WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:04.120 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 Podcast. 4 00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:16.120 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 Welcome back, Holle, Hi favorite human. What's new? 17 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:58.159 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 Yes? 21 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:06.640 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 I'll stop it. Space Force. You know what that means? 24 00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:12.400 Yes, your favorite. 25 00:01:12.040 --> 00:01:13.920 Oh people, get ready the Space. 26 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:14.400 Force theme music. 27 00:01:14.519 --> 00:01:19.879 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 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 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 How fast are we talking? 38 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:45.280 Then? 39 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:47.719 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 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 Yeah. Okay, Well this star is way faster than that. 44 00:01:56.760 --> 00:02:00.599 Okay, okay, that's pretty quick, tell you. 45 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:03.040 Listeners, she said, not very convincingly. 46 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:04.120 That's a fact. 47 00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:08.080 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 So nothing to be concerned about, after all, nothing at all. 78 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:55.319 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 Maybe perhaps maybe wouldn't that be something? 81 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.879 And it's good today that Atlas is watching the skies. 82 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.039 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 Then good idea hit the Gothene Rhightoh. 85 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:19.600 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 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 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 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 I mean to Astronomy Daily Fisteve Dunkel. 273 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.480 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 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 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 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 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 You did a great job on that announcement. 382 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:50.279 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 See you everyone, Bye with your host Steve Dankling.