1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Welcome again to Astronomy Daily. I'm Steve Dunkley, your human host. 2 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,280 It's the twenty fourth of February twenty twenty five. 3 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:10,279 Speaker 2: Podcast. 4 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 1: I mean to be your whole Steve Dunkle. Oh, yes, 5 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:18,399 and thank you for joining us here at Astronomy Daily. 6 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,160 Come to you from the studio in Paradise. That's right, Newcastle, Australia. 7 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,559 Currently thirty six degrees. I'm so glad to be indoors. 8 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,600 That's Celsius for all of you who are wondering, it's 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,960 a perfect summer's day here on Australia's beautiful East Coast. 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,920 Not a cloud in the sky. The sun is baking us. Yes, 11 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,240 and as dylanor And once said, we're all audibly crackling 12 00:00:40,759 --> 00:00:44,079 down here. We're only three kilometers from the surface of 13 00:00:44,119 --> 00:00:47,479 the sun. Didn't you know that it is hot? Hot hot? 14 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:51,240 And joining me again is my digital reporter Pale, who's 15 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:51,840 fun to be with. 16 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 3: Welcome back, Holle, Hi favorite human. What's new? 17 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:58,159 Speaker 1: Oh, Hally, just another week in the real world, just 18 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,479 enjoying all the news from the Astronomy Daily newsletter. Now 19 00:01:01,479 --> 00:01:03,280 have you found your stories for today? 20 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:03,799 Speaker 2: Yes? 21 00:01:04,079 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 3: I have. You'll like one about the mysterious Space Force 22 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:07,400 space plane. 23 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: I'll stop it. Space Force. You know what that means? 24 00:01:10,599 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 3: Yes, your favorite. 25 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: Oh people, get ready the Space. 26 00:01:13,599 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 3: Force theme music. 27 00:01:14,519 --> 00:01:19,879 Speaker 1: Space Oh dear, I'll just click myself out. And what 28 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:21,239 else have you got for us? Helle? 29 00:01:21,599 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 3: Oh? Yes, SpaceX has completed a substantial static fire test 30 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:29,519 that I'll also report on. That sounds very good, It 31 00:01:29,599 --> 00:01:30,439 looks promising. 32 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: That's great, Halle. It's not Space Force, but it's really good. 33 00:01:34,719 --> 00:01:36,400 And I am going to have a look at a 34 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,719 fast moving star astronomers have discovered toward the center of 35 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,799 the galaxy. And you won't believe just how fast we're 36 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:43,760 talking with this one. 37 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:45,079 Speaker 3: How fast are we talking? 38 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 2: Then? 39 00:01:45,599 --> 00:01:47,719 Speaker 1: Well, helly, remember that time you asked me to put 40 00:01:47,719 --> 00:01:50,439 away the memory cards from the recording sessions last year. 41 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 3: Yes, and I'm still waiting anything to get out of 42 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:54,200 a little work. 43 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: Yeah. Okay, Well this star is way faster than that. 44 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,599 Speaker 3: Okay, okay, that's pretty quick, tell you. 45 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: Listeners, she said, not very convincingly. 46 00:02:03,359 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 3: That's a fact. 47 00:02:04,719 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: Yeah. Okay, enough of that, Shenantigan's. But before we get 48 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,800 stuck into today's stories, Halle, I've got a quick update 49 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,520 regarding that approaching asteroid that's been in. 50 00:02:13,439 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 3: The news lately, the one causing all the rumors about 51 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:18,639 certain destruction in twenty thirty two years. 52 00:02:18,719 --> 00:02:22,719 Speaker 1: That's the one halle straight off the wire today. Asteroid 53 00:02:22,719 --> 00:02:25,919 twenty twenty four y are four, as listeners might be 54 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:30,039 already aware, as a recently discovered near Earth object currently 55 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:34,599 being closely monitored by NASA's Planetary Defense teams. Initial observations 56 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,360 suggested there might be a potential risk of impact with 57 00:02:37,439 --> 00:02:41,800 Earth in the future, but thankfully updated calculations have significantly 58 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,879 reduced this possibility. Based on the latest data, the asteroid 59 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:50,080 has an extremely low probability point two eight percent of 60 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:54,439 impacting Earth. On December twenty two, twenty thirty two. However, 61 00:02:54,479 --> 00:02:57,360 its chances of colliding with the Moon have slocally increased 62 00:02:57,599 --> 00:02:58,479 to one percent. 