Dark Matter Mapped: Webb's Unprecedented Universe Discovery

WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:03.320
Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for

1
00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:06.040
the latest space and astronomy news. I'm

2
00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:06.560
Anna.

3
00:00:06.560 --> 00:00:09.360
Avery: And I'm avery. Today's Tuesday, January

4
00:00:09.520 --> 00:00:12.480
27, 2026, and we've got some

5
00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:14.320
fascinating stories lined up for you.

6
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:17.640
Anna: We certainly do. On today's episode, we're

7
00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:20.360
diving into NASA's groundbreaking new Dark

8
00:00:20.360 --> 00:00:23.000
matter map, getting the latest updates on

9
00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:25.440
this week's orbital launch schedule, and

10
00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:28.040
learning about what the Artemis II crew might

11
00:00:28.040 --> 00:00:29.920
see on the far side of the Moon.

12
00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:32.900
Avery: Plus, we'll explore stun new insights into

13
00:00:32.900 --> 00:00:35.260
Jupiter's complex cloud systems,

14
00:00:35.660 --> 00:00:38.100
find out about a rare solar eclipse that only

15
00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:40.900
a handful of people will witness, and get the

16
00:00:40.900 --> 00:00:43.340
latest on SpaceX's upgraded Starship

17
00:00:43.340 --> 00:00:43.660
development.

18
00:00:44.140 --> 00:00:44.940
Anna: Let's get started.

19
00:00:45.180 --> 00:00:46.300
Avery: Take it away, Anna.

20
00:00:46.380 --> 00:00:49.140
Anna: Our top story today comes from NASA's

21
00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:51.780
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where scientists

22
00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:54.340
have created one of the most detailed dark

23
00:00:54.340 --> 00:00:57.300
matter maps ever produced using data from

24
00:00:57.300 --> 00:00:59.260
the James Webb Space Telescope.

25
00:00:59.730 --> 00:01:02.170
Avery: This is really exciting stuff, Anna. Uh, the

26
00:01:02.170 --> 00:01:04.930
map shows how dark matter, that invisible,

27
00:01:05.090 --> 00:01:07.610
ghostly material that makes up most of the

28
00:01:07.610 --> 00:01:09.970
universe's mass, overlaps and

29
00:01:09.970 --> 00:01:12.730
intertwines with regular matter like stars

30
00:01:12.730 --> 00:01:13.570
and galaxies.

31
00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:16.770
Anna: Published Monday in Nature Astronomy, this

32
00:01:16.770 --> 00:01:19.410
map is twice as sharp as any previous

33
00:01:19.490 --> 00:01:22.050
dark matter map made by other observatories.

34
00:01:22.370 --> 00:01:25.250
Diana Skogni Aglio, the lead author and

35
00:01:25.250 --> 00:01:28.170
astrophysicist at jpl, described it

36
00:01:28.170 --> 00:01:30.570
as seeing the invisible scaffolding of the

37
00:01:30.570 --> 00:01:33.190
universe in stunning detail for the first

38
00:01:33.190 --> 00:01:33.550
time.

39
00:01:33.950 --> 00:01:36.430
Avery: What's particularly fascinating is how the

40
00:01:36.430 --> 00:01:38.990
map confirms that dark matter and regular

41
00:01:38.990 --> 00:01:41.470
matter have essentially grown up together.

42
00:01:41.950 --> 00:01:44.150
Wherever you see a massive cluster of

43
00:01:44.150 --> 00:01:46.790
thousands of galaxies, there's an equally

44
00:01:46.790 --> 00:01:49.070
massive amount of dark matter in the same

45
00:01:49.070 --> 00:01:51.910
place. When you see strings of regular matter

46
00:01:51.910 --> 00:01:54.630
connecting clusters, dark matter strings are

47
00:01:54.630 --> 00:01:55.150
there, too.

