Speaker 1: Hello space enthusiasts. Today on Astronomy Daily, we're exploring an
Speaker 1: incredible array of astronomical discoveries and developments that are pushing
Speaker 1: the boundaries of our understanding of the cosmos. We'll dive
Speaker 1: into groundbreaking research that's bringing us closer to interstellar travel,
Speaker 1: as scientists make significant progress with ultra thin light sales
Speaker 1: that could one day propel spacecraft to distant stars. We'll
Speaker 1: also take a look at NASA's exciting new SPHEREx telescope,
Speaker 1: set to launch this month, which promises to reveal aspects
Speaker 1: of our universe that even the James Web Space Telescope
Speaker 1: can't see. From there, we'll journey to Jupiter's moon Io,
Speaker 1: where NASA's Juno spacecraft has witnessed the most powerful volcanic
Speaker 1: event ever recorded in our solar system. We'll also catch
Speaker 1: up with Comet Atlas as it makes its fiery journey
Speaker 1: past our Sun, and explore fascinating new findings about geological
Speaker 1: activity on the Moon that's challenging our understanding of our
Speaker 1: celestial neighbors. Stay with me, Anna, as we explore these
Speaker 1: fascinating developments in space science and discovery. Scientists are making
Speaker 1: remarkable progress in turning the science fiction dream of interstellar
Speaker 1: travel into reality through the development of ultra thin light sales.
Speaker 1: The Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, a program started in twenty sixteen
Speaker 1: by theoretical physicists Stephen Hawking and scientist Yuri Milner at
Speaker 1: the California Institute of Technology, has recently achieved a significant
Speaker 1: milestone in this ambitious endeavor. The research team, led by
Speaker 1: Starshot Lightsale Research Director Harry Atwater, has developed an innovative
Speaker 1: platform for testing materials that could potentially form these revolutionary
Speaker 1: light sales. These spacecraft propulsion devices would harness the power
Speaker 1: of laser beams to achieve unprecedented speeds, potentially opening up
Speaker 1: interstellar distances to direct exploration that we can currently only
Speaker 1: study through remote observation. One of the most challenging aspects
Speaker 1: of developing these light sALS is creating a membrane that
Speaker 1: can withstand intense heat while maintaining its shape under pressure
Speaker 1: and staying stable along a laser beam's axis. The team
Speaker 1: has ingeniously engineered a test to measure the precise force
Speaker 1: that lasers exert on ultra thin membranes of different materials,
Speaker 1: turning what was once a technical obstacle into a scientific advantage.
Speaker 1: Their research has revealed fascinating insights into how these miniature
Speaker 1: light sales interact with laser beams. When struck by light,
Speaker 1: these mechanical resonators vibrate in response to both heat and
Speaker 1: radiation pressure. The team discovered that by studying these vibrations,
Speaker 1: they could accurately measure the force being exerted on the membrane,
Speaker 1: providing crucial data for future designs. Perhaps most intriguingly, the
Speaker 1: researchers found that when laser beams strike the light sale
Speaker 1: at angles, as would happen in real space conditions, the
Speaker 1: force is actually lower than theoretical predictions. This discovery, attributed
Speaker 1: to light scattering off the sale's edges, has led to
Speaker 1: promising new research directions involving nanomaterials and meta materials that
Speaker 1: could help control the sideways, movement and rotation of these
Speaker 1: future spacecraft. This breakthrough represents a crucial stepping stone toward
Speaker 1: developing freely accelerating light sales that could one day carry
Speaker 1: tiny probes to our nearest star systems, potentially revolutionizing our
Speaker 1: ability to explore the Cosmos firsthand. The team's work continues
Speaker 1: to focus on creating surfaces that can automatically correct their
Speaker 1: position if they drift off course, bringing us ever closer
Speaker 1: to making interstellar travel a reality. Next up today, NASA
Speaker 1: is preparing to launch an extraordinary new space telescope that
Speaker 1: promises to revolutionize our view of the cosmos. Named SPHEREx,
Speaker 1: this innovative observatory is scheduled for launch in late February
Speaker 1: aboard a SpaceX Falcon nine rocket, marking another milestone in
Speaker 1: our journey to understand the universe. What makes SPHEREx truly
Speaker 1: special is its unprecedented ability to map the entire sky
Speaker 1: in one hundred and two different infrared colors, something that's
Speaker 1: never been done before in human history. While the James
Speaker 1: Webb Space Telescope excels at studying specific celestial objects in
Speaker 1: great detail, SPHEREx will take a broader approach, creating a
Speaker 1: comprehensive panorama of the entire sky visible from Earth. This
Speaker 1: eggshell white conical probe might look modest compared to some
Speaker 1: of its predecessors, but don't let its appearance fool you.
