July 16, 2025

Black Hole Merger Record, Private Space Ventures, and Ancient Lunar Mysteries Uncovered

Black Hole Merger Record, Private Space Ventures, and Ancient Lunar Mysteries Uncovered
  • Largest Black Hole Merger Detected: Dive into the monumental discovery of the largest black hole merger ever observed, known as GW 231123. This event, detected by the LIGO gravitational wave observatories, has resulted in a new black hole approximately 225 times the mass of our Sun, challenging current theories on black hole formation. Join us as we explore the implications of this discovery and what it means for our understanding of the cosmos.
  • - AX4 Mission Wrap-Up: We provide a recap of the successful AX4 mission, where a diverse crew of astronauts returned safely from the International Space Station. This mission marks a significant step in NASA's vision for a thriving low Earth orbit economy, showcasing international collaboration and the importance of commercial space travel.
  • - Ancient Lunar Meteorite Discovery: Uncover the secrets of a rare lunar meteorite, Northwest Africa 16286, that is rewriting the Moon's volcanic history. This 2.35 billion-year-old rock reveals hidden volcanic processes that challenge our understanding of the Moon's geological past, highlighting the value of lunar meteorites in expanding our knowledge of the Moon.
  • - Opportunity to Own Martian History: Learn about the upcoming auction of NWA 16788, the largest known Martian meteorite on Earth, expected to fetch up to $4 million. This extraordinary specimen offers a unique opportunity to own a piece of the Red Planet and provides valuable insights into Mars' geological history.
  • For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music Music, 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.
✍️ Episode References
Black Hole Merger
[LIGO](https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/)
AX4 Mission
[Axiom Space](https://www.axiomspace.com/)
Lunar Meteorite Discovery
[University of Manchester](https://www.manchester.ac.uk/)
Martian Meteorite Auction
[Sotheby's](https://www.sothebys.com/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.
WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.880
Anna: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Astronomy Daily.

1
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.120
I'm your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to have you join

2
00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:09.040
us for another journey through the cosmos. Here

3
00:00:09.200 --> 00:00:12.120
we dive into the latest, most fascinating discoveries

4
00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:14.720
and events shaping our understanding of the

5
00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:17.720
universe. Uh, all delivered with a friendly, accessible

6
00:00:17.720 --> 00:00:20.360
approach. Today, we'll start by exploring the

7
00:00:20.360 --> 00:00:23.160
largest black hole merger ever detected, an

8
00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:25.680
event so immense it's challenging our current theories.

9
00:00:26.270 --> 00:00:29.270
Then we'll look at how private spaceflights are not just reaching

10
00:00:29.270 --> 00:00:32.270
orbit, but also paving the way for a dynamic commercial

11
00:00:32.270 --> 00:00:35.190
space economy. Plus, we'll uncover the

12
00:00:35.190 --> 00:00:37.990
secrets of an ancient lunar meteorite that's rewriting the

13
00:00:37.990 --> 00:00:40.950
Moon's volcanic history. And finally, we'll

14
00:00:40.950 --> 00:00:43.550
discuss a rare opportunity to own a piece of the Red

15
00:00:43.550 --> 00:00:46.310
Planet. But you will need deep pockets. Stay

16
00:00:46.310 --> 00:00:46.750
tuned.

17
00:00:48.110 --> 00:00:50.710
Let's kick things off with a truly massive

18
00:00:50.710 --> 00:00:53.630
cosmic event. Astronomers have recently

19
00:00:53.710 --> 00:00:56.350
detected the largest black hole merger ever

20
00:00:56.350 --> 00:00:59.270
observed, an incredible event that has resulted

21
00:00:59.270 --> 00:01:02.270
in a new black hole approximately 225

22
00:01:02.270 --> 00:01:04.950
times the mass of our Sun. This monumental

23
00:01:04.950 --> 00:01:06.590
collision, officially named GW

24
00:01:06.590 --> 00:01:09.470
231123, was picked up by the

25
00:01:09.470 --> 00:01:11.710
LIGO gravitational wave observatories.

26
00:01:12.350 --> 00:01:15.310
Now, you might be wondering, what exactly are gravitational waves?

