Sun, right. 203 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,519 Speaker 2: Oh, negligible, infinitesimal really, But its volume of highly reactive 204 00:10:22,519 --> 00:10:25,600 plasma is immense. That's why the size of the coma 205 00:10:25,639 --> 00:10:29,360 matters more electromagnetically speaking, than the size of the solid nucleus. 206 00:10:29,799 --> 00:10:31,840 It's the plasma that drives the interaction. 207 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 1: Okay, so if we connect this huge plasma bubble to 208 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,600 the Britter picture, it's going to interact with the basic 209 00:10:39,720 --> 00:10:43,360 architecture of the solar system. Things like the heliosphere current 210 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,799 sheet and the interplanetary magnetic field. Can you break those 211 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:49,200 down quickly? Heliosphere current shed se right. 212 00:10:49,279 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 2: Imagine, the Sun's magnetic field isn't just a simple bar 213 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,039 magnet field. Because the Sun rotates, the field gets drawn 214 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,200 out into a large spiral structure throughout the Solar System. 215 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,519 Think of it like a ballerina skirts whirling outwards. The 216 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:04,480 heliospheric current sheet is like the wavy hem of. 217 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: That skirt, a giant wavy sheet separating north and south 218 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:09,600 magnetic polarities. 219 00:11:10,039 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 2: Exactly. It's this enormous boundary where the polarity the Sun's 220 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:17,679 extended magnetic field flips everything in the Solar System. All 221 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:21,559 the planets are embedded within or passed through this sheet, 222 00:11:21,879 --> 00:11:25,159 and the interplanetari magnet field is just the Sun's magnetic 223 00:11:25,159 --> 00:11:28,440 field lines carried outward by the solar wind embedded within 224 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,000 that current sheet structure. 225 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:34,279 Speaker 1: So three IE class with its absolutely massive, highly energetic 226 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:38,480 plasmo Coma is about to physically plow through this main 227 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:40,200 magnetic structure of the Solar System. 228 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,159 Speaker 2: Yes, its huge plasma bubble will disrupt this wavy current sheet. 229 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:48,000 It will cause localized distortions in the interplanetary magnetic field lines, 230 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,960 and that kind of disruption punching through the current sheet 231 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:54,960 is a known catalyst for triggering magnetic reconnection events closer 232 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:55,799 to the Sun. 233 00:11:55,639 --> 00:11:59,440 Speaker 1: Thereby promoting more solar activity, more flares, more CMEs. 234 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:02,600 Speaker 2: That's the spectation, a higher chance of CMEs, potentially some 235 00:12:02,759 --> 00:12:06,159 directed towards Earth, especially given the timing with solar maximum. 236 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: And the source of this huge disruption is the real 237 00:12:08,919 --> 00:12:12,480 mystery its interstellar origin. It could be from a star 238 00:12:12,519 --> 00:12:15,279 system hundreds maybe thousands of light years. 239 00:12:15,039 --> 00:12:18,000 Speaker 2: Away, could be five hundred, could be five thousand late 240 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:22,559 years away. That's the most fascinating cart Unlike our local comments, 241 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,159 which formed along with our Sun and planets about four 242 00:12:25,159 --> 00:12:26,759 point five billion years ago. 243 00:12:26,759 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 1: We kind of know what they're made of. 244 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 2: We have a good idea, yes, But three eye atlases 245 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:35,039 formed somewhere else, entirely orbiting a different star, maybe billions 246 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:40,120 of years ago. We simply don't know its precise chemical makeup, 247 00:12:40,159 --> 00:12:44,440 its volatile content, how its structure even survived potentially billions 248 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:46,039 of years of interstellar travel. 249 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 1: So it's a complete unknown variable interacting with our home system. 250 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:52,519 Speaker 2: For possibly the very first time in its existence. This 251 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,600 ambiguity means we don't fully understand how it will react 252 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:59,159 when it gets really enticely heated by our Sun near perihelion. 253 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,200 As a layer of profound mystery, let's. 254 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,480 Speaker 1: Nail down the key dates for this inter cellar heavyweight. 