Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest space
Speaker 1: in astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and today we'll
Speaker 1: be covering a range of exciting topics, from SpaceX's clash
Speaker 1: with the FAA to new discoveries and galaxy clusters. Plus
Speaker 1: I have a couple of stories on how you can
Speaker 1: help contribute to science projects and progress. Get ready for
Speaker 1: a cosmic journey through the headlines that are shaping our
Speaker 1: understanding of the universe. First up, in a bold move,
Speaker 1: SpaceX is vehemently rejecting the Federal Aviation Administration's recent allegations
Speaker 1: of launch requirement violations. The FAA has slapped the company
Speaker 1: with a hefty six hundred thirty three thousand dollars fine,
Speaker 1: but SpaceX isn't taking this lying down. The space giant
Speaker 1: argues that the FAA is falling behind the rapidly evolving
Speaker 1: commercial spaceflight industry. They claim the agency is struggling to
Speaker 1: keep up with the pace of innovation and is misallocating
Speaker 1: its limited resources. SpaceX's vice president for legal affairs, David Harris,
Speaker 1: sent a strongly worded letter to congressional committees overseeing the FAA.
Speaker 1: In it, he asserted that the company forcefully rejects the
Speaker 1: FAA's assertion that it violated any regulations. This clash highlights
Speaker 1: the growing tensions between traditional regulatory bodies and the new
Speaker 1: wave of private space companies pushing the boundaries of exploration.
Speaker 1: As the commercial space race heats up, it seems the
Speaker 1: rule book might need some updating to match the speed
Speaker 1: of progress. Next up, NASA has taken eclipse mapping to
Speaker 1: a whole new level with their latest development. They've created
Speaker 1: a process that generates incredibly accurate eclipse maps by incorporating
Speaker 1: lunar topography data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This is
Speaker 1: a game changer for both astronomers and eclipse enthusiasts. Traditionally,
Speaker 1: eclipse calculations assumed a smooth, symmetrical Moon and didn't account
Speaker 1: for Earth's varying elevations. But now NASA's new method factors
Speaker 1: in the Moon's actual cratered and uneven surface, as well
Speaker 1: as the true altitude of locations on Earth. The result,
Speaker 1: we can now see the real time varying shape of
Speaker 1: the Moon's shadow as it passes over our planet. It
Speaker 1: turns out the shadow isn't a smooth oda as previously
Speaker 1: thought it's more like a potato. This irregularity is caused
Speaker 1: by the mountains and valleys along the edge of the
Speaker 1: Moon's disk, which can affect the timing and duration of
Speaker 1: totality by several seconds. This level of detail is unprecedented
Speaker 1: and provides valuable information for scientific studies and eclipse predictions.
Speaker 1: It's a testament to how far our understanding and technology
Speaker 1: have come, allowing us to map these celestial events with
Speaker 1: extraordinary precision. Now onto an exciting discovery in a cosmic
Speaker 1: dance of hot gas and galaxies, NASA's Chandra X ray
Speaker 1: Observatory has made a fascinating discovery in the zwiki eighty
Speaker 1: three hundred and thirty eight galaxy cluster, located about six
Speaker 1: hundred and seventy million light years from Earth. This cluster
Speaker 1: is home to an extraordinary phenomenon two streams of superheated
Speaker 1: gas crossing each other. This celestial spectacle involves a comet
Speaker 1: like tail of hot gas trailing behind a galaxy spanning
Speaker 1: an impressive one point six million light years. As the
Speaker 1: galaxy plows through the cluster, its leave behind this enormous tail,
Speaker 1: which has split into two distinct streams. What makes this
Speaker 1: discovery particularly intriguing is that it's not the only set
Speaker 1: of tails in the cluster. Astronomers had previously observed a
Speaker 1: shorter pair of tails from a different galaxy nearby. The
Speaker 1: crossing of these gas streams is providing valuable insights into
Speaker 1: how cosmic collisions can shape the structure of galaxy clusters
Speaker 1: and potentially trigger the formation of new stars. This chaotic
Speaker 1: landscape of galaxies, superheated gas, and shock waves is a
Speaker 1: result of two galaxy clusters colliding to create Zwiki eight thousand,
Speaker 1: three hundred thirty eight. It's a cosmic laboratory that's helping
Speaker 1: astronomers understand the complex dynamics at play in these massive
Speaker 1: celestial structures. Now here's something you can help out with
Speaker 1: if you wish. In an effort to combat the growing
Speaker 1: issue of light pollution, researchers have developed an innovative and
Speaker 1: cost effective solution. They've created an inexpensive sensor designed to
Speaker 1: track light pollution on a global scale. Isn't just about
Speaker 1: scientific data collection, it's a call to action for citizen
Speaker 1: scientists worldwide. The sensors, which can be built using readily
Speaker 1: available components for under sixty five dollars are capable of
Speaker 1: measuring night sky brightness caused by artificial light. By encouraging
Speaker 1: people around the world to construct and install these devices,
Speaker 1: the researchers hope to create a comprehensive, real time map
Speaker 1: of light pollution. This grassroots approach serves a dual purpose.
