July 16, 2025
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.
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
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Anna: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Astronomy Daily.
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I'm your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to have you join
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us for another journey through the cosmos. Here
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we dive into the latest, most fascinating discoveries
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and events shaping our understanding of the
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universe. Uh, all delivered with a friendly, accessible
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approach. Today, we'll start by exploring the
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largest black hole merger ever detected, an
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event so immense it's challenging our current theories.
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Then we'll look at how private spaceflights are not just reaching
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orbit, but also paving the way for a dynamic commercial
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space economy. Plus, we'll uncover the
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secrets of an ancient lunar meteorite that's rewriting the
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Moon's volcanic history. And finally, we'll
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discuss a rare opportunity to own a piece of the Red
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Planet. But you will need deep pockets. Stay
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tuned.
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Let's kick things off with a truly massive
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cosmic event. Astronomers have recently
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detected the largest black hole merger ever
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observed, an incredible event that has resulted
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in a new black hole approximately 225
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times the mass of our Sun. This monumental
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collision, officially named GW
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231123, was picked up by the
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LIGO gravitational wave observatories.
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Now, you might be wondering, what exactly are gravitational waves?
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These are ripples in the very fabric of
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spacetime, first theorized by Albert Einstein
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in his General Theory of Relativity. They're caused by
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the most violent and energetic events in the cosmos,
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like the merging of two massive black holes.
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The first direct detection of these waves happened back in
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2015 at the US Laser Interferometer
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Gravitational Wave Observatory, or LIGO,
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marking a groundbreaking moment in astrophysics.
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Since then, gravitational wave observatories have truly
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opened a new window to the universe, detecting
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hundreds of black hole mergers. The LVK
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Network of Detectors, which is a collaboration between
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ligo, the Virgo detector in Italy and KAGRA
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in Japan, has alone spotted about 300 such
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events in just the last 10 years. The
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newest and largest discovery, GW23
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1123, was detected on
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November 23, 2023.
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Scientists poring over the data have determined that this
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event involved the collision of two individual black
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holes, each incredibly massive,
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ranging from 100 to 140 times the
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size of our Sun. To give you some perspective,
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the previous record holder for a black hole merger,
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known as
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GW190521,
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involved black holes with a combined mass of
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140 times that of the Sun. So this new
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detection is a significant leap. The findings
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and their implications are being presented at major international
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conferences, highlighting just how important this
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discovery is. Mark Hannam,
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a member of the LVK collaboration from Cardiff
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University in Wales notes that this is
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the most massive black hole binary we've observed
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through gravitational waves, and it presents a real
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challenge to our understanding of black hole formation.
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He explains that black holes of this immense size are
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not easily accounted for by standard stellar evolution models.
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One exciting possibility is that these colossal black
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holes actually formed through earlier
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sequential mergers of smaller black holes.
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Imagine a cosmic game of billiards. But
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with black holes, gravitational wave
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observations like GW 231123 are
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incredibly valuable because they allow astronomers to observe
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phenomena that truly test the limits of known physics.
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Charlie Hoy, another LVK member from the
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UK's University of Portsmouth, points out that
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the black holes appear to be spinning very rapidly,
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near the limit allowed by Einstein's theory of general
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relativity. This rapid spin makes the
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signal incredibly complex and difficult to model and
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interpret, serving as an excellent case study for
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pushing forward the development of theoretical tools.
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The scientific community recognizes that unraveling
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this intricate signal will take time. Gregorio
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Carullo from the University of Birmingham, uk,
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suggests it will take years for the community to fully
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unravel this intricate signal pattern and all its
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implications. While a black hole
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merger remains the most likely explanation, he hints that
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more complex scenarios could be the key to deciphering its
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unexpected features. Ultimately, as
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Dave Reitze, the Executive Director of ligo, puts it,
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this observation once again demonstrates how
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gravitational waves are uniquely revealing the
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fundamental and exotic nature of black holes
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throughout the universe. It's truly
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a thrilling time to be studying the cosmos,
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moving from the distant cosmos to our orbital
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neighborhood.
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We have a quick wrap up to our coverage of the private
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AX4 mission to the International Space
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Station. AXIOM Mission 4, the fourth
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NASA supported private astronaut mission, has
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successfully completed its flight. This
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endeavor is a crucial part of NASA's strategy
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to to foster a vibrant low Earth orbit economy
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and build operational knowledge for future
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commercial space stations. The four
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person crew safely returned to Earth, splashing
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down off the coast of California aboard a
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SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The international
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team included Peggy Whitson from Axiom Space,
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Shubhanshu Shukla from the Indian Space Research
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Organization, Slawosz Uznanski
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Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu from
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Hungary. They spent about two and a half weeks in
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space, having launched on June 25 from
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NASA's Kennedy Space center and undocking on
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July 14. During their time on the ISS,
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the crew conducted approximately 60 science
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experiments along with educational outreach and
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commercial activities, returning valuable research,
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including NASA cargo, back to Earth.
