Betelgeuse's Hidden Ally, Juno's Camera Comeback, and The Great Eclipse Chase of 2026

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your regular dive into the

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cosmos with me, Anna. Um. In this episode, we're

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uncovering a centuries old mystery of a famous star,

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marvelling at how NASA fixed a camera millions of

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miles away, and getting ready for an epic total

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solar eclipse. Plus a quick look at upcoming launches from

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around the globe. So let's get started.

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Our first story shines a light on Betelgeuse, the famous

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red supergiant that has baffled astronomers for

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millennia. Now scientists have finally

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spotted its hidden stellar companion. A

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discovery that has cracked a thousand year old mystery

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surrounding its behaviour. For centuries,

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Betelgeuse has puzzled astronomers with its varying

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brightness, particularly a regular dimming

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over six year periods. This is distinct

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from the more dramatic great dimming of 2019

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and 2020, which though solved

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in 2023 by a giant dust cloud,

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sparked intense supernova speculation.

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It was the consistent millennia old six year

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heartbeat that remained the profound

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enigma. The breakthrough came from reviewing

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archival data, leading scientists to theorise a

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hidden companion. Despite challenges with

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instruments like Hubble, a team led by NASA Ames

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Research Centre scientist Steve Howell persevered.

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They utilised the Gemini North Telescope and its

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Alopiki instrument, employing speckle

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imaging to cut through atmospheric distortions with

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short exposures. This advanced technique provided

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the high resolution images needed to directly detect

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Betelgeuse's faint companion for the first time ever.

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What they found is truly fascinating.

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This companion star, believed to be a hot blue

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white star with about 1.5 times the Sun's mass,

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orbits Betelgeuse in an incredibly tight embrace,

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roughly four times the Earth's sun distance.

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This places it within Betelgeuse's extended atmosphere,

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marking the first time a companion has been detected so close to

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a red supergiant. The irony lies in

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their life stages. Betelgeuse rapidly nearing its

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end, while its companion, though formed at the same time,

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hasn't even begun to fuse hydrogen in its core yet.

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Sadly, this doesn't promise a long life for the smaller star.

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Betelgeuse's intense gravity will likely drag in and

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devour its companion within the next 10, 10,000

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years. This groundbreaking research not

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only solves a millennia old puzzle about Betelgeuse's

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brightness, but also paves the way for similar observations

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of other red supergiants. Astronomers

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anticipate another look at this unique system in November

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2027, when the Companion reaches

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maximum separation. The team's findings

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were recently published across two papers in the

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Astrophysical Journal.

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Next, we turn our gaze to Jupiter, where NASA's

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Juno spacecraft team recently pulled off an

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incredible feat, rescuing its radiation damaged

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JunoCam imager. Using an experimental

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technique. This ingenious solution

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not only restored the camera's ability to capture stunning

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images of Jupiter's volcanic moon,

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but it also provides vital lessons for future missions

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operating in the harsh radiation environments across our solar

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system. JunoCam, a colour

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visible light camera, is located outside the

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spacecraft's titanium walled radiation vault,

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leaving it exposed to some of the most intense planetary

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radiation fields in our solar system. While it

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was designed to withstand the first eight orbits, no one

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knew how long it would truly last. It performed

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normally through Juno's first 34 orbits, but

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by orbit 47, hints of radiation damage

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began to appear. And by orbit 56,

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nearly all images were corrupted.

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Pinpointing the exact damage from hundreds of millions of

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miles away was a challenge, but clues pointed

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to a damaged voltage regulator critical for

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JunoCam's power. With few options left,

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the team turned to a process called annealing,

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heating a material for a period before slowly cooling

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it. This technique can sometimes alter a material

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like silicon at a microscopic level, potentially

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reducing defects. They commanded

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JunoCam's heater to raise the camera's temperature to 77

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degrees Fahrenheit, much warmer than its typical

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operating conditions. And to their delight,

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soon after the annealing process finished,

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JunoCam began cranking out crisp images for the

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next several orbits. However,

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Juno was flying deeper into Jupiter's radiation fields with

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each pass. And by orbit55, the

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imagery once again started showing problems, full of

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streaks and noise. With a close encounter with IO

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just days away, it was a Hail Mary moment.

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The team decided to crank junocam's heater all the way up,

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hoping for a more extreme annealing to save them.

