April 10, 2025

Amazon's Kuiper Delays, Juno's Scares, and Titan's Life Possibilities

Amazon's Kuiper Delays, Juno's Scares, and Titan's Life Possibilities

Astronomy Daily | Space News: S04E86
In this episode of Astronomy Daily, host Anna guides you through a captivating array of stories from the cosmos. From delays in Amazon's satellite launch to thrilling discoveries about our solar system's moons,...

Season 4
Astronomy Daily | Space News: S04E86
In this episode of Astronomy Daily, host Anna guides you through a captivating array of stories from the cosmos. From delays in Amazon's satellite launch to thrilling discoveries about our solar system's moons, this episode is packed with the latest astronomical updates that will leave you in awe of the universe.
Highlights:
- Amazon's Project Kuiper Delays: Discover the challenges faced by Amazon as their ambitious Project Kuiper satellite launch is postponed due to adverse weather conditions. We delve into the significance of this project in the space-based Internet market and how it aims to compete with SpaceX's Starlink constellation.
- Juno's Safe Mode Scare: Learn about the unexpected safe mode incidents experienced by NASA's Juno spacecraft while navigating the intense radiation of Jupiter. We'll discuss how Juno's protective systems worked effectively to ensure the spacecraft's safety and its upcoming mission milestones.
- Life Potential on Titan: Explore intriguing new research suggesting that Saturn's moon Titan could harbor life in its subsurface ocean. We examine the metabolic processes that may support microbial life and the challenges of nutrient delivery in this distant environment.
- Insights from Chang'e 6 Lunar Samples: Uncover the groundbreaking findings from China's Chang'e 6 mission, which returned lunar samples from the far side of the Moon. These samples provide critical evidence supporting the giant impact hypothesis and reveal significant differences between the Moon's near and far sides.
- Comet Swan Brightening in Our Skies: Don't miss the chance to catch a glimpse of Comet Swan, which is brightening and may soon be visible to the naked eye. We'll provide tips on how to observe this celestial visitor as it moves through the northeastern sky.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:05 - Amazon's Project Kuiper satellite launch delays
10:30 - NASA's Juno spacecraft safe mode incidents
17:00 - Potential for life in Titan's subsurface ocean
22:15 - Findings from Chang'e 6 lunar samples
27:30 - Comet Swan visibility update
✍️ Episode References
Amazon's Project Kuiper
[Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/)
NASA's Juno Mission
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov)
Titan's Habitability Research
[International Space Science Institute](https://www.issibern.ch/)
Chang'e 6 Lunar Samples
[Chinese Academy of Sciences](https://www.cas.cn/)
Comet Swan Discovery
[Solar and Heliospheric Observatory](https://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)

For access to the Commercial-Free version, become a supporter of this podcast:
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.319
Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your cosmic companion for

2
00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:06.759
all things space and astronomy. I'm Ana, and today we've

3
00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:10.199
got a stellar lineup of fascinating stories from across the universe.

4
00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:13.400
Coming up in the next twenty minutes, we'll explore Amazon's

5
00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:17.239
space ambitions as their Project Kuiper satellite launch faces delays

6
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.320
on the launch pad. Then we'll check in with NASA's

7
00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:24.719
Juno spacecraft, which recently experienced a scare while orbiting the

8
00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:28.640
harsh radiation environment of Jupiter. We'll also dive into intriguing

9
00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:31.280
new research about the potential for life in the subsurface

10
00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:34.719
ocean of Saturn's moon Titan, and examine how lunar samples

11
00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:38.359
from China's Chenga six mission are helping scientists understand the

12
00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:41.719
violent birth of our moon. And to cap it all off,

13
00:00:41.759 --> 00:00:44.079
there's an exciting celestial visitor you might want to wake

14
00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:47.200
up early to see. The newly discovered comet Swan is

15
00:00:47.240 --> 00:00:50.520
brightening in our morning skies, and amateur astronomers are already

16
00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:54.479
capturing stunning views. So let's launch right into today's cosmic

17
00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:58.560
news roundup. It seems Amazon may be a wizard at

18
00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:02.000
delivering packages to your door step, but delivering satellites to

19
00:01:02.119 --> 00:01:05.719
orbit proves a bit more challenging. A United Launch Alliance

20
00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:08.920
Atlas five rocket was set to carry twenty seven satellites

21
00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:12.719
for Amazon's Project Kuiper Internet constellation into orbit from Cape

22
00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:15.599
Canaveral Space Force Station this week, but mother Nature had