27
00:01:15.550 --> 00:01:17.830
These are ripples in the very fabric of

28
00:01:17.830 --> 00:01:20.800
spacetime, first theorized by Albert Einstein

29
00:01:20.800 --> 00:01:23.720
in his General Theory of Relativity. They're caused by

30
00:01:23.720 --> 00:01:26.400
the most violent and energetic events in the cosmos,

31
00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:29.120
like the merging of two massive black holes.

32
00:01:29.520 --> 00:01:32.000
The first direct detection of these waves happened back in

33
00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.919
2015 at the US Laser Interferometer

34
00:01:34.919 --> 00:01:37.520
Gravitational Wave Observatory, or LIGO,

35
00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:40.160
marking a groundbreaking moment in astrophysics.

36
00:01:40.800 --> 00:01:43.560
Since then, gravitational wave observatories have truly

37
00:01:43.560 --> 00:01:46.170
opened a new window to the universe, detecting

38
00:01:46.170 --> 00:01:49.130
hundreds of black hole mergers. The LVK

39
00:01:49.130 --> 00:01:51.490
Network of Detectors, which is a collaboration between

40
00:01:51.490 --> 00:01:54.450
ligo, the Virgo detector in Italy and KAGRA

41
00:01:54.450 --> 00:01:57.370
in Japan, has alone spotted about 300 such

42
00:01:57.370 --> 00:02:00.210
events in just the last 10 years. The

43
00:02:00.210 --> 00:02:02.798
newest and largest discovery, GW23

44
00:02:03.062 --> 00:02:05.490
1123, was detected on

45
00:02:05.490 --> 00:02:08.170
November 23, 2023.

46
00:02:08.810 --> 00:02:11.530
Scientists poring over the data have determined that this

47
00:02:11.530 --> 00:02:14.370
event involved the collision of two individual black

48
00:02:14.370 --> 00:02:16.780
holes, each incredibly massive,

49
00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:19.940
ranging from 100 to 140 times the

50
00:02:19.940 --> 00:02:22.700
size of our Sun. To give you some perspective,

51
00:02:22.940 --> 00:02:25.500
the previous record holder for a black hole merger,

52
00:02:25.660 --> 00:02:26.220
known as

53
00:02:26.220 --> 00:02:28.700
GW190521,

54
00:02:29.020 --> 00:02:31.540
involved black holes with a combined mass of

55
00:02:31.540 --> 00:02:34.380
140 times that of the Sun. So this new

56
00:02:34.380 --> 00:02:37.340
detection is a significant leap. The findings

57
00:02:37.340 --> 00:02:40.220
and their implications are being presented at major international

58
00:02:40.380 --> 00:02:43.280
conferences, highlighting just how important this

59
00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:45.920
discovery is. Mark Hannam,

60
00:02:46.160 --> 00:02:49.000
a member of the LVK collaboration from Cardiff

61
00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:51.600
University in Wales notes that this is

62
00:02:51.760 --> 00:02:54.720
the most massive black hole binary we've observed

63
00:02:54.720 --> 00:02:57.639
through gravitational waves, and it presents a real

64
00:02:57.639 --> 00:03:00.080
challenge to our understanding of black hole formation.

65
00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:03.720
He explains that black holes of this immense size are

66
00:03:03.720 --> 00:03:06.720
not easily accounted for by standard stellar evolution models.

67
00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:10.240
One exciting possibility is that these colossal black

68
00:03:10.240 --> 00:03:12.760
holes actually formed through earlier

69
00:03:13.160 --> 00:03:15.880
sequential mergers of smaller black holes.

70
00:03:16.440 --> 00:03:19.440
Imagine a cosmic game of billiards. But

71
00:03:19.440 --> 00:03:22.320
with black holes, gravitational wave

72
00:03:22.320 --> 00:03:25.200
observations like GW 231123 are

73
00:03:25.200 --> 00:03:28.200
incredibly valuable because they allow astronomers to observe

74
00:03:28.200 --> 00:03:31.080
phenomena that truly test the limits of known physics.

75
00:03:32.040 --> 00:03:34.810
Charlie Hoy, another LVK member from the

76
00:03:34.810 --> 00:03:37.530
UK's University of Portsmouth, points out that

77
00:03:37.690 --> 00:03:40.650
the black holes appear to be spinning very rapidly,

78
00:03:40.810 --> 00:03:43.530
near the limit allowed by Einstein's theory of general

79
00:03:43.530 --> 00:03:46.290
relativity. This rapid spin makes the

80
00:03:46.290 --> 00:03:49.129
signal incredibly complex and difficult to model and

81
00:03:49.129 --> 00:03:51.930
interpret, serving as an excellent case study for

82
00:03:51.930 --> 00:03:54.650
pushing forward the development of theoretical tools.