255 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,360 When is it really making its presence felt? 256 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:09,879 Speaker 2: The climax seems to be the end of October this year, 257 00:13:09,919 --> 00:13:13,279 twenty twenty five. On October twenty first, three, i Atlas 258 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:16,879 reaches what's called superior conjunction, meaning it's positioned on the 259 00:13:16,919 --> 00:13:20,360 opposite side of the Sun from Earth. This maximizes its 260 00:13:20,399 --> 00:13:24,440 proximity to the Sun's most active magnetic regions from our perspective, 261 00:13:24,759 --> 00:13:26,240 enhancing its potential influence. 262 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: Okay, and then. 263 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 2: Then just eight days later, on October twenty ninth, it 264 00:13:31,039 --> 00:13:34,440 reaches perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun. 265 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: But it's not a sungrazer, right. It doesn't skim the 266 00:13:37,759 --> 00:13:38,440 Sun's surface. 267 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 2: No, that's important. It doesn't cut within Mercury's orbit like 268 00:13:41,759 --> 00:13:44,879 some comets do. Its perihelium is safely just inside the 269 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:46,039 orbit of Mars. 270 00:13:46,039 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 1: But still close enough for its huge plasma bubble to 271 00:13:49,159 --> 00:13:49,879 cause effects. 272 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,399 Speaker 2: Absolutely that rapidly expanding plasma bubble will be fully immersed 273 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,720 in the intense solar wind near the Sun, and it 274 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:01,360 will be crossing the heliosphere current sheet during that entire 275 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,279 critical week October twenty first of twenty ninth. That whole 276 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:07,000 period promotes significant solar instability. 277 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,559 Speaker 1: Okay, that sets up the immediate dynamics for the end 278 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,240 of this year. But there's a follow on implication something 279 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:14,120 that happens later in twenty twenty six. 280 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,120 Speaker 2: Yes, that's the long term puzzle, and it's really quite exciting. 281 00:14:17,159 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: What is it? 282 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:21,919 Speaker 2: Well, as three iotlas flies through its off gasing huge 283 00:14:21,919 --> 00:14:26,080 amounts of material, not just gas but dust, grains, tiny particles, 284 00:14:26,519 --> 00:14:31,399 it leaves this stream, this trail of debris along its orbital. 285 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: Path, like canceling Gretel, but with interstellar. 286 00:14:33,759 --> 00:14:36,919 Speaker 2: Dust sort of. Yes, and Earth's orbit is predicted to 287 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,679 cross that debris trail sometime in twenty twenty six. 288 00:14:39,799 --> 00:14:41,759 Speaker 1: We're going to fly through its way exactly. 289 00:14:41,879 --> 00:14:45,639 Speaker 2: Given its interstellar makeup, we could potentially be traversing materials, 290 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:49,240 sampling dust grains that have never been encountered before in 291 00:14:49,279 --> 00:14:50,080 our solar system. 292 00:14:50,159 --> 00:14:50,919 Speaker 1: What would be in there? 293 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:56,159 Speaker 2: Who knows? Unknown elements, complex organic molecules formed in a 294 00:14:56,240 --> 00:15:00,759 totally different environment, distinct isotopic signatures that tell us about 295 00:15:00,799 --> 00:15:04,799 its home star system. It's an incredible, unprecedented opportunity for 296 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,399 scientific collection, maybe via high altitude aircraft or even just 297 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:12,080 analyzing meteor data, even if the materials only microscopic dust. 298 00:15:12,399 --> 00:15:14,639 Speaker 1: The idea that we could be sweeping up particles from 299 00:15:14,639 --> 00:15:17,799 a system potentially thousands of light years away just by 300 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,519 flying through the path that left behind, that's genuinely mind bending. 301 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 2: It adds a whole other dimension to this event, beyond 302 00:15:24,519 --> 00:15:25,759 the immediate fireworks. 303 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,159 Speaker 1: All right, let's shift gears a bit. We've talked about 304 00:15:28,159 --> 00:15:31,480 the physics and the big interstellar player three IAT lists. 305 00:15:32,039 --> 00:15:34,759 Now let's look at the sheer, quantity and proximity of 306 00:15:34,799 --> 00:15:37,639 the rest of the swarm, because it's this concentration of 307 00:15:37,679 --> 00:15:41,600 objects that really makes the twenty twenty five electromagnetic signature 308 00:15:41,799 --> 00:15:42,639 so unusual. 309 00:15:42,879 --> 00:15:45,519 Speaker 2: Yes, the combined effect is significant. 310 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: So to help everyone keep track, let's maybe run through 311 00:15:47,960 --> 00:15:51,120 the remaining objects chronologically based on when they make their 312 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,639 closest approach to the Sun their perihelium. Sounds good, We 313 00:15:54,639 --> 00:15:56,919 should probably mention, just to set the scene that C. 314 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,720 Twenty twenty two E three ZTF was a notable one earlier, 315 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:04,080 and CE twenty twenty two and two Pan stars already 316 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:06,840 passed its peri helion back in July, way out at 317 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:10,080 three point eight two AU, near Jupiter's orbit, So the 318 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:11,639 clock has sort of been ticking. 