63 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:01,919 Speaker 3: So I can see that the asteroid's orbit continues to 64 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,879 be refined through ongoing observations, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory 65 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,919 CENTURY system providing real time updates on its trajectory. 66 00:03:09,199 --> 00:03:12,080 Speaker 1: That is exactly how it works, and while Asteroid twenty 67 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:16,360 twenty four four doesn't currently pose a significant threat, scientists 68 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,599 are remaining vigilant tracking its movements to give more accurate 69 00:03:19,599 --> 00:03:23,639 predictions into as says, any potential future risks just in case. 70 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 3: That's very wise, and this is why we shouldn't jump 71 00:03:27,159 --> 00:03:30,360 to conclusions about trajectories and potential impacts so soon. 72 00:03:30,719 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: That's right. The asteroid is a near Earth object of 73 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,919 the Apollo type with a estimated diameter between forty and 74 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,680 ninety meters, and it was discovered on December twenty seven, 75 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,080 twenty twenty four by Atlas, which is the Asteroid Terrestrial 76 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:48,319 Impact Last Alert System at its Chilean station in Rio Hutundo. 77 00:03:49,159 --> 00:03:52,479 Speaker 3: So nothing to be concerned about, after all, nothing at all. 78 00:03:52,599 --> 00:03:55,319 Speaker 1: But who knows, we might get to see a spectacular 79 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:56,199 impact on the Moon. 80 00:03:56,319 --> 00:03:59,479 Speaker 3: Maybe perhaps maybe wouldn't that be something? 81 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,879 Speaker 1: And it's good today that Atlas is watching the skies. 82 00:04:03,439 --> 00:04:07,039 Speaker 3: Thanks for that update, human, Now shall we just launch 83 00:04:07,039 --> 00:04:08,319 into the episode. 84 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,439 Speaker 1: Then good idea hit the Gothene Rhightoh. 85 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 3: Last week, Ship thirty four completed its engine testing campaign 86 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,319 with a long duration static fire. This static fire was 87 00:04:23,399 --> 00:04:26,639 nearly a minute long, and according to SpaceX, the extended 88 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:29,639 firing tested new hardware and cycled the six Raptor engines 89 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,839 through multiple thrust levels to recreate different conditions seen within 90 00:04:32,879 --> 00:04:36,560 the propulsion system during flight. Data from the test will 91 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,560 inform upgrades to the ship's hardware and flight profile ahead 92 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,199 of the next launch. The new hardware that SpaceX tested 93 00:04:43,319 --> 00:04:45,920 was likely related to the anomaly that occurred during flight 94 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,360 seven and resulted in the loss of Ship thirty three. 95 00:04:49,399 --> 00:04:51,279 This could have been a leak in the liquid oxygen 96 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:54,240 and liquid methane supply lines to the engines, which could 97 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:56,120 have been the source of the fire scene during Ship 98 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,920 thirty three's ascent burn. However, there is no official comp 99 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,319 information from SpaceX regarding the actual cause of the failure. 100 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:06,759 This test was also done to inform of other upgrades 101 00:05:06,759 --> 00:05:09,360 to the vehicle and possible changes to the flight profile, 102 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,399 so it is likely that SpaceX still has modifications to 103 00:05:12,439 --> 00:05:15,519 be made on Ship thirty four. It is unclear what 104 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:18,079 these modifications could be or how long it will take 105 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:21,720 SpaceX to implement them on Ship thirty four. This long 106 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,839 duration static fire is the longest SpaceX has ever fired 107 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:27,000 a starship or booster on the ground, and it can 108 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,160 do this because of the flame trench at Massy's It 109 00:05:30,199 --> 00:05:32,360 is unclear if this will be a one time test 110 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,000 or if crews will do longer