48
00:01:55.390 --> 00:01:58.030
Anna: The team used Webb's unprecedented

49
00:01:58.030 --> 00:02:00.030
sensitivity to observe nearly

50
00:02:00.030 --> 00:02:02.950
800,000 galaxies in a region of

51
00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:05.810
SK about 2.5 times larger

52
00:02:05.810 --> 00:02:08.730
than the Full Moon. They detected dark matter

53
00:02:08.730 --> 00:02:11.610
by observing how its mass curves space

54
00:02:11.610 --> 00:02:14.170
itself, which bends light from distant

55
00:02:14.170 --> 00:02:16.170
galaxies as it travels to Earth.

56
00:02:16.410 --> 00:02:18.970
Avery: Here's something to ponder. Without dark

57
00:02:18.970 --> 00:02:21.890
matter, we might not even be here. Dark

58
00:02:21.890 --> 00:02:24.210
matter began clumping together first in the

59
00:02:24.210 --> 00:02:27.090
early universe, and those clumps then pulled

60
00:02:27.090 --> 00:02:29.330
regular matter together, creating the

61
00:02:29.330 --> 00:02:31.930
conditions for stars and galaxies to form

62
00:02:32.010 --> 00:02:33.770
earlier than they would have otherwise.

63
00:02:34.280 --> 00:02:36.840
Anna: That earlier star formation was crucial

64
00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:39.400
because those first generations of stars

65
00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:41.880
turned hydrogen and helium into the rich

66
00:02:41.880 --> 00:02:44.520
array of elements that now make up planets

67
00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:47.320
like Earth. So in a very real sense,

68
00:02:47.480 --> 00:02:50.159
dark matter influenced the creation of the

69
00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:51.960
elements necessary for life.

70
00:02:52.600 --> 00:02:55.560
Avery: Looking ahead, the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman

71
00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:58.360
Space Telescope will map dark matter over

72
00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:01.360
an area 4,400 times bigger than this

73
00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:04.080
Webb study, though it won't match Webb's

74
00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:06.680
incredible resolution. For even more

75
00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:08.880
detailed looks, we'll have to wait for next

76
00:03:08.880 --> 00:03:11.000
generation telescopes like the proposed

77
00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:12.680
Habitable Worlds Observatory.

78
00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:15.480
Anna: Fascinating research that's literally

79
00:03:15.480 --> 00:03:18.080
revealing the invisible foundation of our

80
00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:18.679
universe.

81
00:03:19.160 --> 00:03:21.440
Avery: Moving on to this week's launch schedule,

82
00:03:21.440 --> 00:03:23.640
it's shaping up to be, uh, a busy last week

83
00:03:23.640 --> 00:03:25.960
of January with flights from Florida,

84
00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:28.720
California and New Zealand on the manifesto.

85
00:03:29.030 --> 00:03:31.630
Anna: That's right, SpaceX is planning to close out

86
00:03:31.630 --> 00:03:33.920
the month with the GPS 3

87
00:03:34.100 --> 00:03:36.790
SV09 mission along with up to three

88
00:03:36.870 --> 00:03:39.670
Starlink launches. The GPS launch is

89
00:03:39.670 --> 00:03:42.110
scheduled for late Monday evening from cape

90
00:03:42.110 --> 00:03:42.790
Canaveral.

91
00:03:43.110 --> 00:03:45.790
Avery: The GPS 3 SV09

92
00:03:45.790 --> 00:03:48.790
satellite, named Ellison Onisuka after one of

93
00:03:48.790 --> 00:03:51.150
the fallen Challenger astronauts, will be

94
00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:53.510
launched to medium Earth orbit. This

95
00:03:53.510 --> 00:03:56.190
spacecraft offers improved accuracy and

96
00:03:56.190 --> 00:03:58.590
jamming resistance over previous versions of

97
00:03:58.590 --> 00:03:59.030
gps.