319 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 2: Right pantsers, kick things off, But now we're focusing on 320 00:16:13,879 --> 00:16:17,240 the objects making serious incursions into the inner Solar System, 321 00:16:17,279 --> 00:16:19,960 where the electromagnetic action is much more intense. 322 00:16:20,039 --> 00:16:22,519 Speaker 1: Okay, starting with the most recent arrival, the one discovered 323 00:16:22,559 --> 00:16:25,799 quite late CE twenty twenty five, are too Swan. This 324 00:16:25,879 --> 00:16:27,639 one caused a bit of buzz because it was found 325 00:16:27,639 --> 00:16:29,200 so close to its perihelium. 326 00:16:28,759 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, that's right. Swan reached perihelium just recently on 327 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:36,200 September twelfth, and it got close point five astronomical units 328 00:16:36,279 --> 00:16:37,159 or AU. 329 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 1: Point five AU. Yeah, that's half the distance between the 330 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,519 Earth and Sun, so just outside Mercury's orbit exactly. 331 00:16:42,679 --> 00:16:46,039 Speaker 2: Comments that get that close are highly energized by the Sun. 332 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:48,799 But what makes Swan really vital for us on Earth 333 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,039 is its incredibly close approach to our planet coming up soon. 334 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: How is that? 335 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 2: Its closest approach to Earth is October twenty first, and 336 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,200 it gets remarkably close, just point two five au. 337 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: A quarter of the Earth Sun distance. That's less than 338 00:17:01,519 --> 00:17:05,400 twenty five million miles. Extremely close in cosmic. 339 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:07,559 Speaker 2: Terms, it is. And here's where the timing gets really interesting, 340 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:11,160 creating a kind of synergy. October twenty first, Swan's closest 341 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,039 approach to Earth is the exact same date that the 342 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:18,079 interstellar heavyweight three I analysts is that superior conjunction on 343 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,440 the far side of the Sun, maximizing its potential disturbance. 344 00:17:21,519 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 1: Wow. Okay, so we have Swan, a very active comet 345 00:17:24,519 --> 00:17:28,880 practically in our backyard electromagnetically speaking, along the ecliptic plane, 346 00:17:29,599 --> 00:17:32,559 while Atlas is potentially causing the biggest stir over on 347 00:17:32,599 --> 00:17:34,359 the Sun's side at the same. 348 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:40,079 Speaker 2: Time exactly maximum external perturbation coinciding with maximum internal proximity 349 00:17:40,079 --> 00:17:42,880 to Earth. It sounds like a recipe for a very 350 00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:45,000 dynamic day for space weather watchers. 351 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,160 Speaker 1: Definitely. And what about seeing Swan? Can we see it 352 00:17:48,319 --> 00:17:48,680 right now? 353 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,599 Speaker 2: It's around magnitude seven or maybe six, so you need 354 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:54,480 binoculars or a small telescope from a dark site. But 355 00:17:54,519 --> 00:17:58,400 it's already developed a spectacular structure. Observers are reporting a 356 00:17:58,519 --> 00:18:02,160 super long tail stretch about two point five degrees across 357 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:02,920 the sky two and. 358 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,759 Speaker 1: A half degrees for anyone listening, How big is that visually? 359 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,519 Speaker 2: That's five times the visual width of the full moon. 360 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: Five full moons lined up. That's an enormous span of 361 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:14,880 plasma up there, even if the main head isn't naked 362 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:15,680 eyebright yet. 363 00:18:15,799 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 2: It's a stunning visual conformation of these massive plasma antenna 364 00:18:19,519 --> 00:18:21,920 we were talking about. It really shows the incredible volume 365 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:23,440 of material being ionized. 366 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:24,799 Speaker 1: Okay, who's next? In September? 367 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,079 Speaker 2: Following quickly after Swan. Still in September, we have four 368 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:30,079 hundred and fourteen piece stereo. 369 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:31,759 Speaker 1: Four to fourteen piece stereo. What's its story? 