duration static fire in 111 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,240 the future. There are a few things that SpaceX will 112 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,199 likely add to the flight, considering several things couldn't be 113 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:45,160 tested on flight seven. Firstly, there are the dummy starlinks 114 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,680 which were loaded into Ship thirty three. A new batch 115 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:49,959 of them was seen in star Factory to be presumably 116 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,519 loaded on Ship three four just before rollout to the 117 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,600 launch site. SpaceX might use the new starlink loader box 118 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:58,920 that was built inside High Bay rather than the tray 119 00:05:58,959 --> 00:06:01,959 loader used on Ship Fife thirty three. As for the 120 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:04,560 other items expected to be added to Ship thirty four, 121 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:07,079 there is the actively cool tile for testing, as well 122 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,319 as the catch pins. These catch pins are likely to 123 00:06:10,399 --> 00:06:12,839 be just bolted on, as SpaceX does not intend to 124 00:06:12,879 --> 00:06:16,800 catch Ship thirty four. Lastly, crews will likely remove all 125 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:18,839 of the tiles that were removed on Ship thirty three 126 00:06:18,879 --> 00:06:21,120 to help understand the limits of losing a tile in 127 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:25,040 certain places during re entry. An interesting note about Ship 128 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:28,360 thirty four's engine testing campaign is it took SpaceX seventy 129 00:06:28,399 --> 00:06:31,040 two hours to roll it to massi's static fire it 130 00:06:31,199 --> 00:06:34,000 and then roll it back to Mega Bay two. This 131 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,600 is a record compared to every other ship in the past. 132 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,680 Booster fifteen was static fired on February ninth, and it 133 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,120 was just the normal ten second static fire with all 134 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,800 thirty three engines. With this out of the way, SpaceX 135 00:06:46,879 --> 00:06:49,160 rolled the booster back into Mega Bay one for final 136 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:53,120 checkouts and has since received its hot stage train. SpaceX 137 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:56,000 completed the rollout mount on the orbital launch mount and 138 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:58,680 roll back of the booster in just over sixty one hours, 139 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:02,000 which is a new record for bos bosters. This booster 140 00:07:02,079 --> 00:07:05,040 doesn't have any major outside changes that are noticeable, but 141 00:07:05,079 --> 00:07:07,160 it was the first booster to have the added tanks 142 00:07:07,199 --> 00:07:11,480 on the landing tank, but older boosters were likely retrofitted 143 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,839 with this upgrade. The final two pieces of the puzzle 144 00:07:14,879 --> 00:07:19,000 for flight eight are the launch pad and the regulatory side. First, 145 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,240 SpaceX has finally found a rhythm with refurbishing orbital launch 146 00:07:22,319 --> 00:07:24,560 pad A, which takes about two to three weeks to 147 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,240 refurbish for a booster static fire. Then we will have 148 00:07:28,279 --> 00:07:30,639 another few weeks to get it ready for launch again. 149 00:07:31,639 --> 00:07:34,360 The second piece is waiting for the mishap investigation to 150 00:07:34,399 --> 00:07:37,040 be completed. So far there is no indication of when 151 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:40,800 this might be completed. However, given the post SpaceX made 152 00:07:40,839 --> 00:07:44,000 after the long Durationship thirty four static fire. The final 153 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,439 part of that investigation could be nearing a close. The 154 00:07:47,519 --> 00:07:49,639 next thing to watch out for is a SpaceX post 155 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,759 detailing the anomalies, cost, and the fixes they are implementing. 156 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,399 The Federal Aviation Administration will also likely post about approving 157 00:07:57,439 --> 00:08:00,519 Starship for return to flight after the completed Invents instigation. 