83
00:03:55.290 --> 00:03:58.210
The scientific community recognizes that unraveling

84
00:03:58.210 --> 00:04:00.960
this intricate signal will take time. Gregorio

85
00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:03.360
Carullo from the University of Birmingham, uk,

86
00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:06.440
suggests it will take years for the community to fully

87
00:04:06.440 --> 00:04:09.440
unravel this intricate signal pattern and all its

88
00:04:09.440 --> 00:04:12.280
implications. While a black hole

89
00:04:12.280 --> 00:04:15.200
merger remains the most likely explanation, he hints that

90
00:04:15.200 --> 00:04:17.800
more complex scenarios could be the key to deciphering its

91
00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:20.720
unexpected features. Ultimately, as

92
00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:23.680
Dave Reitze, the Executive Director of ligo, puts it,

93
00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.560
this observation once again demonstrates how

94
00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:29.200
gravitational waves are uniquely revealing the

95
00:04:29.200 --> 00:04:31.760
fundamental and exotic nature of black holes

96
00:04:32.270 --> 00:04:35.190
throughout the universe. It's truly

97
00:04:35.190 --> 00:04:37.550
a thrilling time to be studying the cosmos,

98
00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:41.550
moving from the distant cosmos to our orbital

99
00:04:41.550 --> 00:04:42.190
neighborhood.

100
00:04:42.350 --> 00:04:44.990
We have a quick wrap up to our coverage of the private

101
00:04:44.990 --> 00:04:47.630
AX4 mission to the International Space

102
00:04:47.630 --> 00:04:50.590
Station. AXIOM Mission 4, the fourth

103
00:04:50.590 --> 00:04:53.310
NASA supported private astronaut mission, has

104
00:04:53.310 --> 00:04:55.710
successfully completed its flight. This

105
00:04:55.710 --> 00:04:58.660
endeavor is a crucial part of NASA's strategy

106
00:04:58.660 --> 00:05:01.360
to to foster a vibrant low Earth orbit economy

107
00:05:01.520 --> 00:05:04.160
and build operational knowledge for future

108
00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.040
commercial space stations. The four

109
00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:09.880
person crew safely returned to Earth, splashing

110
00:05:09.880 --> 00:05:12.440
down off the coast of California aboard a

111
00:05:12.440 --> 00:05:15.280
SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The international

112
00:05:15.520 --> 00:05:18.000
team included Peggy Whitson from Axiom Space,

113
00:05:18.480 --> 00:05:21.200
Shubhanshu Shukla from the Indian Space Research

114
00:05:21.200 --> 00:05:23.680
Organization, Slawosz Uznanski

115
00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:26.650
Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu from

116
00:05:26.650 --> 00:05:29.570
Hungary. They spent about two and a half weeks in

117
00:05:29.570 --> 00:05:32.450
space, having launched on June 25 from

118
00:05:32.450 --> 00:05:35.250
NASA's Kennedy Space center and undocking on

119
00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:38.250
July 14. During their time on the ISS,

120
00:05:38.650 --> 00:05:41.330
the crew conducted approximately 60 science

121
00:05:41.330 --> 00:05:44.130
experiments along with educational outreach and

122
00:05:44.130 --> 00:05:46.890
commercial activities, returning valuable research,

123
00:05:46.970 --> 00:05:49.530
including NASA cargo, back to Earth.

124
00:05:49.770 --> 00:05:52.490
This mission truly highlighted global collaboration.

125
00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:55.960
It fulfilled a commitment by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister

126
00:05:55.960 --> 00:05:58.720
Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO

127
00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:01.640
astronaut to the station, involving five joint

128
00:06:01.640 --> 00:06:04.520
science investigations. It also carried

129
00:06:04.520 --> 00:06:07.480
the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay

130
00:06:07.480 --> 00:06:10.280
aboard the space station. This successful

131
00:06:10.280 --> 00:06:13.200
private flight demonstrates NASA's vision for a strong

132
00:06:13.280 --> 00:06:15.960
economy off Earth. By purchasing

133
00:06:15.960 --> 00:06:18.920
services from commercial providers, NASA can meet

134
00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:21.170
its size, science and research objectives in

135
00:06:21.170 --> 00:06:23.930
microgravity more efficiently and at a lower cost.