370 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,039 Speaker 2: This one hits perihelium on September twenty seventh at point 371 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,920 five to two AU, almost identical solar proximity to Swan. 372 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,680 What's interesting about its trajectory is that it came in 373 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,079 from high above the ecliptic plane the plane of the 374 00:18:44,079 --> 00:18:46,720 planet's orbits, Okay, and it's swinging down below it as 375 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:47,519 it goes around the Sun. 376 00:18:47,599 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: Does that matter coming in at an angle? 377 00:18:49,319 --> 00:18:52,680 Speaker 2: It can, yes, comments that plunge across the ecliptic plane 378 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:55,880 like this cut across the interplanetary magnetic field lines at 379 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,759 a sharper angle. This can sometimes generate unique, powerful magnetic 380 00:18:59,839 --> 00:19:02,400 l connection events that are different from those caused by 381 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:04,920 objects that stay closer to the plane. It adds another 382 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:06,920 layer of complexity to the interactions. 383 00:19:07,079 --> 00:19:09,759 Speaker 1: All right, Now we move into October, which sounds like 384 00:19:09,759 --> 00:19:12,359 the month of maximum convergence. I start with another one 385 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:15,359 discovered by the ATLA survey C twenty twenty five K 386 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:17,079 one Atlas. 387 00:19:16,519 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 2: Yes C twenty twenty five K one Atlas reaches perihelion 388 00:19:20,039 --> 00:19:23,039 on October eighth, and this one gets extremely close to 389 00:19:23,039 --> 00:19:25,519 the Sun only point three three au. 390 00:19:25,559 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 1: Point three three au that puts it well inside the 391 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:28,640 orbit of. 392 00:19:28,599 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 2: Mercury, deep inside Mercury's orbit, and like four fourteen P Stereo, 393 00:19:32,039 --> 00:19:34,920 it's also zipping below the ecliptic plane during its close pass. 394 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: So we have multiple objects getting very close inside or 395 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:41,880 just outside Mercury's orbit and crossing the main orbital plane 396 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:43,799 from different angles, all around the same time. 397 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,799 Speaker 2: Exactly. It's this concentration, this traffic jam, if you will, 398 00:19:47,799 --> 00:19:51,440 of plasma structures all intersecting the Sun's most active magnetic 399 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:56,000 regions simultaneously. That's what makes the overall electromagnetic activity potentially 400 00:19:56,079 --> 00:19:56,640 so high. 401 00:19:57,079 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 1: So if we step back and look at October as 402 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,880 a whole, it really seems like that week between October 403 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,200 twenty first and the twenty ninth is the absolute critical period, 404 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:07,440 the one we really need to watch. 405 00:20:07,559 --> 00:20:09,400 Speaker 2: That is definitely the most volatile window you've got the 406 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,319 twenty first three I atlass at superior conjunction potentially disrupting 407 00:20:13,319 --> 00:20:16,759 the Helio spirit current sheet, while C twenty twenty five 408 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,839 R two swan makes it super close approach to Earth 409 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,920 at point twenty five AU. Okay, Then just eight days later, 410 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:25,720 on the twenty ninth, the interstellar heavyweight three I less 411 00:20:25,759 --> 00:20:28,680 itself hits perihelion, albeit inside Mars orbit. 412 00:20:28,759 --> 00:20:32,039 Speaker 1: It's this unique combination major plasma body is near the Sun, 413 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:34,720 coinciding with the peak of the solar activity cycle. 414 00:20:35,039 --> 00:20:38,680 Speaker 2: It means we should probably anticipate more frequent space weather alerts, 415 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:42,759 maybe heightened Aurora visibility if CMEs hit Earth, and certainly 416 00:20:42,799 --> 00:20:45,640 intense observation campaigns by solar physicists. 417 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,880 Speaker 1: Moving into November, we finally get to the one that 418 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,599 might offer the best show for US regular folks looking 419 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:56,279 up see twenty twenty five A six lemon. This sounds 420 00:20:56,319 --> 00:20:57,759 like the one to set our alarms for. 421 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,640 Speaker 2: Absolutely If you want to see one of the lemon 422 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,680 is probably your best bet. It reaches perihelion on November 423 00:21:03,759 --> 00:21:06,359 eighth at a distance of point five to three AU, 424 00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:08,440 similar to Swan and Stereo. 425 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: But it's expected to be much brighter. 