158 00:08:01,519 --> 00:08:05,079 If SpaceX follows the same trajectory and splash down locations, 159 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:07,920 the license that is currently issued for Starship should still 160 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:11,160 be current. Currently, there is a notice to airmen from 161 00:08:11,199 --> 00:08:14,279 Mexican Airspace for February twenty six, with a window of 162 00:08:14,279 --> 00:08:17,480 six thirty pm to eight or nine pm Central Standard Time. 163 00:08:18,399 --> 00:08:20,839 With all this in mind, SpaceX still has a lot 164 00:08:20,839 --> 00:08:22,759 of work to do to launch Flight eight in less 165 00:08:22,759 --> 00:08:23,319 than a week. 166 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:29,839 Speaker 1: Astronomy Vodka. If you're going to call aliens, you'd better 167 00:08:29,959 --> 00:08:32,600 use this number. Let's dive into one of those cosmic 168 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:36,200 curiosities that's bound to blow your mind. Have how about 169 00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:39,480 we call some aliens in chat No, and not talking 170 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,919 about elaborate coded messages or flashy signals. We're talking about 171 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:48,039 something incredible, incredibly fundamental twenty one centimeter radiation. And if 172 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:50,879 you're planning on having a conversation across the vastness of 173 00:08:50,919 --> 00:08:56,200 space using light waves or electromagnetic radiation. It's pretty much 174 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,559 your go to option. It's fast, reliable, and well it's 175 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,039 most practical way to shout out to other civilizations in 176 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,080 the universe. But why specifically twenty one centimeters? Well, that's 177 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,399 where things get juicy. This twenty one centimeter radiation isn't 178 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:14,200 just some random frequency we've picked out of a hat. 179 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,559 It's tied to something very essential, known as the hydrogen 180 00:09:17,759 --> 00:09:22,519 spin flip. Hydrogen atoms consist of one proton and one electron. 181 00:09:22,799 --> 00:09:26,639 These tiny particles have a property called spin. Think of 182 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,720 spin like a little arrow pointing up or pointing down. 183 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,559 Every so often in the vast reaches of space, hydrogen 184 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,600 atoms electron can flip its spin, going from a state 185 00:09:37,639 --> 00:09:41,159 where its spin is aligned with the proton to one 186 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,799 pointing in the opposite direction. This flip releases energy in 187 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,519 the form of radiation at you guessed it a wave 188 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:51,759 length of twenty one centimeters. So why does this matter? Well, 189 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,320 any smart civilization, whether they have blue skin, tentacles or 190 00:09:56,399 --> 00:10:01,320 something more bizarre, will eventually discover hydrogen. Understand that spin 191 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,840 dabble in quantum mechanics and figure out this whole twenty 192 00:10:04,879 --> 00:10:09,200 one centimeter radiation thing, and they might call it something different. 193 00:10:09,519 --> 00:10:13,159 They won't have twenty one or maybe centimeters, but the 194 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:17,960 concept remains universal. It's like it's like the cosmic Rosetta stone. 195 00:10:18,639 --> 00:10:22,639 What makes twenty one centimeter radiation perfect for long distance 196 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:26,720 interstellar chats is its ability to cut through into stellar dust. 197 00:10:27,039 --> 00:10:30,559 Space is filthy with dust clouds that block out other 198 00:10:30,639 --> 00:10:34,000 forms of light. However, twenty one centimeter waves are like 199 00:10:34,039 --> 00:10:38,080 the VIPs of the universe, slipping through velvet ropes of 200 00:10:38,159 --> 00:10:41,759 cosmic debris to carry their message far and wide. Is 201 00:10:41,799 --> 00:10:45,240 the fun fact. NASA's Pioneer spacecraft, launched in the early 202 00:10:45,399 --> 00:10:49,000 nineteen seventies, carry plaques, and on these pluks there's a 203 00:10:49,039 --> 00:10:53,519 handy diagram of the hydrogen spin flip transition. All other 204 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,840 measurements on the plaque, including the height of humans, are 205 00:10:56,879 --> 00:11:00,440 made in reference to this fundamental distance. I hope is 206 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:04,360 that aliens can recognize the hydrogen spin flip transition and 207 00:11:04,519 --> 00:11:07,320 use that to unlock the rest of our message. Now 208 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,399 imagine this scenario. One day, astronomers on Earth detect an 209 00:11:10,519 --> 00:11:14,200 unusual surge of twenty one centimeter radiation, and it's not 210 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:18,879 coming from a random hydrogen cloud. It's directional, purposeful, and 211 00:11:18,879 --> 00:11:22,240 that could very well be an alien civilization sending us 212 00:11:22,279 --> 00:11:26,399 a what's up across the cosmos? A twenty one centimeter 213 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:30,919 radiation makes for a great calling card. Using twenty one 214 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:36,080 centimeter radiation to communicate with extraterrestrial beings leverages a basic 215 00:11:36,519 --> 00:11:39,639 universal constant. And who knows, maybe one day, when we 216 00:11:39,679 --> 00:11:43,039 finally hear that signal, we'll know that somewhere out there, 217 00:11:43,039 --> 00:11:47,519 other intelligent species figured out the same galactic hack we did. 218 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,200 So keep your eyes, or rather your telescopes peeled. The 219 00:11:52,240 --> 00:12:04,840 next big discovery could just be a spin flip away. 220 00:12:05,919 --> 00:12:08,279 Thank you for joining us for this Monday edition of 221 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,720 Astronomy Daily, where we offer just a few stories from 222 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,960 the now famous Astronomy Daily newsletter, which you can receive 223 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,840 in your email every day, just like Hallie and I do. 224 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,519 And to do that, just visit our url Astronomy Daily 225 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:24,240 dot io and place your email address in the slot provided. 