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For the first week, test images showed little

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improvement. Then, dramatically just days before the

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IO encounter, the images began to improve

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significantly. By December 30,

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2023, when Juno came within just

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930 miles of IO's surface, the

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images were almost as good as the day the camera launched.

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They captured detailed views of IO's north polar

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region, remember revealing mountain blocks covered in sulphur

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dioxide, frosts rising sharply from the plains,

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and previously uncharted volcanoes with

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extensive lava flow fields. Although

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the image noise recently returned during Juno's

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74th orbit, the Juno team has already applied

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variations of this annealing technique to several other

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Juno instruments and engineering subsystems.

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This pioneering work is teaching scientists how to create

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and maintain spacecraft tolerant to radiation,

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offering insights that will benefit not only defence and

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commercial satellites, but also future NASA

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missions, helping us push the boundaries of space

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exploration even further.

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Get ready to mark your calendars for August

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12, 2026, when a total

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solar eclipse will sweep across a select part of the Northern

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hemisphere, bringing the breathtaking spectacle of

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totality to Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

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For those planning to chase this incredible event, now

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is the time to prepare, as a perfect eclipse

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trip often requires months, if not years of

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meticulous planning. To truly witness a total

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solar eclipse in all its glory, you

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absolutely must be within the narrow path of totality,

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the precise strip of land where the moon completely blocks

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the sun. Even a 99% eclipse

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leaves the sun's dazzling disc exposed,

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meaning the ethereal beauty of the corona, the

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sun's ghostly outer atmosphere, remains

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hidden. So choosing your location wisely is

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paramount for the adventurous.

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Greenland offers pristine Arctic landscapes,

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particularly in Scoresby Sund, which lies entirely

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within the path of totality. Many will experience this

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from expedition style cruise ships. Here

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you could witness up to 2 minutes and 17 seconds of

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totality with the sun about 25

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degrees above the western horizon. While travel

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costs are high and the weather is a consideration,

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meteorologist Jay Anderson notes that air

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flowing off the ice cap often dries out,

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leading to clear skies. Though large weather systems

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can still pose a challenge, this is truly a

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bucket list trip, offering far more than just the eclipse

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itself. Iceland presents one of the most

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photogenic landscapes on Earth. Boasting the

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longest totality on land at 2 minutes and

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13.7 seconds, the path crosses

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the most populated areas of the country, specifically

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the Reykjanes Peninsula, the Snaefelsnes

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Peninsula and the Westfjords. Eclipse chaser

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Saevar Helgi Bragason warns of heavy traffic,

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especially since the eclipse falls on a Wednesday and

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many locals will be heading into the path.

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Icelandic weather is famously unpredictable,

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often changing completely in just five minutes.

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However, it's rarely entirely overcast in

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August, with always a hole somewhere,

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so staying mobile and relying on excellent forecasts from

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the Icelandic Met Office will be key.

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Getting close to the water on one of the peninsulas could also offer

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better conditions due to onshore flow.

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Most travellers, however, are expected to flock to Spain,

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which will experience its first total solar eclipse since since

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1905. The path of totality cuts a

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diagonal track across the northeast from Galicia to

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Catalonia, with the longest duration about

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1 minute and 44 seconds, occurring just

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before sunset. Spain's mountainous

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terrain, particularly the Cantabrian Mountains,

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the Meseda Plateau and the Iberian System,

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means that choosing a spot with an open view is essential.

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The new eclipse viewing map from M. Spain's Geographic

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Institute can help observers avoid blocked sight lines.

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While August cloud cover averages less than 50%,

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late day storms are common. Travel around Spain

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will be relatively easy, but be prepared for significant

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traffic, as many locals from Madrid and Barcelona will be

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heading into the path. Accommodation could also be

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tricky due to peak vacation season. Experts

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strongly advise against attempting to drive back to major

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cities immediately after the eclipse to avoid

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potentially millions of people on the roads.

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Instead, consider staying overnight in the path.

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This offers another astronomical treat, the

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Perseid meteor shower, which peaks just a few hours

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after the eclipse on August 12th to 13th.

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Rural skies will also provide a stunning view of the Milky

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Way arching across the southern sky. Whether

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you choose the icy fjords of Greenland, the dramatic

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landscapes of Iceland or the plains of Spain, the

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experts agree on three key strategies for chasing

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this event. Plan ahead, check weather

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forecasts diligently and stay mobile.

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Witnessing the 2026 total solar

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eclipse will undoubtedly be a moment you carry for life,

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and if you happen to miss this one, don't worry.