426 00:21:09,759 --> 00:21:12,519 Speaker 2: Yes, Kurt forecasts are very exciting. It's expected to be 427 00:21:12,559 --> 00:21:15,440 the brightest comet of the entire swarm, potentially reaching an 428 00:21:15,480 --> 00:21:17,799 apparent magnitude of four maybe even three point five. 429 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,119 Speaker 1: Okay, magnitude three point five For listeners not familiar with 430 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:23,039 the magnitude skill, what does that actually mean? Can you 431 00:21:23,039 --> 00:21:23,319 see it? 432 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,480 Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah, that means it should be easily visible to 433 00:21:26,519 --> 00:21:29,799 the naked eye, even from areas with some mild light pollution. 434 00:21:30,759 --> 00:21:33,880 For comparison, the faintest stars you can typically see under 435 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:38,319 really dark skies are around magnitude six. Magnitude three point 436 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:40,960 five is brighter than many of the stars in well 437 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,640 known constellations, like the stars and the handle of the 438 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,559 Big Dipper, or maybe the brighter stars in the Little Dipper. 439 00:21:46,839 --> 00:21:49,920 Speaker 1: So no binoculars needed, just clear skies and knowing where 440 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:50,920 to look exactly. 441 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 2: It should be quite noticeable. 442 00:21:52,319 --> 00:21:55,559 Speaker 1: That's great news. Why is lemon expected to be so 443 00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:57,960 much brighter than the others even though it's not getting 444 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,480 the absolute closest to the Sun. Is it just bigger? 445 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:05,640 Speaker 2: Not necessarily bigger, It's more about favorable geometry pure viewing angle. 446 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,319 We get a kind of front row seat from Earth's perspective. 447 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: How So c. 448 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,400 Speaker 2: Twenty twenty five A six lemon will be in a 449 00:22:11,519 --> 00:22:14,319 very favorable position in the sky when it's at its brightest, 450 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,839 especially for observers in the northern hemisphere. It'll be well 451 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,200 placed high above the ecliptic plane. Its angle relative to 452 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,839 Earth and the Sun will maximize the amount of sunlight 453 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:26,119 scattered off its dust and gas back. 454 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: Towards us, so we see more reflected light. 455 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:33,519 Speaker 2: Precisely, it creates potentially the most luninous and sustained viewing 456 00:22:33,559 --> 00:22:36,359 opportunity of this entire swarm. It could be the real 457 00:22:36,519 --> 00:22:37,519 visual showstopper. 458 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,759 Speaker 1: Excellent, okay, And wrapping up this intense period of close approaches, 459 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:44,839 there's one more scheduled perihelion right two forty p. 460 00:22:45,279 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 2: Last one on the current schedule guests two hundred and 461 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:50,839 forty pa passes perihelion on December nineteenth. 462 00:22:51,039 --> 00:22:52,359 Speaker 1: Is this one similar to the others? 463 00:22:52,839 --> 00:22:56,039 Speaker 2: Structurally it's a bit different. It's a cyclical comet what 464 00:22:56,079 --> 00:22:58,680 we call a short period object, meaning it returns to 465 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:01,599 the Inner Solar System relative frequently, unlike the others, which 466 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:03,880 might be on their first trip in from the Orc 467 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:07,039 cloud or an Atlas's case, from interstellar space. 468 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:08,680 Speaker 1: So it's more of a local resident. 469 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,039 Speaker 2: Kind of if its perihelion is also much further out 470 00:23:11,079 --> 00:23:14,200 at two point one twelve AU, that's beyond Mars's orbit, 471 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,759 closer to the asteroid belt or Jupiter's. 472 00:23:16,319 --> 00:23:19,480 Speaker 1: Influence, so not as dramatic an approach, not as close. 473 00:23:19,279 --> 00:23:22,160 Speaker 2: No, But the fact that even this more distant regular 474 00:23:22,279 --> 00:23:25,079 visitor is showing up during this hyperactive period just adds 475 00:23:25,119 --> 00:23:28,799 to the overall theme. The Inner Solar System is exceptionally 476 00:23:28,839 --> 00:23:30,839 crowded with volatile objects right now. 477 00:23:31,079 --> 00:23:34,039 Speaker 1: Okay, so we have this sheer number of plasma tailed 478 00:23:34,039 --> 00:23:36,960 comets converging near the Sun right when the Sun is 479 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,880 near its activity peak solar maximum. The question seems to 480 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,319 be not if we'll see some cosmic fireworks, but maybe 481 00:23:44,359 --> 00:23:46,079 when and how dramatic they might be. 482 00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 2: That's a fair assessment. 483 00:23:47,839 --> 00:23:51,279 Speaker 1: What's the most let's say sought after visible event that 484 00:23:51,559 --> 00:23:55,680 observers both professional and amateur are hoping to catch during 485 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:56,279 this period. 