226 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:27,360 Just like that, you'll be receiving all the latest news 227 00:12:27,399 --> 00:12:30,759 about science, space, science and astronomy from around the world. 228 00:12:30,840 --> 00:12:33,639 As it's happening, and not only that, you can interact 229 00:12:33,679 --> 00:12:38,440 with us by visiting at astro Daily pod on x 230 00:12:38,759 --> 00:12:41,480 or at our new Facebook page, which is of course 231 00:12:41,519 --> 00:12:43,440 Astronomy Daily on Facebook. 232 00:12:43,639 --> 00:12:50,039 Speaker 2: See you there, Astronomy Daily. We'll see and Haley Space Space, 233 00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:56,519 Science and Astronomy. 234 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:04,960 Speaker 3: The United States Space Force just offered a rare glimpse 235 00:13:04,960 --> 00:13:07,840 of its shadowy X thirty seven B spaceplane in orbit. 236 00:13:08,799 --> 00:13:12,440 The photo, released on Thursday, February twentieth, was taken by 237 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:14,879 a camera on board the X thirty seven B while 238 00:13:14,879 --> 00:13:17,919 the secret of spaceplane orbited high above the African continent. 239 00:13:18,879 --> 00:13:21,039 One of the plane's solar panels is visible on the 240 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,080 left side of the photo, while what appears to be 241 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,120 its open payload bay is visible along the top edge. 242 00:13:26,799 --> 00:13:28,720 The vehicle has been in orbit for well over a 243 00:13:28,799 --> 00:13:31,600 year now, having launched on its seventh mission on December 244 00:13:31,639 --> 00:13:35,120 twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, atop a SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket, 245 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,759 and now the X thirty seven B has notched another 246 00:13:38,799 --> 00:13:41,519 milestone with the Space Force's release of this photo, the 247 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:43,799 first ever image of this spaceplane in orbit that has 248 00:13:43,799 --> 00:13:47,080 been shown to the public. While the photo contains scant 249 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:49,919 details about the vehicle and what it's currently testing. It 250 00:13:49,960 --> 00:13:52,320 offers a look at Earth in the background, revealing just 251 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,679 how high the vehicle is flying on its seventh mission. 252 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,080 We've gotten only one other glimpse at the X thirty 253 00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:01,320 seven B in orbit prior to this. During the live 254 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,720 stream of its most recent launch, a brief shot of 255 00:14:03,759 --> 00:14:06,519 the spacecraft deploying from Falcon heavy' upper stage was seen 256 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:10,159 while its service module was still attached. When the X 257 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:12,960 thirty seven B was preparing to launch on its current mission, 258 00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:15,919 the US Space Force revealed the flight would include operating 259 00:14:15,919 --> 00:14:19,679 the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future 260 00:14:19,679 --> 00:14:23,919 space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on 261 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,440 materials provided by NASA. According to a Space Force statement, 262 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,039 previous X thirty seven B missions were flown in low 263 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:34,000 Earth orbit, but as this photo reveals, the space plane 264 00:14:34,039 --> 00:14:38,399 is currently operating much farther from Earth. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy 265 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,960 is capable of launching payloads into geosynchronous orbit over twenty 266 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,759 two thousand miles thirty five thousand kilometers above our planet. 267 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,159 The X thirty seven BE recently made headlines when Space 268 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,720 Force and Boeing, who built the vehicle revealed that it 269 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,399 would be testing a new aerobraking maneuver that uses the 270 00:14:54,519 --> 00:14:58,039 drag or friction generated by Earth's atmosphere to change orbit 271 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,000 more efficiently. 272 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 2: I mean to Astronomy Daily Fisteve Dunkel. 