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This mission truly highlighted global collaboration.
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It fulfilled a commitment by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister
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Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO
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astronaut to the station, involving five joint
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science investigations. It also carried
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the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay
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aboard the space station. This successful
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private flight demonstrates NASA's vision for a strong
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economy off Earth. By purchasing
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services from commercial providers, NASA can meet
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its size, science and research objectives in
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microgravity more efficiently and at a lower cost.
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This strategic shift enables the agency to
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dedicate more resources and focus on its
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ambitious Artemis missions to the moon in
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preparation for Mars, while low Earth orbit
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continues to serve as an essential training ground for these deep
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space explorations.
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Now let's turn our attention closer to home, to our celestial
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neighbor, the Moon. A remarkable discovery is
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rewriting what we thought we knew about its fiery past
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A rare lunar meteorite found in Africa in
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2023 is shedding new light on hidden
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volcanic processes that shaped the moon long after
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its surface was believed to have cooled.
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This meteorite, officially named Northwest Africa
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16286, is an incredible
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2.35 billion years old. Its
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unique chemical signature has plummeted a significant
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gap in our understanding of the moon's volcanic history.
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Researchers from the University of Manchester unveiled
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their fascinating results at the Goldschmidt conference in
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Prague, detailing how this ancient rock
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illuminates the moon's evolving interior and
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the surprising longevity of its volcanic
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activity. By carefully measuring lead
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isotopes, the team determined that this particular
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rock star solidified around 2.35
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billion years ago. This period is
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especially interesting because we have almost no other samples
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from that specific time. What makes it even
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more extraordinary is its unusual geochemical
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fingerprint, which sets it apart from the basalts brought
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back by the Apollo, Luna, and Chang' E missions.
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This suggests it crystallized from deep source
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lava shortly after reaching the lunar surface.
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Dr. Joshua Snape, a research fellow at the University
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of Manchester, explained the immense
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scientific value of lunar meteorites.
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While samples from return missions are invaluable,
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they are limited to the immediate landing sites.
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Lunar meteorites, however, can be ejected by impact
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cratering from anywhere on the moon's surface, offering
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a serendipitous glimpse into areas we couldn't otherwise explore
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without the massive expense of a space mission.
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This 311 gram meteorite is a type of lunar
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volcanic basalt called olivine ferric basalt,
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containing relatively large crystals of the mineral
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olivine, along with moderate levels of titanium
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and high levels of potassium. Beyond its
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unusual age, the study found that its lead
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isotope composition, a geochemical Fingerprint
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points to an origin in the Moon's interior with an unusually
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high uranium to lead ratio. These
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chemical clues suggest ongoing heat generation within the
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Moon, likely from radiogenic elements decaying
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and producing heat over an extended period.
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The age of the sample is particularly exciting
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because it effectively bridges an almost billion year gap
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in lunar volcanic history. It's younger than
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the basalts collected by the Apollo, Luna and
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Chang' e 6 missions, but older than the much
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younger rocks retrieved by China's Chang' E5
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mission. Its composition, combined with its
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age, indicates that volcanic activity continued on
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the Moon throughout this vast timespan. This
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unique rock provides new constraints about when and
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how volcanic activity occurred on the Moon, guiding
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where future sample return missions might land.
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From ancient Moon rocks, we now travel even further to another
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familiar neighbor, Mars.
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Soon, a unique opportunity will allow someone here on
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Earth to own a significant piece of the red planet.
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As A.H. sotheby's prepares to auction off the largest known
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Martian meteorite on our world. This extraordinary
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Specimen, officially designated NWA
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16788, is anticipated to
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fetch up to $4 million at the upcoming auction in New York
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City. The rarity of such a find cannot be
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overstated. Out of more than 77,000
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officially recognized meteorites discovered on Earth,
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only about 400, or roughly 0.6%,
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originate from Mars. NWA
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16788 itself, uh, represents an
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impressive 6.5% of all Martian
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material currently known on our planet. This
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colossal chunk of Martian rock, weighing in at just
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over 54 pounds, was likely dislodged from
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Mars by an asteroid strike, sending it on an
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incredible journey. It traveled an astounding
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140 million miles through space before
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making its dramatic landing in the Zaharov-Reutt Desert,
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where it was discovered in Niger's remote agadez region in
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2023. Cassandra Hatton,
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Sotheby's vice chairman of Science and Natural History,
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highlighted the sheer improbability of this journey,
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stating that the odds of this getting from there to
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here are astronomically small.