98
00:03:59.690 --> 00:04:02.370
Anna: Meanwhile, Rocket Labs ELECTRON is preparing

99
00:04:02.370 --> 00:04:04.690
for the Bridging the Swarm mission from New

100
00:04:04.690 --> 00:04:06.970
Zealand's Mahia Peninsula on Wednesday.

101
00:04:07.530 --> 00:04:10.490
This launch will carry South Korea's Neonsat

102
00:04:10.490 --> 00:04:12.970
1 a observation satellite to sun

103
00:04:12.970 --> 00:04:14.090
synchronous orbit.

104
00:04:14.170 --> 00:04:16.850
Avery: The Neonsat constellation is designed to

105
00:04:16.850 --> 00:04:19.210
provide near real time disaster monitoring

106
00:04:19.210 --> 00:04:21.970
capability for the Korean Peninsula. The

107
00:04:21.970 --> 00:04:24.970
100 kilogram Neonsat 1A features

108
00:04:24.970 --> 00:04:27.290
a high resolution optical camera and will

109
00:04:27.290 --> 00:04:30.010
join an existing NEONSAT satellite already in

110
00:04:30.010 --> 00:04:30.410
orbit.

111
00:04:30.410 --> 00:04:33.030
Anna: This miss already faced a couple of delays.

112
00:04:33.270 --> 00:04:35.710
It was originally scheduled to launch back in

113
00:04:35.710 --> 00:04:38.190
December, but was scrubbed after sensor

114
00:04:38.190 --> 00:04:39.350
issues during Countdown.

115
00:04:39.670 --> 00:04:42.430
Avery: SpaceX also has multiple Starlink missions on

116
00:04:42.430 --> 00:04:44.710
the schedule this week from Both coasts,

117
00:04:44.950 --> 00:04:47.750
Group 1719 from Vandenberg

118
00:04:47.750 --> 00:04:49.910
Space Force Base in California on Thursday,

119
00:04:50.310 --> 00:04:53.150
and Group 6101 from Cape

120
00:04:53.150 --> 00:04:54.870
Canaveral later that same day.

121
00:04:54.950 --> 00:04:57.550
Anna: And looking ahead to early February, the

122
00:04:57.550 --> 00:04:59.910
first Starlink mission of next month, Group

123
00:04:59.910 --> 00:05:02.910
6 103, is currently scheduled

124
00:05:02.910 --> 00:05:04.530
for Sunday, February 1.

125
00:05:04.850 --> 00:05:07.370
Avery: China also has two possible flights on the

126
00:05:07.370 --> 00:05:10.130
manifest a Chang Zhang 7A from

127
00:05:10.130 --> 00:05:13.050
Hainan island and a Jielong 3 from the

128
00:05:13.050 --> 00:05:15.370
South China Sea. Though neither has a

129
00:05:15.370 --> 00:05:16.410
confirmed launch date.

130
00:05:16.410 --> 00:05:18.530
Anna: Yet, it's worth noting that China's year in

131
00:05:18.530 --> 00:05:20.970
spaceflight has already been eventful with

132
00:05:20.970 --> 00:05:23.770
two launch failures within 12 hours in mid

133
00:05:23.770 --> 00:05:26.650
January, so they may be proceeding cautiously

134
00:05:26.650 --> 00:05:27.890
with these upcoming missions.

135
00:05:28.370 --> 00:05:31.350
Okay, moving on, our next story takes us to

136
00:05:31.350 --> 00:05:34.190
preparations for NASA's Artemis 2 mission,

137
00:05:34.270 --> 00:05:36.670
where four astronauts are training to become

138
00:05:36.670 --> 00:05:39.270
the first humans to see parts of the moon

139
00:05:39.270 --> 00:05:41.510
that have remained hidden from view even

140
00:05:41.510 --> 00:05:42.830
during the Apollo missions.

