From Solar Eclipses to Voyager Discoveries: Your Daily Space Update

WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.440
Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for

1
00:00:02.440 --> 00:00:04.840
the latest news from across the cosmos. I'm

2
00:00:04.840 --> 00:00:05.320
Avery.

3
00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:07.600
Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you

4
00:00:07.760 --> 00:00:09.960
today. We start with a more comprehensive

5
00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:12.920
look ahead at The Cosmic Wonders 2026

6
00:00:12.920 --> 00:00:15.360
has in store for us. From Moon missions to

7
00:00:15.360 --> 00:00:16.560
major eclipses.

8
00:00:16.560 --> 00:00:18.640
Avery: That's right. We'll also dive into a mind

9
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:20.880
bending discovery from the Voyager probes at

10
00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:23.040
the edge of our solar system and discuss

11
00:00:23.040 --> 00:00:25.480
Russia's new Earth observation satellite.

12
00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:28.240
Anna: Plus, scientists may have found interstellar

13
00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:30.600
tunnels in our galactic neighborhood. And

14
00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:33.420
finally, we'll rapidly evolving commercial

15
00:00:33.420 --> 00:00:36.140
space race with updates on China's reusable

16
00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:39.100
rockets and the transformation of Florida's

17
00:00:39.100 --> 00:00:40.540
historic space coast.

18
00:00:40.620 --> 00:00:43.020
Avery: It's a lot to cover, so let's get started.

19
00:00:43.260 --> 00:00:45.060
Anna, ah, why don't you kick us off with the

20
00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:47.740
astronomical forecast update for 2026.

21
00:00:47.900 --> 00:00:50.860
Anna: Absolutely, Avery. 2026 is shaping

22
00:00:50.860 --> 00:00:53.740
up to be a monumental year, especially for

23
00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:56.580
lunar exploration. NASA's Artemis program

24
00:00:56.580 --> 00:00:59.220
is sending the first astronauts to fly by the

25
00:00:59.220 --> 00:01:00.780
moon in over 50 years.

26
00:01:00.940 --> 00:01:02.660
Avery: And this is the mission that will pave the

27
00:01:02.660 --> 00:01:04.520
way for the actual MO landing, right?

28
00:01:04.520 --> 00:01:07.480
Anna: Exactly. This crew, three Americans and one

29
00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:10.040
Canadian will do a flyby of the far side,

30
00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:12.440
which could give us our first good look at

31
00:01:12.440 --> 00:01:14.880
areas the Apollo missions never saw. But

32
00:01:14.880 --> 00:01:17.280
they're not alone. We're also expecting a

33
00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:18.480
caravan of robotic.

34
00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:20.600
Avery: Landers from commercial companies, including

35
00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.520
Jeff Bezos's Blue Moon lander. I read that

36
00:01:23.520 --> 00:01:25.680
thing is going to be huge. Taller than the

37
00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:26.520
Apollo landers.

38
00:01:26.520 --> 00:01:29.160
Anna: That's right. And companies like Astrobotic

39
00:01:29.160 --> 00:01:31.880
and Intuitive Machines are also heading back.

40
00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:34.520
While Firefly Aerospace is aiming for the

41
00:01:34.520 --> 00:01:37.460
Moon's far side, even China is targeting the

42
00:01:37.460 --> 00:01:39.140
South Pole to search for ice.

43
00:01:39.220 --> 00:01:41.060
Avery: The Moon is certainly getting busy.

44
00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:43.340
What about other celestial events? I heard

45
00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:44.500
there's a big eclipse coming.

46
00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:47.140
Anna: There is. On August 12th, a, ah, total

47
00:01:47.300 --> 00:01:49.740
solar eclipse will cross over the Arctic.

48
00:01:49.740 --> 00:01:51.780
Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

49
00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:54.900
Totality will last just over two minutes.

50
00:01:55.060 --> 00:01:56.980
And for those at the other end of the world,

51
00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.700
there's a ring of fire eclipse in Antarctica

52
00:01:59.700 --> 00:02:00.420
in February.

53
00:02:00.500 --> 00:02:02.740
Avery: Sounds like a year for the eclipse chasers.

54
00:02:02.740 --> 00:02:05.100
And we also have those planet parades to look

55
00:02:05.100 --> 00:02:05.500
forward to.

