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

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most exciting news in space exploration and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna,

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and today we're diving into several fascinating developments from across

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the Cosmos. We've got a packed episode ahead, covering everything

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from the Space Force's certification of a new rocket for

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national security launches to an upcoming partial solar eclipse that

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will grace our skies. This week, we'll also explore a

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mysterious galaxy that's challenging what we thought we knew about

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the early universe. Check in on China's expanding satellite network,

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and learn how NASA's Europa Clipper will scout potential landing

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sites on one of the most promising worlds for finding

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extraterrestrial life. So settle in as we journey through these

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captivating stories that remind us just how dynamic and ever

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changing our understanding of space truly is. The US Space

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Force has officially certified United Launch Alliances Vulcan Centaur rocket

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for national security missions after analyzing data from the vehicle's

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two certification launches that took place in January and October

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of twenty twenty four. This milestone announcement came on March

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twenty sixth from the Space Force's Space Systems Command, marking

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the completion of a long awaited certification process. Space Force

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Brigadier General Kristin Pansenhagen, who serves as the Program Executive

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Officer for Assured Access to Space, emphasized the significance of

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this development, noting that assured access to space is a

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core function of the Space Force and a critical element

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of national security. She added that the Vulcan certification adds

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launch capacity, resiliency, and flexibility needed for the nation's most

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critical space based systems. This certification is particularly notable as

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ULA now joins SpaceX as only the second provider certified

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to carry out launches under the National Security Space Launch Program,

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enhancing America's launch capabilities for sensitive military and intelligence payloads.

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The path to certification wasn't without challenges. The second Vulcan

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certification flight experienced an incident when the nozzle of one

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of its two solid rocket boosters fell off approximately half

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a minute after liftoff. Remarkably, the vehicle compensated for the

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diminished thrust and still completed its mission successfully. ULA's president

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and CEO, Tory Bruno, later explained that a manufacturing defect

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in an internal insulator part caused the nozzle separation, and

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appropriate corrective actions were implemented and verified through static fire testing.

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Looking ahead, ULA has ambitious plans for their launch cadence.

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Bruno has indicated that the company is projecting a dozen

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launches this year, split roughly evenly between their Atlas and

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Vulcan rockets, serving both national security and commercial missions. The

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first national security space launch mission on Vulcan is planned

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for this summer in North America. ULA aims to establish

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a baseline tempo of two launches per month the end

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of this year and perform twenty launches in twenty twenty five.

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Bruno noted that the company has been strategically stockpiling critical

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components such as B four engines and solid rocket boosters

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to support this accelerated launch schedule. This certification represents a

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significant advancement for America's space launch capabilities, ensuring redundancy and

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resilience in the nation's ability to deploy critical national security

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assets to orbit. As Bruno remarked, we're all staged up

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and ready, and a spacecraft show up will be able

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to fly them. What a difference A year makes just

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a year after millions across North America witnessed the spectacular

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total solar eclipse on April eighth, twenty twenty four, We're

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already preparing for another celestial event. Mark your calendars for

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this Saturday, March twenty ninth, twenty twenty five, when a

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partial solar eclipse will grace our skies, though with a

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notably different viewing audience. This upcoming eclipse resild volts from

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the Moon's shadow, falling primarily on the north polar regions

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of Earth. It's actually the second eclipse in less than

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a month, coming just two weeks after the total lunar

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eclipse that occurred on March thirteenth, fourteen. This pattern is

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what astronomers call an eclipse season, a roughly thirty seven

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day period when the alignment of the Sun and Moon

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can allow for eclipses to occur at both full and

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new moon phases. For this March twenty ninth event, the

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Moon will pass through the opposite node of its orbit

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compared to the lunar eclipse. However, the moon passes this

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node almost too early. By the time it reaches new

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phase about nineteen hours after crossing the ecliptic. The axis

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of its shadow will pass well to the north of Earth.

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The dark shadow cone or umbra, will completely miss our planet,

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passing about one hundred and eighty miles above the north pole.

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This means no location on Earth will experience totality, but

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instead the Moon's outer shadow, the penumbra, will create a

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partial eclipse, visible in varying degrees. The eclipse will be

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visible across Northwest Africa, much of Europe, excluding some eastern sections,

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Northwest Russia, Iceland, and Greenland. Parts of South America, including Surrey,

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Name French, Guyana, and Amada in Brazil, will see a

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small dent in the sun at sunrise. For North Americans,

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visibility depends entirely on location. If you draw a line

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from Oakville, Ontario, down to Virginia Beach, Virginia, areas west

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of this line won't see any part of the eclipse.