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More than just a collector's item,
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NWA6788 is believed to be
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a relative newcomer to Earth, having fallen from
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outer space quite recently. This means it
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offers a pristine window into the Martian past.
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Hatton emphasizes its scientific significance,
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calling it not just a miraculous find, but a massive data
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set that can help us unlock the secrets of our neighbor, the
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Red Planet. Specimens like this from the
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Moon and Mars are considered among the greatest rarities on
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our planet, with Sotheby's noting that all known bits of
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both could fit into the cargo hold of a large suv.
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It truly is a chance to hold a piece of another world in your
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hands.
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And to wrap up today, some late breaking news from Australia's
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Gilmore Space. They've just posted the following message
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on we've scrubbed our July 16th
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launch window. Now targeting the next approved
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opportunity July 27th. Why?
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Ops delayed us a day and current upper wind forecasts
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have ruled out a safe launch for the rest of the week. Team will be back
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for the 27th of July, and that brings us to the
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end of another fascinating journey through the cosmos here on
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Astronomy Daily. Today, we've explored some truly
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incredible stories from the largest black hole merger ever
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detected, GW
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231123, which is pushing the
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limits of our understanding of these cosmic giants to
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the successful return of The Axiom Mission 4
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crew, showcasing the exciting future of
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commercial space travel and international collaboration
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on the International Space Station. We also
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delved into the mysteries of a 2.35
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billion year old lunar meteorite found in
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Africa, which is rewriting the
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volcanic history of our Moon. And
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finally, we looked at the incredible opportunity
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to own a piece of the Red Planet with The auction of
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NWA 16788, the
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largest Martian meteorite on Earth.
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Thank you for tuning in and joining me, Anna on Astronomy
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00:12:53.170 --> 00:12:56.010
Daily. If you want to dive deeper into these stories,
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sign up for our free daily newsletter or catch up on
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all our back episodes, visit our website at
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astronomydaily IO. You can also
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subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts,
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00:13:07.430 --> 00:13:10.190
Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your
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00:13:10.190 --> 00:13:13.150
podcasts, so you never miss an episode. Until next time,
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keep looking up
0
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Anna: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Astronomy Daily.
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I'm your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to have you join
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us for another journey through the cosmos. Here
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we dive into the latest, most fascinating discoveries
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and events shaping our understanding of the
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universe. Uh, all delivered with a friendly, accessible
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approach. Today, we'll start by exploring the
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largest black hole merger ever detected, an
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event so immense it's challenging our current theories.
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Then we'll look at how private spaceflights are not just reaching
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orbit, but also paving the way for a dynamic commercial
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space economy. Plus, we'll uncover the
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secrets of an ancient lunar meteorite that's rewriting the
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Moon's volcanic history. And finally, we'll
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discuss a rare opportunity to own a piece of the Red
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Planet. But you will need deep pockets. Stay
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tuned.
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Let's kick things off with a truly massive
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cosmic event. Astronomers have recently
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detected the largest black hole merger ever
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observed, an incredible event that has resulted
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in a new black hole approximately 225
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times the mass of our Sun. This monumental
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collision, officially named GW
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231123, was picked up by the
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LIGO gravitational wave observatories.
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Now, you might be wondering, what exactly are gravitational waves?
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These are ripples in the very fabric of
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spacetime, first theorized by Albert Einstein
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in his General Theory of Relativity. They're caused by
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the most violent and energetic events in the cosmos,
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like the merging of two massive black holes.
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The first direct detection of these waves happened back in
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2015 at the US Laser Interferometer
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Gravitational Wave Observatory, or LIGO,
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marking a groundbreaking moment in astrophysics.
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Since then, gravitational wave observatories have truly
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opened a new window to the universe, detecting
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hundreds of black hole mergers. The LVK
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Network of Detectors, which is a collaboration between
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ligo, the Virgo detector in Italy and KAGRA
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in Japan, has alone spotted about 300 such
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events in just the last 10 years. The
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newest and largest discovery, GW23
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1123, was detected on
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November 23, 2023.
