A Star's Violent End, Revolutionary Bioplastics for Mars, and the Fate of the Universe

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your ultimate guide to

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the latest in space and astronomy news. I'm

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Anna, your host and today we're diving into the

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groundbreaking visual evidence of a star's double

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detonation demise, shedding new light on

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cosmic expansion. Then we'll

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explore how revolutionary algae bioplastics could

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enable self sustaining habitats on Mars.

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For all you skywatchers, I'll share how you can spot

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both the International Space Station and and China's

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Tiangong Station in the pre dawn sky. This week. We'll

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also discuss a new study suggesting the universe might be headed

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for a big crunch in billions of years.

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And finally, we'll talk about the largest piece of Mars ever

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found on Earth. A massive rock set for auction

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and the debate surrounding it.

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It's going to be an exciting journey, so let's get

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started. For the first time

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ever, astronomers have captured stunning visual

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evidence of a star's dramatic exit, a

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double detonation that marks its explosive death.

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This groundbreaking discovery centres around a type of

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stellar explosion known as a type 1a

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supernova, which plays an absolutely crucial role

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in our understanding of the universe. These

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specific supernovas are not just spectacular cosmic

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fireworks. They are vital for accurately measuring

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the universe's expansion rate, a topic currently

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at the heart of a major cosmological debate.

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What's more, type 1A supernovas are also the primary

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source of iron found throughout the cosmos, making

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their explosion mechanisms a puzzle astronomers are

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keen to solve. The evidence for this twin eruption

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was found by scientists studying two concentric rings of

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calcium surrounding

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SNR0509.67.5,

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which is the remnant of a star that met its explosive end

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centuries ago. While astronomers have long theorised that

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white dwarfs, the dense husks of dead stars,

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typically explode after steadily accumulating material from

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a companion star until they reach a critical mass known

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as the Chandrasekhar limit. Hints have suggested other

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mechanisms might be at play. Using the

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European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope,

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researchers found those two distinct calcium rings,

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which offer clear proof that white dwarfs can indeed

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detonate well before reaching the Chandrasekhar mass limit.

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This confirms the existence of the double detonation

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mechanism in nature. The proposed scenario

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is fascinating. The white dwarf first blankets

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itself in stolen helium from its neighbour.

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This helium then ignites, sending a shockwave

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inward that causes the dead star's core to ignite in a

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second, much larger explosion. Studying

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these dual detonations has profound implications,

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particularly for how we use type 1A supernovas as

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standard candles, cosmic benchmarks that

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explode with consistent Brightness, allowing

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astronomers to measure vast distances and calculate the

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universe's expansion rate. This tangible

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evidence not only helps solve a ah, long standing

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mystery, but also offers a truly visual

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spectacle revealing the inner workings of such a

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dramatic cosmic event.

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Moving on, let's head over to Mars. Imagine building a

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home on Mars that literally grows itself. It sounds

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like something out of science fiction, but scientists are making

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strides towards this very possibility with a

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revolutionary new bioplastic derived from green

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algae. This innovation could be a game changer for

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human missions to other worlds, tackling the immense

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challenge and cost of transporting building materials from

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Earth. The concept is elegantly simple.

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If a habitat is constructed from this bioplastic and it can

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grow algae within its structure, that algae can then

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produce even more bioplastic. This creates a

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self sustaining closed loop system that could allow

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extraterrestrial settlements to not only sustain themselves,

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but also expand over time. It truly

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echoes the living ships seen in sci fi

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classics like Stargate Atlantis or Star Trek.

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In lab experiments, researchers successfully

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recreated the challenging atmospheric conditions of

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Mars, where the air pressure is significantly

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lower and the atmosphere is rich in carbon

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dioxide. Despite these harsh conditions,

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a common green algae called Dunaliella

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tertiolecta thrived inside a 3D

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printed growth chamber made from this new

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bioplastic, which is a type of polylactic

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acid. The bioplastic material proved

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crucial, blocking harmful UV radiation

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while still allowing enough light to penetrate for

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photosynthesis. Critically, the chamber also

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created a pressure gradient that allowed liquid water to

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stabilise within its walls, a key element for life

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that is otherwise unstable on the Martian surface.

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This research indicates that even on seemingly barren

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worlds, organic growth could be harnessed to construct human

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habitats. This builds upon previous work by

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the same team, which showed that sheets of silica

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aerogels could mimic Earth's greenhouse effect to

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enable biological growth on other planets.

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Combining these two lines of research could pave the way

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for a truly sustainable human presence beyond

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Earth. The next step for the team is to demonstrate that

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these bioplastic habitats can be grown in a vacuum,

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simulating conditions for missions to other deep space

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locations like the Moon.