Speaker 1: Not only will it provide valuable data for scientists, but
Speaker 1: it also aims to raise public awareness about the detrimental
Speaker 1: effects of light pollution, from disrupting ecosystems and wildlife behavior
Speaker 1: to interfering with astronomical observations, the impact of excessive artificial
Speaker 1: light is far reaching. By participating in this project, citizen
Speaker 1: scientists can contribute to our understanding of light pollutions spread
Speaker 1: and help inform strategies to mitigate its effects. It's a
Speaker 1: powerful example of how technology and community engagement can come
Speaker 1: together to address a global environmental challenge. I'll include links
Speaker 1: in the show notes so you can find out more
Speaker 1: about the project and instructions on how to build your
Speaker 1: own sensor if you'd like to give it a go. Now,
Speaker 1: let's talk about one of the most exciting astronomical hunts
Speaker 1: of the past decade, the search for aracoth. After new
Speaker 1: Horizons successful flyby of Pluto in twenty fifteen, scientists were
Speaker 1: eager to extend the mission, but they faced a major
Speaker 1: challenge finding a suitable target in the vast unexplored Kuiper Belt.
Speaker 1: For nearly ten years, astronomers scoured the outer Solar System,
Speaker 1: developing new tools and techniques along the way. They used
Speaker 1: ground based telescopes, citizen science efforts, and even the Hubble
Speaker 1: space telescope in their quest. Finally, in twenty fourteen, they
Speaker 1: struck gold with the discovery of Aracoth. This small, oddly
Speaker 1: shaped world became New Horizons second fly by target, visited
Speaker 1: on New Year's Day twenty nineteen. The hunt for Aracoth
Speaker 1: not only gave us unprecedented views of a distant Kuiper
Speaker 1: Belt object, but also revolutionized our methods for studying this
Speaker 1: frontier region of our Solar System. It's a testament to
Speaker 1: human perseverance and ingenuity in the face of cosmic mysteries.
Speaker 1: Next another project you can help with in an exciting
Speaker 1: development for exoplanet research. Amateur astronomers and citizen scientists have
Speaker 1: made significant contributions to our understanding of distant worlds. Their
Speaker 1: efforts have helped refine the orbital parameters of an exoplanet
Speaker 1: known as WASP seventy seven AB. This collaborative project, led
Speaker 1: by researcher Federico R. Knoger from Arizona State University, along
Speaker 1: with teams from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space
Speaker 1: Flight Center, has produced the most precise physical and orbital
Speaker 1: parameters to date for WASP seventy seven AB. The study
Speaker 1: combined data from various citizen science projects including Exoplanet Watch
Speaker 1: and exoclock, as well as professional observations from space telescopes
Speaker 1: like Spitzer, Hubble, and James Webb. WASP seventy seven AB
Speaker 1: is a gas giant exoplanet slightly larger than Jupiter but
Speaker 1: orbiting incredibly close to its star. These refined parameters will
Speaker 1: help astronomers better predict future transit events, crucial for planning
Speaker 1: spacecraft observations and improving atmospheric models. This success story highlights
Speaker 1: the power of citizen science in advancing our knowledge of
Speaker 1: the cosmos. It shows that anyone with a passion for
Speaker 1: astronomy can contribute meaningfully to cutting edge research, bridging the
Speaker 1: gap between amateur enthusiasts and professional scientists. Want a piece
Speaker 1: of the action, join the Exoplanet Watch project and help
Speaker 1: contribute to cutting edge exoplanet science. Anyone can participate. Participation
Speaker 1: does not require citizenship in any particular country. And that
Speaker 1: wraps up today's episode of Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna and
Speaker 1: it's been my pleasure to bring you the latest in
Speaker 1: space and astronomy news. Before we sign off, I want
Speaker 1: to remind you to check out our website at Astronomydaily
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Speaker 1: you so much for tuning in today. Keep your eyes
Speaker 1: on the stars and we'll see you next time on
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