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Scientists poring over the data have determined that this
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event involved the collision of two individual black
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holes, each incredibly massive,
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ranging from 100 to 140 times the
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size of our Sun. To give you some perspective,
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the previous record holder for a black hole merger,
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known as
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GW190521,
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involved black holes with a combined mass of
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140 times that of the Sun. So this new
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detection is a significant leap. The findings
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and their implications are being presented at major international
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conferences, highlighting just how important this
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discovery is. Mark Hannam,
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a member of the LVK collaboration from Cardiff
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University in Wales notes that this is
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the most massive black hole binary we've observed
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through gravitational waves, and it presents a real
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challenge to our understanding of black hole formation.
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He explains that black holes of this immense size are
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not easily accounted for by standard stellar evolution models.
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One exciting possibility is that these colossal black
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holes actually formed through earlier
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sequential mergers of smaller black holes.
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Imagine a cosmic game of billiards. But
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with black holes, gravitational wave
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observations like GW 231123 are
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incredibly valuable because they allow astronomers to observe
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phenomena that truly test the limits of known physics.
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Charlie Hoy, another LVK member from the
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UK's University of Portsmouth, points out that
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the black holes appear to be spinning very rapidly,
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near the limit allowed by Einstein's theory of general
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relativity. This rapid spin makes the
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signal incredibly complex and difficult to model and
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interpret, serving as an excellent case study for
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pushing forward the development of theoretical tools.
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The scientific community recognizes that unraveling
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this intricate signal will take time. Gregorio
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Carullo from the University of Birmingham, uk,
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suggests it will take years for the community to fully
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unravel this intricate signal pattern and all its
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implications. While a black hole
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merger remains the most likely explanation, he hints that
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more complex scenarios could be the key to deciphering its
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unexpected features. Ultimately, as
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Dave Reitze, the Executive Director of ligo, puts it,
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this observation once again demonstrates how
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gravitational waves are uniquely revealing the
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fundamental and exotic nature of black holes
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throughout the universe. It's truly
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a thrilling time to be studying the cosmos,
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moving from the distant cosmos to our orbital
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neighborhood.
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We have a quick wrap up to our coverage of the private
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AX4 mission to the International Space
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Station. AXIOM Mission 4, the fourth
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NASA supported private astronaut mission, has
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successfully completed its flight. This
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endeavor is a crucial part of NASA's strategy
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to to foster a vibrant low Earth orbit economy
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and build operational knowledge for future
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commercial space stations. The four
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person crew safely returned to Earth, splashing
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down off the coast of California aboard a
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SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The international
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team included Peggy Whitson from Axiom Space,
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Shubhanshu Shukla from the Indian Space Research
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Organization, Slawosz Uznanski
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Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu from
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Hungary. They spent about two and a half weeks in
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space, having launched on June 25 from
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NASA's Kennedy Space center and undocking on
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July 14. During their time on the ISS,
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the crew conducted approximately 60 science
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experiments along with educational outreach and
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commercial activities, returning valuable research,
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including NASA cargo, back to Earth.
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This mission truly highlighted global collaboration.
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It fulfilled a commitment by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister
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Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO
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astronaut to the station, involving five joint
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science investigations. It also carried
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the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay
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aboard the space station. This successful
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private flight demonstrates NASA's vision for a strong
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economy off Earth. By purchasing
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services from commercial providers, NASA can meet
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its size, science and research objectives in
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microgravity more efficiently and at a lower cost.
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This strategic shift enables the agency to
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dedicate more resources and focus on its
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ambitious Artemis missions to the moon in
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preparation for Mars, while low Earth orbit
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continues to serve as an essential training ground for these deep
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space explorations.
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Now let's turn our attention closer to home, to our celestial
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neighbor, the Moon. A remarkable discovery is
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rewriting what we thought we knew about its fiery past
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A rare lunar meteorite found in Africa in
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2023 is shedding new light on hidden
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volcanic processes that shaped the moon long after
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its surface was believed to have cooled.
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This meteorite, officially named Northwest Africa
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16286, is an incredible
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2.35 billion years old. Its
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unique chemical signature has plummeted a significant
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gap in our understanding of the moon's volcanic history.
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Researchers from the University of Manchester unveiled
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their fascinating results at the Goldschmidt conference in
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Prague, detailing how this ancient rock
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illuminates the moon's evolving interior and
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the surprising longevity of its volcanic
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activity. By carefully measuring lead
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isotopes, the team determined that this particular
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rock star solidified around 2.35
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billion years ago. This period is
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especially interesting because we have almost no other samples
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from that specific time. What makes it even
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more extraordinary is its unusual geochemical
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fingerprint, which sets it apart from the basalts brought
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back by the Apollo, Luna, and Chang' E missions.
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This suggests it crystallized from deep source
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lava shortly after reaching the lunar surface.