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Beyond the exciting prospects for space exploration,

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this kind of biomaterial technology is expected

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to have significant spin off benefits for sustainability here

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on Earth, offering innovative solutions for our own

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planet's future.

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Okay, let's make a quick trip back to Earth. For

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skywatchers across most of the US and southern Canada,

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and indeed for many in North America and Europe, there's

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a fantastic opportunity this week to witness two of

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humanity's largest orbiting outposts within minutes

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of each other. I'm talking about the International Space

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Station or iss, and China's Tiangong

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Space Station. If you're up during the pre dawn

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hours, you might even catch both in the sky at the same

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time on certain mornings. It's truly

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remarkable how many satellites now orbit Earth, though.

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Most of the over 30,700 objects are

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space junk, too small to see with the unaided

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eye. But there are about 500 that are large

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enough and low enough in orbit to be visible.

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As the distinguished British scientist Desmond King Healy

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once put it, a satellite looks like a star that has

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taken leave of its senses and decided to move off to another part

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of the sky. The International Space

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Station is by far the biggest and brightest of these man made

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objects. Imagine something almost the length of

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a football field, including the end zones.

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Powered by solar arrays longer than a Boeing

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777's wingspan.

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Orbiting at an average altitude of about

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416 kilometres and moving at a

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staggering 28,800 kilometres per hour,

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the ISS completes roughly 15.5

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orbits per day. Because of its massive

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size and highly reflective solar panels, it

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can appear up to two and a half times brighter than Venus

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and sometimes even flare to an incredible

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magnitude, making it much brighter than any star.

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Then there's Tiangong, China's Heavenly Palace Space

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Station. While smaller than the ISS,

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about 1/5 the size, it's still a prominent

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object in the night sky. It orbits at a slightly

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lower altitude of about 393 kilometres

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and can appear as bright as Venus or Jupiter on its

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most favourable passes. Currently,

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between the ISS and Tiangong, there are

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14 humans living and working in space.

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Now, if you're wondering when and where to look, it's easier

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than you might think. From now through the end of

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July, North Americans and Europeans will have

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numerous chances to spot both stations,

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primarily because nights are shorter, allowing these

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low Earth orbit satellites to remain illuminated by the

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sun for longer periods. Since

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both stations circle earth roughly every 90

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minutes, you might even catch them on several

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consecutive passes. They have slightly different

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orbital altitudes and inclinations, which

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makes seeing them simultaneously a less common event. But

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it is possible to find out the exact

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viewing schedule for your specific location. I highly

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recommend visiting either Chris Peet's Heavens above website or

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NASA's spot the station. Both are excellent

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resources. Heavens above allows you to input your

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precise latitude and longitude to generate accurate

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sighting data for both the ISS and Tiangong.

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NASA's Spot the Station offers a

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widget where you simply enter your location and it

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provides details like the time of the flyover, how long it

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will be visible, its maximum height in the sky,

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and the direction it will appear and disappear from your

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view. Just remember that predictions can change

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slightly due to orbital adjustments, so it's a good idea to

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check frequently for updates. Happy sky

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gazing.

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Next up, let's talk about an old, yet mysterious

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dark energy for generations,

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humanity has looked up at the stars and pondered the ultimate

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fate of our universe. Will it expand forever

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into the cold, empty vastness, or is there a more dramatic

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end in store? A new study published by

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physicists from Cornell University, Shanghai, Jiao

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Tong University, and other institutions suggests

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we might finally have a surprising and specific answer.

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Using data from several astronomical surveys, including

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the Dark Energy Survey and the Dark Energy

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Spectroscopic Instrument, researchers have

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developed a model that predicts our universe will meet

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its end in a big crunch in approximately

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33.3 billion years.

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Considering the universe is currently 13.8

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billion years old, this gives us roughly 20

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billion years before the curtain falls. This

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prediction challenges the long held assumption that the

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universe will expand indefinitely.

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Instead, it suggests that after reaching its maximum

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expansion in about 7 billion years, the

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universe will begin to contract until everything eventually

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collapses back into a single point. The key

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to this theory lies in understanding dark energy, the

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mysterious force that makes up about 70% of the

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universe and drives its expansion.

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For a long time, it was assumed that dark energy behaved like a

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cosmological constant, maintaining a steady

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pressure that pushed space apart indefinitely.

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However, recent observations hint that dark energy

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might actually be dynamic. The researchers

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propose a model involving an ultralight particle called

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an axion, combined with what's known as a

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negative cosmological constant. You can think of it

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like a massive rubber band. Initially, the universe

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expands as this rubber band stretches, but

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eventually the elastic force becomes stronger than the

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expansion, causing everything to snap back together.