141
00:05:42.990 --> 00:05:45.630
Avery: The Artemis 2 crew Reid Wiseman,

142
00:05:45.790 --> 00:05:48.750
Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Coach, and

143
00:05:48.750 --> 00:05:51.270
Jeremy Hansen won't land on the lunar

144
00:05:51.270 --> 00:05:53.710
surface, but they'll fly around the far side

145
00:05:53.710 --> 00:05:56.310
of the Moon and potentially observe regions

146
00:05:56.310 --> 00:05:58.270
never before seen by human eyes.

147
00:05:58.430 --> 00:06:01.110
Anna: Among the most significant targets is Mari

148
00:06:01.110 --> 00:06:04.090
oriental, a vast 600 mile

149
00:06:04.090 --> 00:06:06.850
wide impact basing that sits along the edge

150
00:06:06.850 --> 00:06:09.770
of the lunar far side. Its location makes it

151
00:06:09.770 --> 00:06:12.490
nearly impossible to view from Earth, despite

152
00:06:12.570 --> 00:06:13.770
its massive scale.

153
00:06:13.850 --> 00:06:16.210
Avery: The crew will spend a dedicated three hour

154
00:06:16.210 --> 00:06:18.490
segment of their mission focusing on direct

155
00:06:18.650 --> 00:06:21.330
lunar observation. NASA exploration

156
00:06:21.330 --> 00:06:23.770
scientist Jacob Bleacher emphasizes that

157
00:06:23.770 --> 00:06:26.210
human vision can detect subtle surface

158
00:06:26.210 --> 00:06:28.820
differences, Variations in brightness or

159
00:06:28.820 --> 00:06:31.300
texture that indicate differences in rock

160
00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:33.220
composition and geological age.

161
00:06:33.380 --> 00:06:35.500
Anna: What's fascinating is that the astronauts

162
00:06:35.500 --> 00:06:37.700
have been training extensively in geology,

163
00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:40.900
including simulated exercises in Iceland

164
00:06:40.980 --> 00:06:43.740
where they practiced identifying volcanic and

165
00:06:43.740 --> 00:06:46.260
impact related features in environments

166
00:06:46.260 --> 00:06:47.300
resembling the Moon.

167
00:06:47.380 --> 00:06:49.740
Avery: The far side of the moon holds a geologic

168
00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:52.020
record less disturbed than the near side.

169
00:06:52.260 --> 00:06:54.220
While much of the near side is covered with

170
00:06:54.220 --> 00:06:57.170
maria, the vast plains of ancient lava that

171
00:06:57.170 --> 00:06:59.810
have erased older surface features, the far

172
00:06:59.810 --> 00:07:02.370
side remains heavily cratered and relatively

173
00:07:02.370 --> 00:07:02.810
intact.

174
00:07:03.130 --> 00:07:05.850
Anna: Because of tidal locking, the moon always

175
00:07:05.850 --> 00:07:08.690
shows the same face to Earth. Until the

176
00:07:08.690 --> 00:07:11.530
Soviet Luna 3 mission in 1959,

177
00:07:11.770 --> 00:07:14.610
no one had any idea what the far side looked

178
00:07:14.610 --> 00:07:17.450
like. Even the Apollo missions only had brief

179
00:07:17.450 --> 00:07:18.810
views and poor lighting.

180
00:07:18.810 --> 00:07:21.170
Avery: Artemis 2 breaks that pattern by taking

181
00:07:21.170 --> 00:07:23.770
advantage of a launch window and flight path

182
00:07:23.770 --> 00:07:26.210
that ensures better visibility of the hidden

183
00:07:26.210 --> 00:07:28.080
hemisphere. The mission is currently

184
00:07:28.080 --> 00:07:30.800
scheduled for no earlier than February 6,

185
00:07:30.960 --> 00:07:32.320
and astronaut Christina.

186
00:07:32.320 --> 00:07:34.960
Anna: Koch noted that the mission may help shift

187
00:07:34.960 --> 00:07:37.480
public understanding away from the outdated

188
00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:40.000
phrase the dark side of the moon, which

189
00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:42.560
falsely implies the region lacks sunlight.