486 00:23:56,359 --> 00:23:59,960 Speaker 2: Well, visually, the most dramatic and probably scientifically interesting event 487 00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,319 is something called a tail disconnection. 488 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:04,039 Speaker 1: Event or td ail disconnection event. 489 00:24:04,319 --> 00:24:07,079 Speaker 2: And given the current density of bright comets with substantial 490 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:10,920 plasma tails and the intensity of solar maximum activity, the 491 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,440 likelihood of seeing one or more visible TDEs is well 492 00:24:14,559 --> 00:24:15,799 significantly elevated. 493 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:18,559 Speaker 1: I can picture the effect, that's Jale breaking off. But 494 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,880 let's dig into the physics a bit more. How does 495 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:24,519 a big solar eruption physically disconnect a comet's tail and 496 00:24:24,559 --> 00:24:25,960 what happens to the tail afterward. 497 00:24:26,519 --> 00:24:30,599 Speaker 2: It's really a profound demonstration of electromagnetic forces in action 498 00:24:30,799 --> 00:24:34,000 on a grand scale. A TDE typically happens when a 499 00:24:34,039 --> 00:24:37,960 powerful eruption from the Sun, specifically a coronal mass ejection 500 00:24:38,079 --> 00:24:39,039 a CME. 501 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:42,680 Speaker 1: That huge bubble of plasma and magnetic field that explodes 502 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:43,480 off the Sun. 503 00:24:43,519 --> 00:24:48,880 Speaker 2: Exactly when that CME slams into the comet's existing plasma tail, 504 00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:54,640 the ion tail. Specifically, Remember that ion tail is highly charged, 505 00:24:54,839 --> 00:24:57,839 it has its own weak magnetic field, and it's essentially 506 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:02,680 anchored electrically speaking to the comet's nucleus right. The CME, however, 507 00:25:02,799 --> 00:25:06,720 carries a much stronger embedded magnetic field. When the CME's 508 00:25:06,759 --> 00:25:09,599 field lines encounter the comet's tail field lines, they can 509 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,400 basically override them through magnetic reconnection. 510 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,400 Speaker 1: So the CME's magnetic field effectively cuts the magnetic connection 511 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,359 between the comet's nucleus and its tail, like cutting in 512 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:20,160 a bilical cord. 513 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:23,599 Speaker 2: That's a great analogy. The CME's magnetic field lines literally 514 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:26,880 sweet past the comet, causing magnetic reconnection on a massive 515 00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:30,039 scale that instantly shears the existing plasma tail off from 516 00:25:30,039 --> 00:25:30,799 the comet's head. 517 00:25:30,839 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: The coma wow, and the tail just floats away pretty much. 518 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 2: The disconnected tail, which can be millions of kilometers long, 519 00:25:37,039 --> 00:25:39,640 then just drifts away with the solar wind. It's often 520 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:43,119 visible for hours, sometimes even days, as a distinct structure, 521 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,160 slowly fading as it dissipates. 522 00:25:45,279 --> 00:25:47,480 Speaker 1: And the comet does it just stop having a tail? 523 00:25:47,799 --> 00:25:50,920 Speaker 2: Oh No. As soon as the main disrupting influence of 524 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,960 the CME passes, the nucleus immediately starts ionizing new gas, 525 00:25:55,319 --> 00:25:59,000 forming a brand new plasma tail, which again points directly away. 526 00:25:58,759 --> 00:26:02,680 Speaker 1: From the sun rapid reformation must be incredible to witness 527 00:26:02,759 --> 00:26:04,079 seeing a new tail grow back. 528 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:07,039 Speaker 2: It is, and it reinforces the physics we talked about earlier. 529 00:26:07,039 --> 00:26:09,200 The tail direction is dictated by the Sun, not the 530 00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:09,880 comet's motion. 531 00:26:10,559 --> 00:26:12,920 Speaker 1: Do we have actual visual proof of this happening? Have 532 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:13,839 we seen it clearly? 533 00:26:13,960 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 2: Oh? Absolutely. There's a famous example from October third, two 534 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:21,119 thousand and seven. Images I believe from the Stereo spacecraft 535 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:24,359 clearly showed a CME hitting Comet inc. You could see 536 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:27,119 the CME wave wash over the comet and then visibly 537 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,400 see the comet's plasma tail completely detach and drift away. 538 00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:33,160 Speaker 1: Incredible direct visual evidence. 539 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:35,640 Speaker 2: Perhaps the best visual evidence we have of the raw 540 00:26:35,759 --> 00:26:39,000 power of the Sun's magnetic output interacting with another body 541 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,799 in space. It shows how dynamic these cosmic electric circuits 542 00:26:42,839 --> 00:26:43,240 really are. 543 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,839 Speaker 1: So with potentially seven bright targets flying through the Sun's 544 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,319 most active zones during solar Maximum, it. 545 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 2: Would actually be quite surprising if we didn't get multiple 546 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,279 well observed, maybe even ground visible disconnection events over the 547 00:26:56,279 --> 00:26:58,880 next few months. The odds are just much higher than usual. 