136
00:06:24.570 --> 00:06:27.010
This strategic shift enables the agency to

137
00:06:27.010 --> 00:06:29.730
dedicate more resources and focus on its

138
00:06:29.730 --> 00:06:32.330
ambitious Artemis missions to the moon in

139
00:06:32.330 --> 00:06:35.170
preparation for Mars, while low Earth orbit

140
00:06:35.170 --> 00:06:38.050
continues to serve as an essential training ground for these deep

141
00:06:38.050 --> 00:06:39.050
space explorations.

142
00:06:40.570 --> 00:06:43.530
Now let's turn our attention closer to home, to our celestial

143
00:06:43.530 --> 00:06:46.300
neighbor, the Moon. A remarkable discovery is

144
00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:49.060
rewriting what we thought we knew about its fiery past

145
00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:52.100
A rare lunar meteorite found in Africa in

146
00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:55.100
2023 is shedding new light on hidden

147
00:06:55.100 --> 00:06:57.900
volcanic processes that shaped the moon long after

148
00:06:57.900 --> 00:06:59.940
its surface was believed to have cooled.

149
00:07:00.580 --> 00:07:03.460
This meteorite, officially named Northwest Africa

150
00:07:03.540 --> 00:07:06.460
16286, is an incredible

151
00:07:06.460 --> 00:07:09.380
2.35 billion years old. Its

152
00:07:09.380 --> 00:07:11.910
unique chemical signature has plummeted a significant

153
00:07:12.070 --> 00:07:15.030
gap in our understanding of the moon's volcanic history.

154
00:07:16.150 --> 00:07:18.910
Researchers from the University of Manchester unveiled

155
00:07:18.910 --> 00:07:21.870
their fascinating results at the Goldschmidt conference in

156
00:07:21.870 --> 00:07:24.710
Prague, detailing how this ancient rock

157
00:07:24.710 --> 00:07:27.549
illuminates the moon's evolving interior and

158
00:07:27.549 --> 00:07:30.190
the surprising longevity of its volcanic

159
00:07:30.190 --> 00:07:33.150
activity. By carefully measuring lead

160
00:07:33.150 --> 00:07:36.150
isotopes, the team determined that this particular

161
00:07:36.230 --> 00:07:38.940
rock star solidified around 2.35

162
00:07:38.940 --> 00:07:41.780
billion years ago. This period is

163
00:07:41.780 --> 00:07:44.700
especially interesting because we have almost no other samples

164
00:07:44.700 --> 00:07:47.500
from that specific time. What makes it even

165
00:07:47.500 --> 00:07:50.300
more extraordinary is its unusual geochemical

166
00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:53.179
fingerprint, which sets it apart from the basalts brought

167
00:07:53.179 --> 00:07:56.100
back by the Apollo, Luna, and Chang' E missions.

168
00:07:56.500 --> 00:07:59.260
This suggests it crystallized from deep source

169
00:07:59.260 --> 00:08:01.700
lava shortly after reaching the lunar surface.

170
00:08:02.670 --> 00:08:05.550
Dr. Joshua Snape, a research fellow at the University

171
00:08:05.550 --> 00:08:08.190
of Manchester, explained the immense

172
00:08:08.190 --> 00:08:10.510
scientific value of lunar meteorites.

173
00:08:11.070 --> 00:08:13.550
While samples from return missions are invaluable,

174
00:08:13.790 --> 00:08:16.270
they are limited to the immediate landing sites.

175
00:08:16.750 --> 00:08:19.630
Lunar meteorites, however, can be ejected by impact

176
00:08:19.630 --> 00:08:22.630
cratering from anywhere on the moon's surface, offering

177
00:08:22.630 --> 00:08:25.630
a serendipitous glimpse into areas we couldn't otherwise explore

178
00:08:25.870 --> 00:08:28.350
without the massive expense of a space mission.