190
00:07:42.640 --> 00:07:44.520
Avery: An exciting mission that will give us

191
00:07:44.520 --> 00:07:47.200
unprecedented views of lunar territory that

192
00:07:47.200 --> 00:07:49.760
remained largely mysterious for all of human

193
00:07:49.760 --> 00:07:50.080
history.

194
00:07:50.320 --> 00:07:52.320
Anna: Now let's turn our attention to Jupiter,

195
00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:55.320
where NASA's Juno spacecraft continues to

196
00:07:55.320 --> 00:07:58.120
reveal the gas giant's secrets from beneath

197
00:07:58.120 --> 00:07:59.580
its dense cloud layers.

198
00:07:59.740 --> 00:08:02.700
Avery: Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016,

199
00:08:03.100 --> 00:08:05.900
peering through storms and cyclones to unveil

200
00:08:05.900 --> 00:08:08.380
the planet's hidden complexity. And recent

201
00:08:08.380 --> 00:08:10.780
observations are showing just how much more

202
00:08:10.780 --> 00:08:13.260
intricate Jupiter is than we ever imagined.

203
00:08:13.580 --> 00:08:16.060
Anna: One of the most fundamental questions

204
00:08:16.140 --> 00:08:19.100
scientists have debated for decades is how

205
00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:21.700
deep Jupiter's distinctive cloud bands

206
00:08:21.700 --> 00:08:24.340
actually go. By measuring Jupiter's

207
00:08:24.340 --> 00:08:26.900
gravity field, Juno discovered that these

208
00:08:26.900 --> 00:08:29.660
belts and zones, which are alternating

209
00:08:29.660 --> 00:08:32.040
east and west flowing jet streams,

210
00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:34.680
extend about 1900 miles,

211
00:08:34.760 --> 00:08:37.680
or 3000 kilometers below the cloud

212
00:08:37.680 --> 00:08:38.280
tops.

213
00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:41.360
Avery: That's incredible depth. And Juno's

214
00:08:41.360 --> 00:08:43.640
discoveries have completely upended our

215
00:08:43.640 --> 00:08:46.120
understanding of Jupiter's interior structure

216
00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:49.120
too. Scientists long thought Jupiter had a

217
00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.080
small solid core surrounded by hydrogen and

218
00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:54.760
helium. But Juno's data suggests the

219
00:08:54.760 --> 00:08:57.520
planet has a larger, more diluted core than

220
00:08:57.520 --> 00:08:58.440
previously believed.

221
00:08:59.130 --> 00:09:01.610
Anna: The spacecraft has also provided the first

222
00:09:01.690 --> 00:09:04.170
detailed views of Jupiter's north pole.

223
00:09:04.250 --> 00:09:06.770
Revealing massive cyclonic storms

224
00:09:06.770 --> 00:09:09.570
arranged in fascinating eight

225
00:09:09.570 --> 00:09:12.090
storms in an octagonal pattern in the north

226
00:09:12.330 --> 00:09:14.930
and five in a pentagonal pattern in the

227
00:09:14.930 --> 00:09:17.450
south. These storms are extremely

228
00:09:17.450 --> 00:09:19.850
resilient and have persisted for years.

229
00:09:20.490 --> 00:09:22.570
Avery: And here's something really intriguing.

230
00:09:22.890 --> 00:09:25.490
Juno recently captured images showing a

231
00:09:25.490 --> 00:09:27.850
mysterious green glow near Jupiter's north

232
00:09:27.850 --> 00:09:30.520
pole. The flash of light was traveling at

233
00:09:30.520 --> 00:09:33.200
breakneck speed, which makes capturing it

234
00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:34.360
even more remarkable.