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Those to the east, however, will catch at least a

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glimpse near sunrise, though maximum eclipse will have already occurred

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before the Sun appears above the horizon. The farther north

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and east you go in North America, the more impressive

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the view becomes. In Baltimore, the sun will rise with

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seven point eight percent of its diameter already eclipsed, with

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the event ending just four minutes later, but residents of

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northern New England and Atlantic Canada are in for a

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spectacular treat. The town of Madawasca in far northern Maine

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will experience maximum eclipse almost precisely at sunrise, with eighty

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eight point two percent of the Sun's diameter covered. This

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will create the stunning visual effect of the Sun appearing

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as a delicate crescent with its points aimed nearly straight up,

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resembling two lobster claws emerging from beyond the eastern horizon.

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Similar impressive views await Atlantic Canada, with Halifax seeing eighty

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five point six percent coverage at seven seventeen am, Fredericton

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experiencing eighty seven percent at seven nineteen am, and Saint

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John's reaching eighty five point four percent at seven fifty

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two am. As always with solar eclipses, proper eye protection

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is essential. Unlike a total eclipse with its brief moments

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of totality, a partial eclipse can be observed more leisurely,

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but only through specially designed solar filters or eclipse glasses.

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Remember that looking at the Sun without proper protection is

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extremely dangerous. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made another

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groundbreaking discovery that's challenging our understanding of the early universe.

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An international team of astronomers has identified bright hydrogen emission

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from an incredibly distant galaxy observed just three hundred thirty

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million years after the Big Bang, a mere fraction of

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our universe's current thirteen point eight billion year age. The galaxy,

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designated Jade's GSC thirteen one, was first spotted in images

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taken by Webb's Near infrared camera as part of the

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James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey. Researchers initially

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estimated its redshift, a measure of how far the galaxy's

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light has traveled and been stretched by the expansion of space,

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at around twelve point nine. To confirm this extreme distance,

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they then observed it using Web's Near infrared spectrograph instrument.

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The resulting spectrum not only confirmed the red shift at

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thirteen point zero, placing it firmly in the very early universe,

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but also revealed something completely unexpected, a distinctly bright wavelength

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of light. As Lyman alpha emission radiating from hydrogen atoms.

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This emission was far stronger than scientists thought possible during

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this ancient epic. What makes this finding so perplexing is

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that the early universe was filled with a thick fog

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of neutral hydrogen gas. This fog should have completely blocked

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such emissions until a process called realization cleared it away,

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a process that wasn't completed until about one billion years

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after the Big Bang. Yet here was jadas gsz thirteen

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to one shining through this cosmic fog more than six

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hundred million years earlier than should be possible. Roberto Myelino

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from the University of Cambridge and University College London explains

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why this is so significant. GSZ thirteen one is seen

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when the universe was only three hundred thirty million years old,

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yet it shows a surprisingly clear, telltale signature of Lyman

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alpha emission that can only be seen once the surrounding

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fog has fully lifted. This result was totally unexpected by

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theories of early galaxy formation and has caught astronomers by surprise.

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Before and during the realization era, the neutral hydrogen surrounding

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galaxies should have blocked any energetic ultraviolet light they emitted,

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much like colored glass filter's light. Until enough stars had

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formed to ionize this hydrogen gas, no such light, including

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Lyman alpha emission, should have been able to escape and

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reach Earth. We really shouldn't have found a galaxy like this,

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given our understanding of the way the universe has evolved,

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says Kevin Hanline from the University of Arizona. We could

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think of the early universe as shrouded with a thick

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fog that would make it exceedingly difficult to find even

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powerful lighthouses peeking through. Yet here we see the beam

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of light from this galaxy piercing the veil. Scientists aren't

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yet certain what caused this unexpected emission, but they have theories.

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One possibility is that the galaxy contains some of the

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u universe's first generation of stars, much more massive, hotter,

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and more luminous than stars formed later. Another explanation could

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be a powerful, active galactic nucleus driven by one of

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the first super massive black holes. Whatever the explanation, this

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discovery opens exciting new questions about the earliest chapters of

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our cosmic history and how the first stars and galaxies formed.

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The research was published in the journal Nature, marking another

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remarkable achievement for the Web telescope as it continues to

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transform our understanding of the universe's origins. China has taken

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another significant step forward in its space infrastructure with the

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successful launch of a new data tracking and relay communications satellite.

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The Tianlian two zero four lifted off on March twenty

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sixth at eleven fifty five a m Eastern time from

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the Sichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China aboard a

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long March three B rocket. The China Aerospace Science and

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Technology Corporate KSC announced the mission's success about an hour

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after liftoff. While the launch was anticipated due to airspace

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closure notices, the exact payload wasn't revealed until after the

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successful deployment. Tianlian two zero four is now in geosynchronous

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transfer orbit and will eventually maneuver to take up its

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final position along the geostationary belt, approximately thirty five thousand,

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seven hundred eighty six kilometers above Earth's equator. From this

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vantage point, it will join China's second generation geostationary orbit

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data relay satellite constellation. These satellites serve a critical function

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for China's space program, providing data relay and telemetry, tracking,

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and command services for the nation's crewed spacecraft. This includes

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supporting the Tiangong space station and Shenho spacecraft, as well

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as assisting medium and low Earth orbit satellites and launch operations.