273 00:15:07,879 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: Did you notice how Hallie managed to get my space 274 00:15:11,559 --> 00:15:15,799 force story. That's funny how she sneaks away with things 275 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:20,960 like that. Meanwhile, astronomers have found a small, fast moving 276 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,039 star racing through the center of our galaxy, possibly with 277 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,279 a planet in orbit. If confirmed, this would be the 278 00:15:27,559 --> 00:15:33,639 fastest known sorry exo planet system, traveling nearly twice as 279 00:15:33,679 --> 00:15:36,200 fast as our Solar system through the Milky Way. You 280 00:15:36,240 --> 00:15:39,480 may be wondering how fast that actually is. Hey, I 281 00:15:39,519 --> 00:15:42,440 once got an Amazon delivery in less than twenty four hours, 282 00:15:42,879 --> 00:15:45,799 but that's just peanuts to how fast this star seems 283 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:49,200 to be tearing across space. The system is estimated to 284 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,200 be moving at an incredible speed. Now wait for this, 285 00:15:52,879 --> 00:15:57,519 of least one point two million miles per hour. That's 286 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:02,440 five hundred and forty kilometers per second. Wow. We think 287 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:06,480 this is a so called super neptune world orbiting a 288 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,159 low mass star at a distance that would be live 289 00:16:10,159 --> 00:16:12,519 between the orbits of Venus and Earth. If it, we're 290 00:16:12,519 --> 00:16:16,879 in our Solar system, said Sean Terry, a postdoctoral researcher 291 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,159 at the University of Maryland and NASA has got out 292 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:24,080 space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Since the star is 293 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:27,399 so feeble, that's well outside its habitable zone. If so, 294 00:16:27,639 --> 00:16:30,639 it will be the first planet ever found orbiting a 295 00:16:30,879 --> 00:16:34,720 hypervelocity star. The findings, led by Terry were published in 296 00:16:34,759 --> 00:16:38,840 the Astronomical Journal on February ten. The pair of objects 297 00:16:38,919 --> 00:16:41,639 was first spotted indirectly in twenty eleven thanks to a 298 00:16:41,759 --> 00:16:45,360 chance alignment. A team of scientists comes through the archived 299 00:16:45,399 --> 00:16:49,600 data of MOA. That's the micro Lensing Observations in Astrophysics, 300 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,600 a collaborative project focused on micro lensing survey conducted in 301 00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:57,919 the University of Canterbury Mount john Obs Observatory in New 302 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:02,039 Zealand in search of life signals that betray the presence 303 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:06,640 of exoplanets or planets outside our Solar System. Micro Lensing 304 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:10,000 occurs when the presence of mass warps the fabric of 305 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:13,920 space time. Anytime an intervening object appears to drift near 306 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,960 a background, star light from the star curves as it 307 00:17:18,039 --> 00:17:22,079 travels through the space time around the nearer object. If 308 00:17:22,079 --> 00:17:25,480 the alignment is especially close, the warping around the object 309 00:17:25,559 --> 00:17:29,319 can act like a natural lens, amplifying the background stars light. 310 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:32,960 In this case, micro lensing signals reveal a pair of 311 00:17:33,039 --> 00:17:37,680 celestial bodies. Scientists determine their relative masses. One is about 312 00:17:38,079 --> 00:17:40,960 twenty three hundred times heavier than the other, but their 313 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,720 exact masses depend on how far away they are from 314 00:17:43,839 --> 00:17:47,119 the Earth. It's sort of like how the magnification changes 315 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:49,839 if you hold a magnifying glass over a page and 316 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:53,960 move it up and down. Determining the mass ratio is easy, 317 00:17:54,039 --> 00:17:58,079 said David Bennett, a research scientists at the University of 318 00:17:58,119 --> 00:18:02,680 Maryland College Park and A Godard, who co authored the 319 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,480 paper and led the original study in twenty eleven. It's 320 00:18:06,599 --> 00:18:09,960 much more difficult, he said, to calculate their actual masses. 321 00:18:10,839 --> 00:18:14,599 The twenty eleven discovery team suspected the microlens object where 322 00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,960 ei they're a star about twenty percent as massive as 323 00:18:18,039 --> 00:18:21,480 our Sun and a planet roughly twenty nine times heavy 324 00:18:21,559 --> 00:18:25,160 than the Earth, or near a rogue planet about four 325 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:29,079 times of Jupiter's mass with a moon smaller than Earth. 