548 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,720 Speaker 1: Beyond just looking up from Earth, the really detailed conformation 549 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:07,119 often comes from specialized scientific instruments right which solar monitoring 550 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,559 tools are best suited to catch this swarm in action. 551 00:27:10,279 --> 00:27:14,440 Speaker 2: We rely heavily on instruments called coronagraphs, primarily those on 552 00:27:14,599 --> 00:27:18,720 space missions like SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and 553 00:27:18,759 --> 00:27:22,720 the STEREO Spacecraft Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. 554 00:27:22,839 --> 00:27:25,519 Speaker 1: Coronagraphs. Those are the ones that block out the Sun's. 555 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:29,279 Speaker 2: Bright disc exactly. They create an artificial eclipse, blocking the 556 00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:32,519 incredibly bright solar disk so that scientists can monitor the 557 00:27:32,599 --> 00:27:36,240 much fainter structures around the Sun, like its outer atmosphere, 558 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,680 the corona, and importantly any CMEs erupting. 559 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,440 Speaker 1: I've seen those images the suns like a black circle 560 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,200 and you see these ghostly white plumes the corona stretching out. 561 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 2: That's the view now some grazers, those comets that cut 562 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,319 extremely close to the Sun are pretty much guaranteed to 563 00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:56,680 appear in the coronograph's field of view. But even objects 564 00:27:56,799 --> 00:27:57,720 in this swarm that. 565 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,039 Speaker 1: Don't get that close, like free Idea. 566 00:28:00,039 --> 00:28:03,039 Speaker 2: Three as or maybe Swan or K oneatil Us, when 567 00:28:03,079 --> 00:28:07,160 they're near perihelium, they can be large enough and bright enough, 568 00:28:07,279 --> 00:28:10,200 especially their comas, to appear in the outer field of 569 00:28:10,279 --> 00:28:13,599 view of these coronagraphs, like the C three instrument ONESO. 570 00:28:14,319 --> 00:28:17,160 Speaker 1: And what do scientists learn from seeing them in the coronographs. 571 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:20,759 Speaker 2: Well, first, it confirms their position and trajectory very precisely 572 00:28:20,839 --> 00:28:23,640 near the Sun. But more than that, by analyzing how 573 00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,400 the comets coma and tail scatter the Sun's light within 574 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:30,160 the coronograph's view, scientists can actually estimate the density and 575 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,799 the speed of the plasma and dust being released by 576 00:28:32,799 --> 00:28:35,440 the comet. It gives us real numbers on how active 577 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:36,640 they are and didn't. 578 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,519 Speaker 1: The coronograph views also help confirm the physics of the 579 00:28:39,519 --> 00:28:40,400 tail direction. 580 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:44,079 Speaker 2: We discussed they absolutely did. Back to comet Lovejoy in 581 00:28:44,119 --> 00:28:47,279 twenty eleven, the one that survived its close pass, the 582 00:28:47,359 --> 00:28:51,799 coronograph views very clearly showed its tail immediately reforming and 583 00:28:51,839 --> 00:28:54,240 pointing directly away from the Sun as it flew back 584 00:28:54,279 --> 00:28:58,559 out into space, a beautiful real time demonstration of radiative 585 00:28:58,559 --> 00:28:59,759 pressure and solar wind. 586 00:28:59,759 --> 00:29:03,720 Speaker 1: If so, these solar instruments really confirm that these objects 587 00:29:03,759 --> 00:29:08,200 are acting as massive dynamic players interacting with the Sun's 588 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:08,720 own output. 589 00:29:09,079 --> 00:29:11,480 Speaker 2: Without a doubt, this whole period of convergence from the 590 00:29:11,519 --> 00:29:14,359 close approaches of Swan and Lemon to the immense plasma 591 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:16,880 bubble of the interstellar object three I E list makes 592 00:29:17,119 --> 00:29:20,039 the rest of this year twenty twenty five, just a 593 00:29:20,079 --> 00:29:23,519 phenomenal time for heliophysics research and dynamic observation. 594 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: It really sounds like the next few months are setting 595 00:29:25,519 --> 00:29:27,960 up a grand show, both visually for us on the 596 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,920 ground and dynamically for scientists studying the Sun hashtag outro. 