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Spain will host another total solar eclipse exactly

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one lunar year later, on August 2,

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2027.

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Now let's shift our gaze from distant stars to the

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rockets preparing for launch or right here from Earth

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as we bring you our Global Launch Watch. This week

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promises to be an exceptionally busy one in space,

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with eight launches on the docket highlighting the

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incredible pace of global space endeavours.

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Leading the charge are multiple SpaceX

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Falcon 9 missions. From

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Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, a Falcon

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9 is set to launch NASA's Tracers mission,

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consisting of two satellites designed to study magnetic

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reconnection and its effects on Earth's

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atmosphere. This mission, scheduled for Tuesday,

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July 22, will also carry at least

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three other rideshare payloads. The booster

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is expected to return to land at landing zone 4.

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Meanwhile, on the east coast, the Cape Canaveral Space Force

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Station in Florida is bustling with activity.

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 was initially scheduled to launch

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the O3BM M Power 9 and 10

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satellites for SES owned

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O3B Networks on Monday, July 21,

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though that launch was scrubbed due to unspecified reasons,

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with a new attempt possible on Tuesday. If

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successful, this would mark the 90th Falcon 9 mission

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of 2025, utilising booster

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B1090 for its sixth flight

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shortly after. On, um, Thursday, July 24,

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another Falcon 9 will launch the Starlink Group 10

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26th batch of V2 mini satellites into low Earth

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orbit, further expanding the Starlink constellation.

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The efficiency of pad turnarounds at SLC 40

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continues to be remarkable. Looking

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internationally, China's Hyperbola 1 rocket

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is expected to launch on Friday, July 25 from

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the Juquan Satellite Launch Centre. The mission's

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payload remains unknown and this will be its first flight

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since a previous launch failure in July 2024.

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Russia is also preparing for action with a

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Soyuz 2.1B rocket set to launch a pair of

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Ionosphera UM M satellites from the Vostochny

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Cosmodrome on Friday, July 25. These

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satellites will complete the four satellite Ionosphera

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constellation which aims to observe Earth's

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ionosphere and enhance our understanding of geomagnetic and

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solar storms. This mission will also

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deploy 17 CubeSats.

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Europe's space ambitions are on display with Vega

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C's second mission of 2025 launching

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from the Guiana Space Centre in French guiana

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on Saturday, July 26. This

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mission will deliver five payloads to sun synchronous

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orbit, including Microcarb a UH

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microsatellite designed to measure atmospheric carbon

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dioxide levels with high precision alongside four

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Airbus built satellites for Earth stereo imagery

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back in the U.S. another Falcon 9 launch for

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Starlink Group 172 is

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scheduled for Friday, July 25 from

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Vandenberg, adding to the Constellation's polar

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shell. Finally, a highly anticipated launch

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comes from Australia where Gilmour Space will make its third

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attempt at launching its Eris rocket on Saturday,

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July 27. After previous delays due to

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operational issues and unfavourable weather, this

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test flight one mission from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport

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is poised to be a historic moment as it

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aims to be the first orbital launch from Australian

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soil performed by a sovereign built vehicle

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and if successful, the first for a hybrid rocket

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design. The 25 metre tall Eris

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rocket featuring proprietary Sirius hybrid

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engines represents a significant step forward

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for Australia's burgeoning space industry.

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Finally today in a late breaking story, we bring

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you news from Iran which yesterday conducted a

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suborbital test of its KAAS satellite launch vehicle.

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According to the semi official TASNIM news agency,

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this test was aimed at evaluating new technologies

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developed by the country's domestic space industry.

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While specific details about the technologies being

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evaluated were not provided, the report

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stated that the test's primary goal is to

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gather data that will be used to enhance the performance of

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Iran's future satellites and space systems. We'll

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be sure to update you as more details come to hand.

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And that's all for this episode of Astronomy Daily.

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I'm Anna, your host and it's been a pleasure sharing these

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cosmic updates with you. For all the latest space and

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astronomy news with our constantly updating news

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feed and to catch up on all our back episodes,

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visit our website@astronomydaily.IO.

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you can also subscribe to Astronomy Daily on Apple

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Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get

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your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode.

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And finally, please share our podcast with anyone that you

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think might be interested. That would help us a lot, and I'd

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be incredibly grateful for your support. I'll be back

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tomorrow with more news from the cosmos. In the

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meantime, keep looking up.