56
00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:08.160
Anna: We do. At the end of February, six

57
00:02:08.160 --> 00:02:10.640
planets, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter,

58
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:13.600
Saturn, Uranus and Neptunewill line

59
00:02:13.600 --> 00:02:15.920
up in the sky just after sunset.

60
00:02:16.160 --> 00:02:18.640
Mars will be the only one missing, but it

61
00:02:18.640 --> 00:02:20.920
joins a different six planet parade in

62
00:02:20.920 --> 00:02:21.280
August.

63
00:02:21.440 --> 00:02:23.759
Avery: Incredible. It seems there's something for

64
00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:26.440
everyone in 2026. From lunar missions to

65
00:02:26.440 --> 00:02:27.520
planetary alignments.

66
00:02:27.600 --> 00:02:29.720
Anna: It really does. And that's just the

67
00:02:29.720 --> 00:02:32.040
beginning. Let's move on to our next Story

68
00:02:32.040 --> 00:02:34.680
which takes us far beyond the Moon to the

69
00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:36.320
very edge of our solar system.

70
00:02:36.640 --> 00:02:39.120
Avery, what have the Voyager probes been up?

71
00:02:39.740 --> 00:02:42.540
Avery: This is a Fascinating 1. Voyager 1 and 2,

72
00:02:42.540 --> 00:02:44.780
NASA's longest running missions, have

73
00:02:44.780 --> 00:02:47.140
detected a searingly hot region of space

74
00:02:47.140 --> 00:02:49.860
where the Sun's influence ends. Some are

75
00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:51.500
calling it a wall of fire.

76
00:02:51.660 --> 00:02:54.540
Anna: A wall of fire. That sounds intense.

77
00:02:54.860 --> 00:02:55.980
What exactly is it?

78
00:02:55.980 --> 00:02:57.700
Avery: It's a boundary zone at the edge of the

79
00:02:57.700 --> 00:03:00.100
heliosphere. That's the bubble created by the

80
00:03:00.100 --> 00:03:02.500
solar wind where temperatures spike to

81
00:03:02.500 --> 00:03:04.860
between 30,000 and 50,000

82
00:03:04.860 --> 00:03:07.820
kelvin. This region, called the heliosheath,

83
00:03:07.980 --> 00:03:09.900
acts as a sort of thermal barrier.

84
00:03:09.980 --> 00:03:12.800
Anna: That's incred. How did the probe

85
00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:14.120
survive passing through it?

86
00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:16.200
Avery: That's the key part. While the plasma

87
00:03:16.200 --> 00:03:18.000
particles are moving at extremely high

88
00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:20.200
velocities, creating that high temperature,

89
00:03:20.360 --> 00:03:22.920
the particle density is incredibly low.

90
00:03:23.160 --> 00:03:26.080
It's basically a near vacuum. So there aren't

91
00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.080
enough particles hitting the spacecraft to

92
00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:29.480
transfer significant heat.

93
00:03:29.480 --> 00:03:32.320
Anna: Ah, that makes sense. High energy, but

94
00:03:32.320 --> 00:03:34.800
low heat transfer. So what does this

95
00:03:34.800 --> 00:03:35.880
discovery tell us?

96
00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:38.040
Avery: It's revising our understanding of how our

97
00:03:38.040 --> 00:03:40.680
solar system interacts with the wider galaxy.

98
00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:42.680
But the temperature spike wasn't the only

99
00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:45.180
surprise. The magnetic field data was also

100
00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:45.780
unexpected.

101
00:03:45.860 --> 00:03:46.980
Anna: Really? How so?

102
00:03:47.300 --> 00:03:49.460
Avery: Scientists found that the magnetic field

103
00:03:49.460 --> 00:03:52.140
lines just inside the heliosphere aligned

104
00:03:52.140 --> 00:03:54.620
with those in interstellar space just outside

105
00:03:54.620 --> 00:03:57.620
of it. They also discovered a leakage of

106
00:03:57.620 --> 00:04:00.020
particles through this boundary, suggesting

107
00:04:00.020 --> 00:04:02.460
the heliosphere isn't a perfect shield

108
00:04:02.460 --> 00:04:04.180
against galactic cosmic rays.