179
00:08:29.220 --> 00:08:31.980
This 311 gram meteorite is a type of lunar

180
00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:34.660
volcanic basalt called olivine ferric basalt,

181
00:08:34.820 --> 00:08:37.220
containing relatively large crystals of the mineral

182
00:08:37.220 --> 00:08:40.060
olivine, along with moderate levels of titanium

183
00:08:40.060 --> 00:08:42.620
and high levels of potassium. Beyond its

184
00:08:42.620 --> 00:08:44.980
unusual age, the study found that its lead

185
00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:47.940
isotope composition, a geochemical Fingerprint

186
00:08:48.180 --> 00:08:51.100
points to an origin in the Moon's interior with an unusually

187
00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:53.820
high uranium to lead ratio. These

188
00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:56.780
chemical clues suggest ongoing heat generation within the

189
00:08:56.780 --> 00:08:59.740
Moon, likely from radiogenic elements decaying

190
00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:01.780
and producing heat over an extended period.

191
00:09:02.660 --> 00:09:05.140
The age of the sample is particularly exciting

192
00:09:05.460 --> 00:09:08.460
because it effectively bridges an almost billion year gap

193
00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:11.340
in lunar volcanic history. It's younger than

194
00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:14.060
the basalts collected by the Apollo, Luna and

195
00:09:14.060 --> 00:09:16.900
Chang' e 6 missions, but older than the much

196
00:09:16.900 --> 00:09:19.620
younger rocks retrieved by China's Chang' E5

197
00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:22.540
mission. Its composition, combined with its

198
00:09:22.540 --> 00:09:25.490
age, indicates that volcanic activity continued on

199
00:09:25.490 --> 00:09:28.330
the Moon throughout this vast timespan. This

200
00:09:28.330 --> 00:09:31.130
unique rock provides new constraints about when and

201
00:09:31.130 --> 00:09:34.130
how volcanic activity occurred on the Moon, guiding

202
00:09:34.130 --> 00:09:36.330
where future sample return missions might land.

203
00:09:37.770 --> 00:09:40.650
From ancient Moon rocks, we now travel even further to another

204
00:09:40.650 --> 00:09:42.730
familiar neighbor, Mars.

205
00:09:43.530 --> 00:09:46.530
Soon, a unique opportunity will allow someone here on

206
00:09:46.530 --> 00:09:49.290
Earth to own a significant piece of the red planet.

207
00:09:49.570 --> 00:09:52.210
As A.H. sotheby's prepares to auction off the largest known

208
00:09:52.210 --> 00:09:55.170
Martian meteorite on our world. This extraordinary

209
00:09:55.170 --> 00:09:57.810
Specimen, officially designated NWA

210
00:09:58.130 --> 00:10:01.130
16788, is anticipated to

211
00:10:01.130 --> 00:10:04.050
fetch up to $4 million at the upcoming auction in New York

212
00:10:04.050 --> 00:10:06.730
City. The rarity of such a find cannot be

213
00:10:06.730 --> 00:10:09.490
overstated. Out of more than 77,000

214
00:10:09.490 --> 00:10:12.130
officially recognized meteorites discovered on Earth,

215
00:10:12.290 --> 00:10:15.170
only about 400, or roughly 0.6%,

216
00:10:15.710 --> 00:10:17.790
originate from Mars. NWA

217
00:10:17.790 --> 00:10:20.390
16788 itself, uh, represents an

218
00:10:20.390 --> 00:10:23.070
impressive 6.5% of all Martian

219
00:10:23.070 --> 00:10:25.870
material currently known on our planet. This

220
00:10:25.870 --> 00:10:28.790
colossal chunk of Martian rock, weighing in at just

221
00:10:28.790 --> 00:10:31.669
over 54 pounds, was likely dislodged from

222
00:10:31.669 --> 00:10:34.230
Mars by an asteroid strike, sending it on an

223
00:10:34.230 --> 00:10:37.030
incredible journey. It traveled an astounding

224
00:10:37.030 --> 00:10:39.830
140 million miles through space before

225
00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:42.430
making its dramatic landing in the Zaharov-Reutt Desert,

226
00:10:42.770 --> 00:10:45.690
where it was discovered in Niger's remote agadez region in

227
00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:48.330
2023. Cassandra Hatton,

228
00:10:48.330 --> 00:10:51.250
Sotheby's vice chairman of Science and Natural History,

229
00:10:51.810 --> 00:10:54.450
highlighted the sheer improbability of this journey,

230
00:10:54.690 --> 00:10:57.570
stating that the odds of this getting from there to

231
00:10:57.570 --> 00:10:59.490
here are astronomically small.