23
00:01:15.640 --> 00:01:20.640
other plans. Persistent clouds near the launch pad violated safety rules,

24
00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.000
forcing ULA to scrub the launch. Despite working through a

25
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.000
full two hour launch window, launch controllers battled not only

26
00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:31.920
technical glitches, but also thick cumulus clouds and rain within

27
00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.159
ten miles of the pad, ultimately making the call to

28
00:01:35.280 --> 00:01:40.000
delay the mission. Project Kuiper represents Amazon's ambitious leap into

29
00:01:40.040 --> 00:01:45.079
the space based internet market, directly challenging SpaceX's Starlink constellation

30
00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:50.120
that's already providing high speed Internet to customers worldwide. Amazon

31
00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:53.840
isn't thinking small either, They're planning to deploy a massive

32
00:01:53.879 --> 00:01:57.480
constellation of three thousand, two hundred broadband satellites in the

33
00:01:57.519 --> 00:02:01.920
coming years. This launch would have been Amazon's first operational

34
00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:06.079
deployment of Kuiper satellites, following a successful test flight last

35
00:02:06.079 --> 00:02:10.759
October that carried two prototype satellites to orbit. While ULA

36
00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:14.280
is handling this initial launch, Amazon has wisely spread its

37
00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:17.800
bets across multiple launch providers. The e commerce giant has

38
00:02:17.800 --> 00:02:21.840
secured flights on several different rocket systems, including ULA's brand

39
00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:27.039
new Vulcan Centaur Rocket, Ariane Space Boosters, Blue Origins, New Glen, and,

40
00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:31.479
interestingly enough, even their direct competitor, SpaceX's Falcon rocket family.

41
00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:35.319
This multi provider approach helps ensure Amazon can maintain its

42
00:02:35.319 --> 00:02:39.879
deployment schedule even if one launch system faces delays. The

43
00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:42.919
satellite internet market is heating up rapidly as companies race

44
00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:47.360
to provide global connectivity from space. While SpaceX currently dominates

45
00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:51.080
with thousands of Starlink satellites already in orbit, Amazon brings

46
00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:55.120
considerable resources and a massive potential customer base to the competition.

47
00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:59.240
These constellations promised to bring high speed Internet to remote

48
00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:03.840
and underserved regions around the world where traditional infrastructure is impractical.

49
00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:07.199
Ula and Amazon are now working with the US Space

50
00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:10.919
Force to identify the next launch opportunity, hoping clearer skies

51
00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:14.520
will allow these first operational Kuiper satellites to finally reach

52
00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:18.479
their orbital destination. Next up. A bit of a scare

53
00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:21.479
while a long way from home, NASA's Juno spacecraft has

54
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:25.080
experienced an unexpected hiccup during its ongoing mission to Jupiter.

55
00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:28.919
The space agency reported that the solar powered spacecraft entered

56
00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:31.960
safe mode not once, but twice on April fourth, while

57
00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:34.759
conducting its seventy first close flyby of the gas giant.

58
00:03:35.520 --> 00:03:39.400
Safe mode is essentially a spacecraft's self preservation state. When

59
00:03:39.479 --> 00:03:43.319
Juno detects an anomaly or something unusual, it automatically switches

60
00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:46.199
to this precautionary status, where it shuts down non essential

61
00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:50.639
functions and focuses solely on critical tasks like maintaining communication

62
00:03:50.680 --> 00:03:54.840
with Earth and managing power. As designed, Juno's science instruments

63
00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:57.039
were powered down for the remainder of the fly by

64
00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:00.319
when it entered safe mode. The good news is that

65
00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:04.199
mission controllers have successfully re established high rate data transmission

66
00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:07.919
with the spacecraft, which is now running flight software diagnostics.

67
00:04:08.240 --> 00:04:10.479
The team is working to download all the engineering and

68
00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.520
science data collected before and during the safe mode events.