235
00:09:34.920 --> 00:09:37.400
Anna: Scientists believe this could be lightning,

236
00:09:37.400 --> 00:09:39.800
but Jupiter's lightning is vastly different

237
00:09:39.800 --> 00:09:42.360
from Earth's. It's caused by clouds

238
00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:45.200
containing ammonia water solution and can

239
00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:47.400
be much more powerful than terrestrial

240
00:09:47.400 --> 00:09:47.800
lightning.

241
00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:50.880
Avery: Juno's mission has been extended multiple

242
00:09:50.880 --> 00:09:53.560
times and was scheduled to end in September

243
00:09:53.560 --> 00:09:56.550
2025, but appears to still be

244
00:09:56.550 --> 00:09:58.950
operational, with no new end date being

245
00:09:58.950 --> 00:10:01.830
promoted. During this extended phase,

246
00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:04.070
the spacecraft is conducting close

247
00:10:04.150 --> 00:10:07.110
flybys of Jupiter's intriguing Galilean

248
00:10:07.110 --> 00:10:09.590
moons Ganymede, Europa and

249
00:10:09.590 --> 00:10:11.750
IO Eventually, Juno.

250
00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:14.350
Anna: Will meet its end by burning up in Jupiter's

251
00:10:14.350 --> 00:10:17.270
atmosphere. But until then, it continues to

252
00:10:17.270 --> 00:10:19.830
revolutionize our understanding of the solar

253
00:10:19.830 --> 00:10:21.350
system's largest planet.

254
00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:24.480
Avery: Our next story involves a celestial event

255
00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:27.120
that very few people will witness. A

256
00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:29.960
rare annular solar eclipse set to occur

257
00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:32.480
over one of the most remote places on Earth.

258
00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.600
Anna: On February 17, 2026,

259
00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:38.720
a spectacular ring of fire eclipse

260
00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:41.000
will be visible from a narrow stretch of

261
00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:43.800
Antarctica. The phenomenon will only be

262
00:10:43.800 --> 00:10:46.440
fully visible from an uninhabited region of

263
00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:48.720
the continent, with just two research

264
00:10:48.880 --> 00:10:51.280
stations falling within the event's path.

265
00:10:51.930 --> 00:10:54.530
Avery: The antumbral shadow of the Moon, the area

266
00:10:54.530 --> 00:10:56.970
where the full annular eclipse can be seen,

267
00:10:57.290 --> 00:10:59.518
will travel across a, uh, 26,

268
00:10:59.702 --> 00:11:02.210
61 mile stretch of mainland

269
00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:04.970
Antarctica. Only two inhabited locations

270
00:11:05.050 --> 00:11:07.850
fall within this narrow Concordia

271
00:11:07.850 --> 00:11:10.330
Station, a AH French Italian base, and

272
00:11:10.330 --> 00:11:12.810
Mirny Station, operated by Russia.

273
00:11:13.290 --> 00:11:16.170
Anna: At Concordia, annularity will last 2

274
00:11:16.170 --> 00:11:19.130
minutes and 1 second with the sun positioned

275
00:11:19.130 --> 00:11:21.700
5 degrees above the horizon. At

276
00:11:21.700 --> 00:11:24.300
Mirny, it will experience 1 minute and

277
00:11:24.300 --> 00:11:27.140
52 seconds of annularity, with the sun

278
00:11:27.300 --> 00:11:29.140
slightly higher at 10 degrees.

279
00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:32.260
Avery: Given the extreme location and limited

280
00:11:32.260 --> 00:11:34.940
infrastructure, eclipse meteorologist Jay

281
00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:37.500
Anderson noted that it's a challenge to

282
00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:39.620
reach, and neither of the two inhabited

283
00:11:39.620 --> 00:11:41.860
locations is set up to welcome Taurus.