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The Tianlian network performs a role similar to NASA's tracking

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and data relay satellite system, with satellites strategically positioned around

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geostationary orbit to die nearly continuous coverage. According to CASCI,

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this newest addition to the fleet features several technical upgrades

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compared to its predecessor, Tanlian two zero three, which was

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launched in July twenty twenty two. These improvements include enhanced

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transmission capacity and faster response speeds, aimed at meeting China's

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growing needs for data relay and tracking services, while also

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strengthening the autonomy and security of their second generation relay system.

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The Tianlian program has a long history, beginning with China's

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first Tanlian satellite, launched in two thousand and eight. The

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earlier Tanlian I series satellites have now been moved to

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graveyard orbits above the geostationary Belt, while the newer generation

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continues active service. Like earlier satellites in the series. Tanlian

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two zero four was developed by the China Academy of

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Space Technology, a major spacecraft making institute under CASCI. This

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launch marks China's fifteenth orbital mission of twenty twenty five,

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demonstrating the country's increasingly ambitious space program. With expanded spaceport capabilities,

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ongoing Mega constellation projects, and new launch vehicles set to debut,

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China could potentially target around one hundred or more launches

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this year, far exceeding their previous national record of sixty

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eight launches set last year. The country's space agenda remains

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packed with other major upcoming missions, including the Shenzho twenty

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and twenty one crude flights to the Tiangong Space Station

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and the chian Win two Near Earth asteroid sample return

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mission expected to launch around May. Let's move a bit

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further out into space now, looking ahead to one of

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NASA's most anticipated deep space missions. New research presented at

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the twenty twenty five Lunar and Planetary Science Conference has

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revealed how the Europa Clipper will help identify potential landing

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sites for a future mission. To Jupiter's icy moon. This

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strategic reconnaissance capability could prove crucial for the next phase

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of exploring this ocean world. The Europa Clip, scheduled to

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reach the Jovian System in April twenty thirty, will follow

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a complex orbital pattern around Jupiter, performing forty nine close

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flybys of Europa. Unlike Mars orbiters that follow relatively simple

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circular paths, the clipper can't orbit Europa directly due to

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Jupiter's intense radiation environment, which would damage the spacecraft. Instead,

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it will follow carefully designed looping orbits that minimize radiation

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exposure while still allowing close study of the moon. Planetary

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geologist Jennifer Scully and her team at NASA's Jet Propulsion

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Laboratory have carefully assessed which of these flybys would be

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most suitable for identifying future landing sites. They determined that

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any reconnable flyby must meet three key requirements proper lighting

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conditions with the surface in sunlight, specific incidence angles between

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thirty and sixty degrees, and an altitude of approximately fifty

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to one hundred kilometers to ensure appropriate image resolution without blurring.

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Based on these criteria, the researchers identified twelve flybys as

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fully reconnable and another thirteen as supporting. Most notably, a

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flyby designated E nineteen stands out as particularly valuable for

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landing site selection. Its ground track extends over seven hundred

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kilometers and covers a fascinating transition between Europa's ridged planes

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and a region called Powis Reggio, one of the Moon's

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mysterious chaos terrains, where the surface appears jumbled and disrupted,

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potentially offering clues about the ocean beneath. The Europa clippers.

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Sophisticated Europa imaging system, with its narrow and wide angle cameras,

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will collect crucial data for what's known as terrain relative navigation.

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This is the same guidance system that allowed NASA's Perseverance

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rover to safely navigate to its landing site on Mars.

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A future Europa lander would use these detailed surface images,

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combined with real time camera data to guide itself safely

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to the surface. The researchers note that their current assessments

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are based on older data from the Galilee omission, and

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rankings will likely change once the Europa Clipper begins returning

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high resolution images. Some potential landing areas haven't even been

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photographed at high resolution yet, highlighting just how much we

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still have to discover about this intriguing world. This research

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provides a critical roadmap for mission planners as they prepare

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for the Europa Clippers operations in the twenty thirties and

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lay groundwork for what could eventually become humanity's first landing

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on an ocean world beyond Earth. And that wraps up

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today's episode of Astronomy Daily. From the Space Force certifying

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ULA's Vulcan rocket to the upcoming partial solar eclipse, Web's

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surprising discovery of ancient light, China's new data relay satellite,

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and the Europa Clippers mission to scout landing sites on

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Jupiter's ocean moon. We've journeyed across the Solar System and beyond.

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I'm anna and it's been my pleasure to bring you

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these fascinating stories from across the cosmos. Whether you're a

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seasoned astronomer or just curious about what lies beyond our atmosphere,

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I hope you've enjoyed today's cosmic update. Visit our website

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at Astronomydaily dot io, where you can sign up for

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our free daily newsletter and listen to all our episodes.

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You can also find us on social media. Just search

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for Astro Daily Pod on x YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, and TikTok.

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Until next time, keep looking up start starzon