69
00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:18.160
What's particularly interesting is that during both incidents, Juno performed

70
00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:22.160
exactly as it was designed to, rebooting its computer, shutting

71
00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:25.439
down non essential systems, and pointing its antenna toward Earth

72
00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:30.279
to maintain communications. Jupiter presents arguably the most hostile environment

73
00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.439
in our Solar system, with radiation belts near the planet

74
00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:38.759
that would quickly fry unprotected electronics. Early indications suggest that

75
00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:41.800
Juno's safe mode events occurred as it flew through these

76
00:04:41.839 --> 00:04:46.800
intense radiation zones. To shield against this extreme radiation, JUNO

77
00:04:46.920 --> 00:04:50.120
is equipped with a titanium vault that houses and protects

78
00:04:50.199 --> 00:04:54.120
its sensitive electronics. This isn't the first time JUNO has

79
00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:58.560
experienced such issues. Since arriving at Jupiter in July twenty sixteen,

80
00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:03.199
the spacecraft has unexpectedly entered safe mode four times, including

81
00:05:03.279 --> 00:05:07.040
these recent events. The previous incidents occurred in twenty sixteen

82
00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:09.519
during its second orbit and again in twenty twenty two

83
00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:13.319
during its thirty ninth orbit. In all cases, the spacecraft

84
00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:18.399
recovered fully, demonstrating the effectiveness of its protective systems. Despite

85
00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:23.079
this minor setback, Juno's mission continues. The spacecraft is scheduled

86
00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:25.560
for its next close approach to Jupiter on May seventh,

87
00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:28.800
which will include a flyby of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io

88
00:05:29.319 --> 00:05:32.800
at a distance of approximately fifty five thy three hundred miles.

89
00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:36.439
This upcoming encounter with Io the most volcanically active body

90
00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:40.000
in our Solar system promises to deliver fascinating new data

91
00:05:40.040 --> 00:05:44.920
about this enigmatic Jovian moon. The JUNO mission, managed by

92
00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:49.279
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, continues to provide invaluable insights into

93
00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:53.560
Jupiter's atmosphere, magnetic field, and interior structure since its arrival

94
00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:57.240
at the gas giant nearly eight years ago. Next on

95
00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:00.839
our story list today, Couldsaturn's largest moontight harbor life in

96
00:06:00.879 --> 00:06:04.240
its hidden ocean. New research from the International Space Science

97
00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:08.639
Institute in burn, Switzerland suggests it's possible, but with significant limitations.

98
00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:13.279
A multidisciplinary team has been investigating the potential habitability of

99
00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:18.040
Titan's subsurface water ocean, focusing specifically on whether a metabolism

100
00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:22.959
called glycine fermentation could support microbial life there. Unlike some

101
00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:28.199
metabolic processes that require strong oxidants, glycine fermentation could potentially

102
00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:33.040
work in Titan's ocean environment. The researchers used bio energetic modeling,

103
00:06:33.399 --> 00:06:36.560
the same approach previously applied to Saturn's moon, Ensilatus and

104
00:06:36.600 --> 00:06:41.600
early Earth ecosystems, to assess the energy available for potential microorganisms.

105
00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:46.439
Their findings suggest that Titan's ocean could theoretically support heterotrophic

106
00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:50.759
life forms, organisms that consume organic material rather than producing

107
00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:55.680
their own food through photosynthesis. What makes Titan particularly interesting

108
00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:59.439
is its abundant surface organics. The Moon has lakes and

109
00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:03.199
seas of liquid methane and ethane, with a thick atmosphere

110
00:07:03.319 --> 00:07:06.879
rich in nitrogen and methane. However, the study found that

111
00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:10.439
only a limited fraction of these abundant surface organics would

112
00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:16.480
be suitable for microbial metabolism. Furthermore, there's a transportation problem.

113
00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:20.480
The organic material from Titan's surface has difficulty reaching the

114
00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:25.399
subsurface ocean where potential microbes might live. The primary delivery

115
00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:29.839
mechanism appears to be through impact generated melt pools, essentially

116
00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:33.079
when meteorites crash into Titan and create temporary melting that

117
00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:36.839
allows surface materials to mix with the subsurface ocean. This

118
00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:41.279
inefficient transport means any potential biosphere in Titan's ocean would

119
00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:45.879
be extremely sparse. The study estimates a total biomass ranging

120
00:07:45.879 --> 00:07:48.600
from just a few grams to a few kilograms of

121
00:07:48.600 --> 00:07:52.160
carbon across the entire Moon. To put that in perspective,

122
00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:55.279
this would equate to fewer than one microbial cell per

123
00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:59.120
kilogram of water when diluted throughout Titan's enormous subsurface ocean.

124
00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:03.399
These findings highlight both the possibility and the challenges of

125
00:08:03.439 --> 00:08:07.399
life existing in Titan's hidden ocean. While the basic ingredients

126
00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:10.680
and energy sources for life might be present, the difficulty

127
00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:15.040
in delivering nutrients to potential organisms creates a significant hurdle.