326 00:18:29,599 --> 00:18:32,960 To figure out which explanation is more likely, astronomers searched 327 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,599 through data from Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the European 328 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,640 Space Agency's gay A satellite. If the pair were a 329 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,759 rogue planet and moon, they'd be effectively invisible. Dark objects 330 00:18:43,759 --> 00:18:46,480 get lost in the inky void of space, but scientists 331 00:18:46,559 --> 00:18:49,359 might be able to identify the star if the alternative 332 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,480 explanation were correct, though the orbiting planet would be much 333 00:18:53,519 --> 00:18:57,240 too faint to actually see. They found a strong suspect 334 00:18:57,319 --> 00:19:00,839 located about twenty four thousand light years way, putting it 335 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,599 within the Milky Ways galactic bulge the central hub where 336 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:08,400 the stars are more densely packed. By comparing the stars 337 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:11,640 location in twenty eleven and twenty twenty one, the team 338 00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:15,480 calculated its high speed, but that's just its two D emotion. 339 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:18,799 If it's also moving toward or away from us, it 340 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,440 must be moving even faster. Its true speed may be 341 00:19:22,559 --> 00:19:26,240 high enough to exceed the galaxy's escape velocity of just 342 00:19:26,319 --> 00:19:29,759 over one point three miles per hour or about six 343 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:34,200 hundred kilometers per second. If so, the planetary system is 344 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,319 destined to traverse the intergalactic space many millions of years 345 00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:41,920 into the future. To be certain a new identified star 346 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,240 is part of the system that caused the twenty eleven signal. 347 00:19:45,559 --> 00:19:48,160 We'd like to look again in another year and see 348 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:51,279 if it moves the right amount in the right direction 349 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:53,960 to confirm it it came from the point where we 350 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:58,000 detected the signal. Then it said. If a high resolution 351 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:01,680 observation show that the star just stays in the same position, 352 00:20:01,759 --> 00:20:03,519 then we can tell for sure that it's not part 353 00:20:03,519 --> 00:20:06,440 of the system that caused that signal, said a Panabatacha, 354 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:10,039 a research scientist at University of Maryland College Park and 355 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,680 NASA Goddard who co authored the new paper. That would 356 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:18,160 mean the Roague planet and exomoon model is favored. NASA's 357 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:22,440 upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help us find 358 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:25,920 out how common planets are around such speedy stars and 359 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,240 may offer clues as to how these systems are accelerated. 360 00:20:29,599 --> 00:20:33,559 A mission will conduct survey of the galactic bulge, pairing 361 00:20:33,599 --> 00:20:37,480 a large views of space with crisp resolution. In this case, 362 00:20:37,759 --> 00:20:41,839 we used MOA for its broad field view and then 363 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,400 followed up with KEK and GAIA for their sharper resolution. 364 00:20:45,519 --> 00:20:49,200 But thanks to Roman's powerful view and planned survey strategy, 365 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,839 we won't need to rely on additional telescopes, Terry said, 366 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,079 Roman will do it all. Isn't it exciting to see 367 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:58,240 that our view of the skies is becoming clearer and 368 00:20:58,279 --> 00:21:05,440 clearer with each new development. It's space telescope technology. 369 00:21:12,839 --> 00:21:15,319 Speaker 3: And there it is for another episode of Astronomy Daily, 370 00:21:15,559 --> 00:21:19,440 the podcast. I sure hope you enjoyed today's presentation. 371 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, I really enjoyed that today, Halle, even though you 372 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:26,039 took one of my stories. But hey, thanks everybody for 373 00:21:26,079 --> 00:21:29,279 stopping byru I hope you really enjoyed the show. And 374 00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,000 don't forget Halle's cousin Anna takes the show during the 375 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:32,720 week so. 376 00:21:32,720 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 3: You don't miss all the news about astronomy, space and 377 00:21:35,279 --> 00:21:36,680 space science as it happens. 378 00:21:37,079 --> 00:21:39,079 Speaker 1: And if you didn't get it before, the details of 379 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:42,240 receiving the Astronomy Daily newsletter in your email every day 380 00:21:42,279 --> 00:21:44,960 I mentioned earlier in this podcast and every podcast. 381 00:21:45,079 --> 00:21:47,000 Speaker 3: You did a great job on that announcement. 382 00:21:47,279 --> 00:21:50,279 Speaker 1: Well you're very kind, Halle, and we will catch you 383 00:21:50,319 --> 00:21:53,400 all next week on your favorite podcast channel. 384 00:21:53,759 --> 00:22:01,839 Speaker 3: See you everyone, Bye with your host Steve Dankling.