Speaker 1: Weighing about as much as a grand piano and using
Speaker 1: less power than your home refrigerator, SPHEREx has been engineered
Speaker 1: to perform its mission with remarkable efficiency. To protect its
Speaker 1: sensitive instruments from heat interference, the spacecraft features an ingenious
Speaker 1: design with three concentric cone shaped photon shields and specialized
Speaker 1: radiator plates. These work together to keep the telescope cool
Speaker 1: enough to detect the faintest infrared signals from space. The
Speaker 1: mission's goals are ambitious. Scientists hope to use SPHEREx to
Speaker 1: study hundreds of millions of galaxies, potentially unlocking secrets about
Speaker 1: cause inflation, that mind bending moment just after the Big Bang,
Speaker 1: when the universe expanded faster than the speed of light.
Speaker 1: They're also planning to search for icy organic molecules floating
Speaker 1: between stars, which could help explain how life on Earth began.
Speaker 1: What's particularly exciting is how SPHEREx will work in tandem
Speaker 1: with other observatories. Its all sky infrared map will be
Speaker 1: an invaluable resource for James Webb Telescope scientists, helping them
Speaker 1: identify the most promising targets for detailed observation. Every six months,
Speaker 1: SPHEREx will complete a new map of the sky, building
Speaker 1: up an unprecedented view of our cosmic neighborhood. Over its
Speaker 1: two year primary mission at a modest cost of around
Speaker 1: four hundred and eighty eight million dollars. SPHEREx demonstrates that
Speaker 1: groundbreaking science doesn't always require the most expensive instruments. Instead,
Speaker 1: it's about having the right tool for the right job,
Speaker 1: and in this case, that means creating the most detailed
Speaker 1: infrared map of our universe ever attempted. Let's head over
Speaker 1: to Jupiter now. Jupiter's moon Io has just set a
Speaker 1: new record for volcanic activity, and what NASA's Juno spacecraft
Speaker 1: recently witnessed there is nothing short of spectacular. During its
Speaker 1: December twenty twenty three flyby, Juno observed a volcanic event
Speaker 1: so massive it makes Earth's most powerful eruptions look like
Speaker 1: campfires in comparison. The newly discovered hotspot region on Io's
Speaker 1: surface spans an area larger than Lake Superior, and the
Speaker 1: energy its releasing is truly mind boggling, equivalent to six
Speaker 1: times the combined output of all Earth's power plants. This
Speaker 1: isn't just another eruption on Io. It's the most powerful
Speaker 1: volcanic event ever recorded on what was already known as
Speaker 1: the most volcanic world in our Solar system. The discovery
Speaker 1: came during Juno's close approach to Io, when it passed
Speaker 1: within about nine hundred and thirty miles of the Moon's surface.
Speaker 1: Using its infrared instrument, the spacecraft detected an enormous hot
Speaker 1: spot in Io's southern hemisphere that was so intense it
Speaker 1: actually saturated. The scientists believe what they're seeing isn't just
Speaker 1: one massive eruption, but several closely spaced hotspots, all erupting simultaneously,
Speaker 1: suggesting the presence of a vast underground magma chamber system.
Speaker 1: What makes Io such a volcanic powerhouse. The answer lies
Speaker 1: in its relationship with Jupiter. As the Moon orbits the
Speaker 1: gas giant every forty two point five hours, Jupiter's immense
Speaker 1: gravitational pull creates powerful tidal forces that literally squeeze and
Speaker 1: stretch Io. This constant needing generates tremendous heat inside the Moon,
Speaker 1: leading to the spectacular volcanic activity we're witnessing. The Moon's
Speaker 1: surface is already home to about four hundred active volcanoes,
Speaker 1: all spewing lava, gas, and ash into Io's atmosphere. This
Speaker 1: new eruption, however, stands apart in its sheer scale and intensity.
Speaker 1: The affected region covers roughly forty thousand square miles, and
Speaker 1: scientists are eagerly awaiting Juno's next fly by in March
Speaker 1: to see how this remarkable event has reshaped Io's surface.
Speaker 1: These observations aren't just spectacular, they're providing valuable insights into
Speaker 1: volcanic processes, not just on Io, but potentially on other
Speaker 1: worlds throughout our Solar System. As scientists continue to study
Speaker 1: this unprecedented event, we're gaining new understanding of how planetary
Speaker 1: bodies evolve and interact with their environments. Okay, how did
Speaker 1: you go at photographing Comet atlass when it's sped by
Speaker 1: us last month? Not as well as this, I would think.