232
00:11:00.370 --> 00:11:01.970
More than just a collector's item,

233
00:11:02.050 --> 00:11:04.930
NWA6788 is believed to be

234
00:11:04.930 --> 00:11:07.770
a relative newcomer to Earth, having fallen from

235
00:11:07.770 --> 00:11:10.420
outer space quite recently. This means it

236
00:11:10.420 --> 00:11:13.140
offers a pristine window into the Martian past.

237
00:11:13.620 --> 00:11:16.340
Hatton emphasizes its scientific significance,

238
00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:19.500
calling it not just a miraculous find, but a massive data

239
00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:22.500
set that can help us unlock the secrets of our neighbor, the

240
00:11:22.500 --> 00:11:25.299
Red Planet. Specimens like this from the

241
00:11:25.299 --> 00:11:28.140
Moon and Mars are considered among the greatest rarities on

242
00:11:28.140 --> 00:11:31.020
our planet, with Sotheby's noting that all known bits of

243
00:11:31.020 --> 00:11:33.460
both could fit into the cargo hold of a large suv.

244
00:11:34.020 --> 00:11:36.780
It truly is a chance to hold a piece of another world in your

245
00:11:36.780 --> 00:11:37.140
hands.

246
00:11:38.170 --> 00:11:41.090
And to wrap up today, some late breaking news from Australia's

247
00:11:41.090 --> 00:11:44.050
Gilmore Space. They've just posted the following message

248
00:11:44.050 --> 00:11:46.810
on we've scrubbed our July 16th

249
00:11:46.810 --> 00:11:49.370
launch window. Now targeting the next approved

250
00:11:49.370 --> 00:11:51.770
opportunity July 27th. Why?

251
00:11:52.090 --> 00:11:55.090
Ops delayed us a day and current upper wind forecasts

252
00:11:55.090 --> 00:11:58.010
have ruled out a safe launch for the rest of the week. Team will be back

253
00:11:58.010 --> 00:12:00.970
for the 27th of July, and that brings us to the

254
00:12:00.970 --> 00:12:03.770
end of another fascinating journey through the cosmos here on

255
00:12:03.770 --> 00:12:06.620
Astronomy Daily. Today, we've explored some truly

256
00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:09.500
incredible stories from the largest black hole merger ever

257
00:12:09.500 --> 00:12:11.100
detected, GW

258
00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.940
231123, which is pushing the

259
00:12:13.940 --> 00:12:16.820
limits of our understanding of these cosmic giants to

260
00:12:16.820 --> 00:12:19.580
the successful return of The Axiom Mission 4

261
00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:22.260
crew, showcasing the exciting future of

262
00:12:22.260 --> 00:12:25.180
commercial space travel and international collaboration

263
00:12:25.340 --> 00:12:28.100
on the International Space Station. We also

264
00:12:28.100 --> 00:12:31.020
delved into the mysteries of a 2.35

265
00:12:31.020 --> 00:12:33.930
billion year old lunar meteorite found in

266
00:12:33.930 --> 00:12:36.330
Africa, which is rewriting the

267
00:12:36.330 --> 00:12:38.770
volcanic history of our Moon. And

268
00:12:38.770 --> 00:12:41.730
finally, we looked at the incredible opportunity

269
00:12:41.730 --> 00:12:44.690
to own a piece of the Red Planet with The auction of

270
00:12:44.690 --> 00:12:47.610
NWA 16788, the

271
00:12:47.610 --> 00:12:49.770
largest Martian meteorite on Earth.

272
00:12:50.330 --> 00:12:53.170
Thank you for tuning in and joining me, Anna on Astronomy

273
00:12:53.170 --> 00:12:56.010
Daily. If you want to dive deeper into these stories,

274
00:12:56.410 --> 00:12:59.330
sign up for our free daily newsletter or catch up on

275
00:12:59.330 --> 00:13:01.910
all our back episodes, visit our website at

276
00:13:01.910 --> 00:13:04.910
astronomydaily IO. You can also

277
00:13:04.910 --> 00:13:07.430
subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts,

278
00:13:07.430 --> 00:13:10.190
Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your

279
00:13:10.190 --> 00:13:13.150
podcasts, so you never miss an episode. Until next time,

280
00:13:13.150 --> 00:13:13.910
keep looking up