284
00:11:42.420 --> 00:11:44.940
Anna: However, a partial eclipse will be visible

285
00:11:44.940 --> 00:11:47.460
over a much larger region, including

286
00:11:47.700 --> 00:11:50.680
several Antarctic research bases, parts of

287
00:11:50.680 --> 00:11:53.240
southeastern Africa, the southern tip of

288
00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:55.880
South America, and stretches of the Pacific,

289
00:11:55.960 --> 00:11:57.800
Atlantic and Indian oceans.

290
00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:00.440
Avery: For example, Poland's AB

291
00:12:00.520 --> 00:12:03.400
Dobrolansky station will see 92%

292
00:12:03.400 --> 00:12:06.360
of the sun covered, while McMurdo station in

293
00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:09.280
the US will see 86%. Even

294
00:12:09.280 --> 00:12:11.480
distant cities like Durban in South Africa

295
00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:13.880
will witness about 16% coverage.

296
00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:17.000
Anna: Weather could be a significant factor, though

297
00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:20.120
mirny station averages 65%

298
00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:23.040
cloud cover in February, while Concordia has

299
00:12:23.040 --> 00:12:25.600
a clearer profile with about 35%

300
00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:28.400
coverage, and temperatures can drop as low

301
00:12:28.400 --> 00:12:31.160
as -112 degrees

302
00:12:31.160 --> 00:12:31.960
Fahrenheit.

303
00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:34.960
Avery: Interestingly, the eclipse itself might

304
00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:37.480
improve viewing conditions. The sudden

305
00:12:37.480 --> 00:12:39.800
temperature drop from the eclipse can disrupt

306
00:12:39.800 --> 00:12:42.520
local cloud formation, potentially causing

307
00:12:42.520 --> 00:12:44.360
convective clouds to dissipate.

308
00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:46.720
Anna: Though if you're one of the handful of

309
00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:49.200
researchers stationed in Antarctica next

310
00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:51.920
month, you might be in for a spectacular

311
00:12:51.920 --> 00:12:54.760
show, assuming the clouds cooperate and

312
00:12:54.760 --> 00:12:56.600
you can brave the extreme cold.

313
00:12:57.160 --> 00:12:59.840
And finally, in some late breaking news, we

314
00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:02.440
have an update on SpaceX's Starship

315
00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:03.400
development program.

316
00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:06.800
Avery: According to a post from CEO Elon Musk, the

317
00:13:06.800 --> 00:13:09.480
delayed first test of SpaceX's upgraded

318
00:13:09.480 --> 00:13:12.280
Starship rocket, version 3, is now

319
00:13:12.280 --> 00:13:13.560
slated for mid March.

320
00:13:14.370 --> 00:13:17.130
Anna: This third version of Starship is larger and

321
00:13:17.130 --> 00:13:19.250
more powerful than previous iterations.

322
00:13:19.650 --> 00:13:22.050
Crucially, SpaceX plans to use

323
00:13:22.050 --> 00:13:24.730
Starship V3 to launch its next

324
00:13:24.730 --> 00:13:27.450
generation Starlink satellites, which will be

325
00:13:27.450 --> 00:13:30.410
capable of faster data speeds but are heavier

326
00:13:30.410 --> 00:13:31.170
and larger.

327
00:13:31.570 --> 00:13:33.890
Avery: It's also the first version designed to dock

328
00:13:33.890 --> 00:13:36.490
with other starships in Earth orbit, a

329
00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:38.610
capability the company needs to reach the

330
00:13:38.610 --> 00:13:41.330
Moon or Mars. This comes as SpaceX

331
00:13:41.330 --> 00:13:43.170
faces pressure from the Trump administration

332
00:13:43.330 --> 00:13:46.290
to return US astronauts to the lunar surface

333
00:13:46.370 --> 00:13:48.130
before the end of a second term.

334
00:13:48.690 --> 00:13:51.450
Anna: SpaceX was making progress toward a launch of

335
00:13:51.450 --> 00:13:54.290
Starship V3 in late 2025,

336
00:13:54.450 --> 00:13:57.170
but in November, the booster stage suffered a

337
00:13:57.170 --> 00:14:00.050
major explosion during testing that blew out

338
00:14:00.050 --> 00:14:02.290
an entire side of the steel rocket.