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According to this new model, the universe will continue

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expanding, but at a gradually slowing rate

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until it reaches its maximum size, about

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69% larger than today in roughly

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7 billion years. Then gradual

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contraction will begin as gravitational forces

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and the negative cosmological constant take

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over, leading to a rapid collapse in the final

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moments. It's important to note that this

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prediction comes with significant uncertainty.

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The researchers acknowledge that their model has large

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margins of error due to limited observational

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data, and the negative cosmological

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constant that drives their prediction remains highly

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speculative. Alternative scenarios, including

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eternal expansion, are still very much on the table.

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What makes this research particularly exciting is

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isn't just the prediction itself, but the fact

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that we may soon be able to test it.

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Several m major astronomical projects Launching in the

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coming years are set to provide much more

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precise measurements of dark energy's behaviour.

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These future observations could potentially confirm,

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refine or even rule out the Big Crunch

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scenario entirely once and for all.

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Even if confirmed, a 20 billion year countdown

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hardly constitutes an immediate crisis for us.

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To put it in perspective, complex life on Earth has only

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existed for about 600 million years.

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20 billion years represents a time frame so vast

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that our sun will have died and our galaxy will have

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collided with Andromeda long before any cosmic collapse

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even begins. Nevertheless, this

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research represents a remarkable achievement in our

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understanding of the cosmos, providing us with a

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concrete timeline for what could be the most dramatic event possible.

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The end of the universe itself.

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Shifting gears from the vast cosmic scale to something

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a little closer to home, or at least closer to Earth,

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we have a fascinating story about a very special

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rock. The most massive piece of Mars ever

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found here on Earth could soon sell for up to US$4 million

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in a Sotheby's auction later this month. This

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incredible meteorite, officially named NWA

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16788, weighs a staggering

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24.67 kilogrammes, or about

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54.39 pounds. That makes it

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approximately 70% larger than the previous

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record holder, another Martian meteorite found

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in mali back in 2021.

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This massive chunk of Mars was discovered by a

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meteorite hunter in November 2023

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in the sparsely populated Agadez region of Niger,

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an area more renowned for its dinosaur fossils

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than its meteorites. The Shanghai

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Astronomy Museum confirmed the rock's Martian

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identity after a small sample was sent there. And

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now this interplanetary treasure has a significant price

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tag. According to the Sotheby's listing,

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the meteorite shows minimal terrestrial

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weathering, which means its physical and chemical makeup

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haven't been significantly altered since it landed in the

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Sahara Desert. In other words,

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NWA 16

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is likely a relatively recent arrival on Earth,

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having fallen from outer space not too long ago.

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Its characteristics tell us a lot about its journey.

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Based on a high percentage of a glass called

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maskelynite, along with some shock melted areas,

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scientists believe this rock was likely sent hurtling

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through space when a severe asteroid crashed into

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Mars. The Sotheby's listing further explains

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that the meteorite was formed from the slow cooling

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of Martian magma and and is characterised by a

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coarse grained texture, primarily composed of

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pyroxene, masculinite and

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olivine. However, the sale of such a

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rare specimen has sparked a debate among some

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scientists. Palaeontologist Steve

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Brusot from the University of Edinburgh

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expressed concern to CNN stating that it would

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be a shame if it disappeared into the vault of an

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oligarch, suggesting it belongs in a museum

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where it can be studied and enjoyed by the public.

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On the other hand, planetary scientist Julia Cartwright

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from the University of Leicester offered a different

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perspective, telling CNN that the scientific

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interest will remain and the new owner may be

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very interested in learning from it, meaning we could

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still gather a lot of science from this unique find.

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The Sotheby's auction is scheduled to begin on July

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16th.

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That brings us to the end of another fascinating episode of

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Astronomy Daily. I hope you've enjoyed exploring

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the latest cosmic revelations with me. From the

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explosive end of distant stars and the potential for life

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sustaining habitats on Mars, to the visible

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wonders of our orbiting space stations and the grand theories

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about the universe's ultimate fate.

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And of course, the journey of that very special Martian

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rock. It's been a pleasure sharing these stories

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with you. Before we sign off, I want to extend a huge

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thank you for tuning in. If you want to catch up on all

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the latest space and astronomy news or listen to any of our

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previous episodes, be sure to visit our website at

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astronomydaily IO. That's astronomydaily

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IO. You can also subscribe to

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Astronomy Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,

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YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. To ensure you

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never miss an episode, I'm Ana, your host,

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and I look forward to joining you again tomorrow for more

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captivating insights from the universe. Until

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then, keep looking up.