128
00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:19.000
The research team notes that further studies into alternative metabolic

129
00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:23.399
pathways and potential nutrient delivery mechanisms are needed to fully

130
00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:29.480
understand Titan's habitability potential. Despite these limitations, Titan remains one

131
00:08:29.519 --> 00:08:32.200
of the most intriguing places in our Solar System to

132
00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:37.000
search for potential extraterrestrial life, a world with a complex atmosphere,

133
00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:44.240
surface lakes, and a hidden ocean that continues to fascinate astrobiologists. Meanwhile,

134
00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:47.039
a bit closer to home and the discoveries keep coming

135
00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:51.879
fascinating news from China's Change six mission, which recently returned

136
00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.320
the first ever samples collected from the far side of

137
00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:58.840
the Moon. Analysis of these precious lunar materials is revealing

138
00:08:58.879 --> 00:09:02.639
important differences between the Moon's familiar near side and its

139
00:09:02.679 --> 00:09:06.440
hidden far side, differences that may help confirm how are

140
00:09:06.519 --> 00:09:11.200
Moon formed. Scientists examining the chung A six samples have

141
00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:14.639
discovered that there's significantly less water in the mantle beneath

142
00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:16.960
the far side of the Moon compared to the near side.

143
00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:19.720
The samples from the south Pole Eightkin basin on the

144
00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:22.559
far side contain only about one to one point five

145
00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:26.879
micrograms of water per gram of sample. That's substantially lower

146
00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:29.919
than measurements from Apollo mission samples from the near side,

147
00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:33.200
which show up to two hundred micrograms of water per gram.

148
00:09:34.159 --> 00:09:37.639
This water content difference provides important evidence supporting the giant

149
00:09:37.639 --> 00:09:41.320
impact hypothesis, the leading theory that our Moon formed when

150
00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:44.240
a Mars sized protoplanet collided with the early Earth about

151
00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:47.519
four point five billion years ago. The impact sent a

152
00:09:47.519 --> 00:09:51.279
cascade of debris into orbit that eventually coalesced to form

153
00:09:51.320 --> 00:09:54.480
the Moon we see today. According to Professor Who Sen

154
00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:57.919
from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, we believe the new

155
00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:00.919
result is in line with the giant impact hypothesis of

156
00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:05.360
the moon. Computer modeling of such an impact event predicts

157
00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:08.399
that the Moon's mantle would have a dike atomic or

158
00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:12.000
two part distribution of water exactly what we're now observing.

159
00:10:12.840 --> 00:10:15.919
The water content difference is just one of many distinctions

160
00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:19.759
between the two lunar hemispheres. The near side features vast

161
00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:22.559
dark plains of ancient volcanic flows that we can see

162
00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:26.039
with the naked eye. Meanwhile, the far side has a

163
00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:30.360
much thicker crust with far fewer volcanic features, different rock types,

164
00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:34.720
and varying concentrations of elements like thorium. Thorium provides a

165
00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:37.919
useful proxy for water content because both remain in magma

166
00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:42.039
during melting, rather than forming crystalline minerals. The South Pole

167
00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:44.080
eight Can Basin is one of the few areas on

168
00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:47.559
the far side with significant thorium, as it's a massive

169
00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:50.519
impact basin where the collision dug deep enough to bring

170
00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:53.960
material from the mantle to the surface. At one thousand,

171
00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:57.279
six hundred miles across, the South Pole eight Can Basin

172
00:10:57.600 --> 00:10:59.960
is one of the largest impact structures in our entire

173
00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.320
solar system. The effects of this colossal collision would have

174
00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:08.120
profoundly influenced the Moon's evolution, particularly on the far side.

175
00:11:08.200 --> 00:11:10.960
These new findings remind us that despite being our closest

176
00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:14.840
cosmic neighbor, the Moon still holds many secrets, especially on

177
00:11:14.879 --> 00:11:19.120
its perpetually hidden far side. As one scientist quipped, despite

178
00:11:19.159 --> 00:11:21.600
being as dry as a bone, the Moon's far side

179
00:11:21.639 --> 00:11:26.519
continues to be one of endless fascination. Finally, today one

180
00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:30.759
for all skywatchers. In exciting astronomical news, a recently discovered

181
00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:32.840
comet is brightening in our skies and might soon be

182
00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:36.720
visible to the naked eye. Comet Swan, officially designated C

183
00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:40.679
twenty twenty five F two, wasn't found through a traditional telescope,

184
00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:44.000
but instead through careful analysis of images from the Solar

185
00:11:44.039 --> 00:11:48.799
wind anisotropis camera aboard the Orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory.