597 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,960 Speaker 2: So when we pull all this together, synthesize all the data, 598 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,039 the situation unfolding right now is genuinely extraordinary. You've got 599 00:29:38,039 --> 00:29:41,359 three IE lists, this interstellar heavyweight acting as a potentially 600 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,160 massive electromagnetic disruptor right near the Sun, interacting with the 601 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,200 Sun at the exact same time as the swarm of 602 00:29:48,359 --> 00:29:53,559 six other highly volatile close flying commets. It's creating this enhanced, 603 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:58,000 unusually dense electromagnetic signature in the inner Solar System, the 604 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:01,680 likes of which really modern and observational astronomy hasn't had 605 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:04,599 the chance to chronicle before with this level of detail. 606 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:09,279 Speaker 1: It's fascinating too, how this modern scientific understanding, you know, 607 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:14,920 plasma physics, magnetic reconnection distances in AU, it connects right 608 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,960 back to thousands of years of human experience, doesn't it. 609 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 2: It really does. 610 00:30:18,799 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 1: For basically all of recorded history, comments weren't just observed 611 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,599 as astronomical objects. They were seen as signs, as omens, 612 00:30:25,599 --> 00:30:27,039 as harbingers of change. 613 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:30,480 Speaker 2: Absolutely, that's the traditional view, isn't it. Especially for bright 614 00:30:30,519 --> 00:30:32,240 comments that were visible for a long time in the 615 00:30:32,359 --> 00:30:35,519 night sky. They're often thought to precede periods of well 616 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:39,720 intense societal transformation, maybe great battles, or what we might 617 00:30:39,759 --> 00:30:41,279 now call paradigm shifts. 618 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: And here we have this extraordinary physical dynamic happening in 619 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:47,880 the heavens right now, and well, it's hard not to 620 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:51,839 notice that the world itself is simultaneously experiencing a period 621 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:58,839 of intense global volatility, rapid technological change, societal shifts. The 622 00:30:58,880 --> 00:31:02,759 physics is immediate and measurable, but that cultural and historical 623 00:31:02,799 --> 00:31:04,400 resonance definitely lingers. 624 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:07,680 Speaker 2: It does make you wonder, doesn't it, what resonance, if any, 625 00:31:07,839 --> 00:31:11,960 this massive injection of cosmic material and energy, might have, 626 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,480 even subtly on Earth's own energetic field, or perhaps even 627 00:31:15,519 --> 00:31:19,279 our collective experience, Whether it's scientifically measurable down the line 628 00:31:19,359 --> 00:31:22,440 or just historically perceived it certainly feels like a moment 629 00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:26,319 of intense celestial activity coinciding with intense terrestrial activity. 630 00:31:26,519 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: Yeah. 631 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 2: Now, the immediate physical dynamics we've detailed for the rest 632 00:31:29,519 --> 00:31:31,920 of twenty twenty five, you know, the potential for enhanced 633 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:35,119 solar flares, the bright visual displays like Comet Lemon, the 634 00:31:35,119 --> 00:31:38,200 possibility of seeing tail disconnection events. Those are the headline 635 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:39,359 events for the coming. 636 00:31:39,079 --> 00:31:41,119 Speaker 1: Months, the things to watch form exactly. 637 00:31:41,559 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 2: But perhaps the longest lasting effect, the one that stretches 638 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:46,440 beyond this year, might be the one we can only 639 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,480 really speculate about right now. That debris trail left behind 640 00:31:49,519 --> 00:31:52,519 by the interstellar heavyweight three I Atlas, the. 641 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: Stuff Earth flies through in twenty twenty six precisely. 642 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,920 Speaker 2: So maybe consider this as you watch the skies over 643 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:02,559 the coming months. What does it truly mean for us 644 00:32:02,599 --> 00:32:06,880 for Earth to be traversing material that originated near another star, 645 00:32:07,279 --> 00:32:09,359 potentially thousands of light years away. 646 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 1: Material that's traveled a void for maybe billions of. 647 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 2: Years, billions of years, only now to be scattered into 648 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:19,839 our little corner of the solar neighborhood. What previously unknown elements, 649 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:24,079 what exotic molecules, or what new particles carrying information from 650 00:32:24,119 --> 00:32:26,839 afar might we gain when we sweep through the remnants 651 00:32:26,839 --> 00:32:30,079 of the universe's newest biggest visitor in twenty twenty six. 652 00:32:30,279 --> 00:32:32,759 Speaker 1: That really is the ultimate deep dive question, isn't it. 653 00:32:32,759 --> 00:32:34,880 Speaker 2: It is, and it's one worth keeping your eye on 654 00:32:35,039 --> 00:32:37,319 long after the last of this comet swarm has flown 655 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:38,599 back out into the darkness.