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Dr. Joshua Snape, a research fellow at the University
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of Manchester, explained the immense
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scientific value of lunar meteorites.
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While samples from return missions are invaluable,
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they are limited to the immediate landing sites.
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Lunar meteorites, however, can be ejected by impact
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cratering from anywhere on the moon's surface, offering
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a serendipitous glimpse into areas we couldn't otherwise explore
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without the massive expense of a space mission.
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This 311 gram meteorite is a type of lunar
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volcanic basalt called olivine ferric basalt,
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containing relatively large crystals of the mineral
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olivine, along with moderate levels of titanium
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and high levels of potassium. Beyond its
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unusual age, the study found that its lead
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isotope composition, a geochemical Fingerprint
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points to an origin in the Moon's interior with an unusually
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high uranium to lead ratio. These
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chemical clues suggest ongoing heat generation within the
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Moon, likely from radiogenic elements decaying
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and producing heat over an extended period.
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The age of the sample is particularly exciting
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because it effectively bridges an almost billion year gap
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in lunar volcanic history. It's younger than
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the basalts collected by the Apollo, Luna and
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Chang' e 6 missions, but older than the much
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younger rocks retrieved by China's Chang' E5
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mission. Its composition, combined with its
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age, indicates that volcanic activity continued on
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the Moon throughout this vast timespan. This
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unique rock provides new constraints about when and
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how volcanic activity occurred on the Moon, guiding
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where future sample return missions might land.
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From ancient Moon rocks, we now travel even further to another
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familiar neighbor, Mars.
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Soon, a unique opportunity will allow someone here on
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Earth to own a significant piece of the red planet.
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As A.H. sotheby's prepares to auction off the largest known
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Martian meteorite on our world. This extraordinary
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Specimen, officially designated NWA
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16788, is anticipated to
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fetch up to $4 million at the upcoming auction in New York
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City. The rarity of such a find cannot be
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overstated. Out of more than 77,000
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officially recognized meteorites discovered on Earth,
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only about 400, or roughly 0.6%,
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originate from Mars. NWA
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16788 itself, uh, represents an
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impressive 6.5% of all Martian
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material currently known on our planet. This
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colossal chunk of Martian rock, weighing in at just
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over 54 pounds, was likely dislodged from
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Mars by an asteroid strike, sending it on an
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incredible journey. It traveled an astounding
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140 million miles through space before
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making its dramatic landing in the Zaharov-Reutt Desert,
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where it was discovered in Niger's remote agadez region in
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2023. Cassandra Hatton,
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Sotheby's vice chairman of Science and Natural History,
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highlighted the sheer improbability of this journey,
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stating that the odds of this getting from there to
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here are astronomically small.
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More than just a collector's item,
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NWA6788 is believed to be
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a relative newcomer to Earth, having fallen from
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outer space quite recently. This means it
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offers a pristine window into the Martian past.
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Hatton emphasizes its scientific significance,
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calling it not just a miraculous find, but a massive data
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set that can help us unlock the secrets of our neighbor, the
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Red Planet. Specimens like this from the
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Moon and Mars are considered among the greatest rarities on
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our planet, with Sotheby's noting that all known bits of
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both could fit into the cargo hold of a large suv.
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It truly is a chance to hold a piece of another world in your
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hands.
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And to wrap up today, some late breaking news from Australia's
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Gilmore Space. They've just posted the following message
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on we've scrubbed our July 16th
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launch window. Now targeting the next approved
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opportunity July 27th. Why?
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Ops delayed us a day and current upper wind forecasts
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have ruled out a safe launch for the rest of the week. Team will be back
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for the 27th of July, and that brings us to the
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end of another fascinating journey through the cosmos here on
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Astronomy Daily. Today, we've explored some truly
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incredible stories from the largest black hole merger ever
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detected, GW
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231123, which is pushing the
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limits of our understanding of these cosmic giants to
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the successful return of The Axiom Mission 4
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crew, showcasing the exciting future of
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commercial space travel and international collaboration
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on the International Space Station. We also
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delved into the mysteries of a 2.35
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billion year old lunar meteorite found in
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Africa, which is rewriting the
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volcanic history of our Moon. And
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finally, we looked at the incredible opportunity
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to own a piece of the Red Planet with The auction of
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NWA 16788, the
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largest Martian meteorite on Earth.
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Thank you for tuning in and joining me, Anna on Astronomy
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Daily. If you want to dive deeper into these stories,
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sign up for our free daily newsletter or catch up on
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all our back episodes, visit our website at
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subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts,
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podcasts, so you never miss an episode. Until next time,
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keep looking up