339
00:14:02.770 --> 00:14:05.010
Avery: The company said it was performing gas system

340
00:14:05.010 --> 00:14:07.210
pressure testing when the explosion happened,

341
00:14:07.210 --> 00:14:09.810
but hasn't offered a more detailed breakdown

342
00:14:09.810 --> 00:14:10.830
of what went wrong.

343
00:14:11.460 --> 00:14:13.780
Anna: The second version of Starship was a mixed

344
00:14:13.780 --> 00:14:16.740
bag. The program successfully reached orbit,

345
00:14:16.740 --> 00:14:19.300
deployed dummy versions of next generation

346
00:14:19.300 --> 00:14:21.820
Starlink satellites, and caught multiple

347
00:14:21.820 --> 00:14:24.220
booster stages after they returned to the

348
00:14:24.220 --> 00:14:24.900
launch pad.

349
00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:28.020
Avery: But Starship V2 also suffered several

350
00:14:28.020 --> 00:14:30.820
explosions and setbacks. Some resulted from

351
00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:33.420
SpaceX's developmental approach of pushing

352
00:14:33.420 --> 00:14:36.020
test vehicles to or past their limits.

353
00:14:36.590 --> 00:14:38.590
Others were more unexpected, like when a

354
00:14:38.590 --> 00:14:40.670
starship vehicle erupted in a massive

355
00:14:40.670 --> 00:14:42.910
fireball during ground testing last June.

356
00:14:43.470 --> 00:14:46.110
Anna: Meanwhile, competition is emerging. Jeff

357
00:14:46.110 --> 00:14:48.990
Bezos's new Glenn rocket successfully

358
00:14:48.990 --> 00:14:50.990
launched for the first time in January

359
00:14:51.230 --> 00:14:53.990
2025 and completed its first

360
00:14:53.990 --> 00:14:56.910
booster landing in November. Blue Origin

361
00:14:56.910 --> 00:14:59.750
is planning a third new Glenn launch in late

362
00:14:59.750 --> 00:15:01.110
February and ah.

363
00:15:01.150 --> 00:15:03.510
Avery: Late last year, Blue Origin revealed it's

364
00:15:03.510 --> 00:15:06.190
developing a larger super heavy variant of

365
00:15:06.190 --> 00:15:08.260
new Glenn M, which more directly compare

366
00:15:08.330 --> 00:15:09.370
competes with starship.

367
00:15:09.850 --> 00:15:12.770
Anna: So while SpaceX continues to dominate the

368
00:15:12.770 --> 00:15:15.210
global launch market, other players are

369
00:15:15.210 --> 00:15:17.250
starting to close the gap. It'll be

370
00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:20.010
interesting to see how the Starship V3 test

371
00:15:20.010 --> 00:15:21.770
goes in March, and.

372
00:15:21.770 --> 00:15:24.249
Avery: That wraps up today's episode of Astronomy

373
00:15:24.249 --> 00:15:24.649
Daily.

374
00:15:25.050 --> 00:15:27.290
Anna: Thanks for joining us for another journey

375
00:15:27.290 --> 00:15:29.890
through the cosmos. Remember to check out our

376
00:15:29.890 --> 00:15:32.890
website at astronomydaily IO

377
00:15:32.970 --> 00:15:35.050
for more space and astronomy news.

378
00:15:35.800 --> 00:15:37.720
Avery: And don't forget to follow us on social media

379
00:15:37.880 --> 00:15:40.280
astrodaily Pod for updates between

380
00:15:40.280 --> 00:15:40.920
episodes.

381
00:15:41.400 --> 00:15:43.320
Anna: Until next time, keep looking up.

382
00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:44.760
Avery: Clear skies, everyone.