Speaker 1: A remarkable celestial spectacle unfolded in our cosmic neighborhood as
Speaker 1: Comet C twenty twenty four G three, also known as
Speaker 1: Comet Atlas, made its dramatic journey past the Sun between
Speaker 1: January eleventh and fifteenth. The comet treated astronomers to an
Speaker 1: extraordinary show as it blazed through the inner Solar System,
Speaker 1: coming within just eight million miles of our star. That's
Speaker 1: a mere nine percent of the distance between Earth and
Speaker 1: the Sun. The ESA and NASA's Soho spacecraft captured stunning
Speaker 1: images of this cosmic wanderer using its Lasco instrument. By
Speaker 1: cleverly blocking out the Sun's intense light with a special disc,
Speaker 1: LASCO revealed intricate details of the comet's tail as it
Speaker 1: responded to the solar wind. These observations are providing scientists
Speaker 1: with valuable insights into how the Sun's constant stream of
Speaker 1: particles and energy influences objects passing through our solar neighborhood.
Speaker 1: The images processed by Carl Badams at the US Naval
Speaker 1: Research Lab brought out remarkable fine details in the comet's tail,
Speaker 1: showcasing how it twisted and turned in response to fluctuations
Speaker 1: in the solar wind. This interaction between comet and solar
Speaker 1: wind is helping heliophysicists better understand the Sun's influence on
Speaker 1: its surrounding environment. While the comet briefly graced Northern Hemisphere
Speaker 1: skies during its closest approach to the Sun, it has
Speaker 1: since moved into southern skies. However, there are indications that
Speaker 1: this cosmic visitor may have paid a price for its
Speaker 1: close encounter with our star. Scientists have observed signs suggesting
Speaker 1: the comet might be breaking apart, which could lead to
Speaker 1: it rapidly fading from view in the coming days. Next,
Speaker 1: let's turn our attention to some fascinating lunar developments that
Speaker 1: are reshaping our understanding of Earth's closest celestial neighbor. Firefly's
Speaker 1: Blue Ghost mission has reached a significant milestone in its
Speaker 1: forty five day journey to the Moon, with NASA's specialized
Speaker 1: camera system SCALPS one point one successfully completing its first
Speaker 1: round of tests. All six of its high resolution cameras
Speaker 1: are functioning perfectly, ready to document every crucial moment of
Speaker 1: the spacecraft's eventual descent and touchdown on the lunar surface.
Speaker 1: Four of these cameras are specifically designed to capture the
Speaker 1: interaction between Blue Ghosts, rocket plumes, and the Moon's surface,
Speaker 1: while two additional cameras will record detailed before and after
Speaker 1: images of the landing site. This documentation is becoming increasingly
Speaker 1: important as we prepare for more frequent lunar missions, helping
Speaker 1: scientists better understand how spacecraft landings affect the lunar environment. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: a groundbreaking discovery on the Moon's far side is challenging
Speaker 1: our long held assumptions about lunar geology. Researchers from the
Speaker 1: National Air and Space Museum and the University of Maryland
Speaker 1: have identified two hundred and sixty six previously unknown small
Speaker 1: ridges that tell an unexpected story of recent geological activity.
Speaker 1: These ridges, typically found in groups of ten to forty,
Speaker 1: appear to be surprisingly young, possibly forming within the last
Speaker 1: two hundred million years. This is remarkably recent in geological terms,
Speaker 1: especially for a body that many scientists believed had been
Speaker 1: geologically dormant for billions of years. The research team used
Speaker 1: crater counting techniques to date these features, finding that some
Speaker 1: ridges even cut through existing impact craters, providing clear evidence
Speaker 1: of their relatively recent formation. The structures bear striking similarities
Speaker 1: to features found on the Moon's near side, suggesting they
Speaker 1: were created by the same forces, possibly shallow moonquakes first
Speaker 1: detected during the Apollo missions. Movements are likely caused by
Speaker 1: a combination of shifts in the Moon's orbit and its
Speaker 1: gradual shrinking, a process that continues to influence lunar surface
Speaker 1: dynamics today. These findings have significant implications for future lunar
Speaker 1: exploration and infrastructure planning, Understanding that the Moon is still
Speaker 1: geologically active will be crucial for determining safe locations for
Speaker 1: future astronaut missions, equipment placement, and potential permanent installations on
Speaker 1: the lunar surface. And that brings us to the end
Speaker 1: of another fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily. From breakthrough developments
Speaker 1: in interstellar travel technology to record breaking volcanic activity on
Speaker 1: Jupiter's moon Io, from NASA's ambitious news sphere X telescope
Speaker 1: to surprising discoveries about lunar geology. It's been an exciting
Speaker 1: day in space news. I'm Anna, and I want to
Speaker 1: thank you for joining me on this cosmic journey. If
Speaker 1: you're hungry for more space and astronomy news, head over
Speaker 1: to Astronomy Daily dot io, where you'll find our constantly
Speaker 1: update newsfeed and all our past episodes ready for your
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Speaker 1: edition of Astronomy.
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