186
00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:53.759
The discovery honors a great tradition of civilian contributions to astronomy.

187
00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:58.720
On March twenty ninth, three amateur astronomers independently spotted the

188
00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:03.759
moving object in publicly available Swan images, Vladimir Bizugly from Ukraine,

189
00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:08.600
Michael Mattiadzo from Australia, and Rob Matson from California. Following

190
00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.679
naming guidelines, the comet takes its name from the instrument

191
00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:14.879
that captured the images, rather than the individuals who made

192
00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:18.440
the discovery. Word of the new comet spread quickly through

193
00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:23.000
the amateur astronomy community, with observations pouring in shortly after.

194
00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:27.360
Currently glowing at around magnitude eight to nine, it's already

195
00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:30.639
visible in small telescopes despite its low altitude. In the

196
00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:34.639
eastern pre dawn sky, observers have reported a well condensed

197
00:12:34.679 --> 00:12:38.480
coma approximately three arc minutes across with a slight blue

198
00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:43.120
green coloration from fluorescing carbon compounds. The comet appears to

199
00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:47.320
be brightening rapidly. The Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams now

200
00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:51.120
forecasts it could reach magnitude three point six around perihelion

201
00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:54.120
on May first, when it passes just thirty one million

202
00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:57.200
miles from the Sun. That would make it potentially visible

203
00:12:57.240 --> 00:13:00.200
to the naked eye under dark skies, though the brightness

204
00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:02.799
prediction comes with a caveat due to the comet's recent

205
00:13:02.799 --> 00:13:07.240
outburst behavior. For the next couple of weeks, Comet Swan

206
00:13:07.320 --> 00:13:10.960
remains a morning object visible in the northeastern sky during dawn,

207
00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:14.240
currently moving about one point seventy five degrees per day

208
00:13:14.639 --> 00:13:19.039
through the Great Square of Pegasus before traversing Andromeda and Triangulum.

209
00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:22.759
Around April twenty fifth, it transitions to the evening sky

210
00:13:23.080 --> 00:13:27.559
appearing low in the northwest after sunset. Northern hemisphere observers

211
00:13:27.559 --> 00:13:30.120
are particularly well positioned to view this visitor, with the

212
00:13:30.159 --> 00:13:34.440
best viewing window happening now through early May. On May first,

213
00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:37.399
it will pass just two degrees north of the beautiful

214
00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:43.360
Pleaty star cluster, creating a potentially spectacular photo opportunity. Southern

215
00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:47.480
Hemisphere skywatchers will get their turn starting around May fourth,

216
00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:51.639
with extended viewing opportunities throughout the remainder of May. If

217
00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:54.559
you're planning to observe the comet, you'll need a location

218
00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:59.480
with an unobstructed northeastern horizon, while binoculars or a small

219
00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:03.720
telescope will give the best views now. If brightness predictions hold,

220
00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:07.679
it might become a naked eye object as it approaches perihelion,

221
00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:12.639
and that wraps up our cosmic journey for today, from

222
00:14:12.679 --> 00:14:16.200
Amazon's efforts to spread Internet access from above, to the

223
00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:20.639
resilience of NASA's radiation hardened Juno spacecraft, from the tantalizing

224
00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:23.919
possibility of life and titans hidden ocean, to the lunar

225
00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:28.360
samples illuminating our Moon's violent birth, and finally to our

226
00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:33.480
unexpected visitor, Comet Swan brightening in our skies. The universe

227
00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:37.679
continues to captivate us with its endless wonders. I want

228
00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:40.440
to thank you for spending this time exploring the cosmos

229
00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:44.639
with Astronomy Daily. Whether you're a seasoned stargazer or just

230
00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:47.840
beginning to look up in wonder, there's always something new

231
00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:51.960
to discover about our magnificent universe. This is Anna your

232
00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:55.399
guide through the stars, signing off for today. If you're

233
00:14:55.440 --> 00:14:59.039
hungry for more space news, visit our website at Astronomydaily

234
00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:01.440
dot io, where you can catch up on all the

235
00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:05.159
latest space and astronomy news with our constantly updating news

236
00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.720
feed and listen to all our back episodes. You can

237
00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:11.759
also find us across social media. Just search for astro

238
00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:16.799
Daily Pod on Facebook, x YouTube, YouTube, music, Instagram, and TikTok.

239
00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:19.320
Until next time, keep looking.

240
00:15:19.159 --> 00:15:38.720
Up Sunday Stars, Stars Star