109
00:04:04.740 --> 00:04:07.260
Anna: So our solar system's protective bubble is

110
00:04:07.260 --> 00:04:09.820
more permeable than we thought. The Voyager

111
00:04:09.820 --> 00:04:12.100
probes just keep delivering incredible

112
00:04:12.100 --> 00:04:14.260
science decades after their launch.

113
00:04:14.760 --> 00:04:16.480
Avery: They certainly do now.

114
00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:18.600
Let's bring our focus a little closer to

115
00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:21.160
home. There's been a significant launch from

116
00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:21.880
Russia recently.

117
00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:25.320
Anna: Yes. Russia launched a Soyuz rocket

118
00:04:25.320 --> 00:04:27.400
carrying a new radar Earth observation

119
00:04:27.400 --> 00:04:30.200
satellite called Abzor R1.

120
00:04:30.519 --> 00:04:32.360
The launch took place at the Plesetsk

121
00:04:32.360 --> 00:04:34.760
Cosmodrome, a site often used for military

122
00:04:34.760 --> 00:04:35.160
missions.

123
00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:37.960
Avery: And what makes this satellite so important is

124
00:04:37.960 --> 00:04:40.440
its radar capability. Unlike, um, optical

125
00:04:40.440 --> 00:04:42.400
satellites that need clear skies and

126
00:04:42.400 --> 00:04:45.360
daylight, radar can see through clouds, smoke

127
00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:45.640
and.

128
00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:48.980
Anna: Right. That gives it a huge strategic

129
00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:51.140
advantage for surveillance, environmental

130
00:04:51.140 --> 00:04:54.060
mapping and disaster response. This mission

131
00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:56.340
really underscores Moscow's push to expand

132
00:04:56.340 --> 00:04:58.220
its own space based intelligence

133
00:04:58.220 --> 00:05:00.660
capabilities, independent of any foreign

134
00:05:00.660 --> 00:05:01.100
partners.

135
00:05:01.580 --> 00:05:03.780
Avery: So this is a big step for their sovereign

136
00:05:03.780 --> 00:05:04.460
space program?

137
00:05:04.940 --> 00:05:07.340
Anna: It is. The Abzor R series

138
00:05:07.420 --> 00:05:09.900
represents a new generation of homegrown

139
00:05:09.900 --> 00:05:12.620
Russian radar systems. It's, uh, a dual use

140
00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:15.260
technology serving both military and

141
00:05:15.260 --> 00:05:17.980
civilian needs. And it's a clear geopolitical

142
00:05:17.980 --> 00:05:20.480
standard in a world where Remote sensing is

143
00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:21.720
more critical than ever.

144
00:05:22.040 --> 00:05:23.800
Avery: A powerful tool indeed.

145
00:05:24.200 --> 00:05:27.000
Well, from geopolitical moves in orbit, let's

146
00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:29.000
turn to a discovery that feels like it's

147
00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:31.240
straight out of science fiction. Anna, uh,

148
00:05:31.280 --> 00:05:33.720
you mentioned something about interstellar

149
00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:34.280
tunnels.

150
00:05:34.760 --> 00:05:37.320
Anna: I did, and it's just as cool as it sounds.

151
00:05:37.640 --> 00:05:40.120
Using the Erocita Space Telescope,

152
00:05:40.200 --> 00:05:42.720
scientists have detected narrow structures of

153
00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.320
hot plasma that seem to extend from the

154
00:05:45.320 --> 00:05:48.040
bubble of space surrounding our sun out into

155
00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:49.080
the wider galaxy.

156
00:05:49.660 --> 00:05:52.100
Avery: Wow, so these are like corridors through the

157
00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:54.460
interstellar medium. What could have formed

158
00:05:54.460 --> 00:05:54.700
them?

159
00:05:55.100 --> 00:05:57.060
Anna: The leading theory is that they were carved

160
00:05:57.060 --> 00:05:59.860
out by ancient supernova explosions. Our

161
00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:02.340
solar system sits inside something called the

162
00:06:02.340 --> 00:06:05.299
local hot bubble, a 300 light year wide

163
00:06:05.299 --> 00:06:08.060
cavity that was itself formed by supernovae

164
00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:10.140
about 10 to 20 million years ago.

165
00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:11.900
Avery: Right, I've heard of that.

166
00:06:12.380 --> 00:06:15.060
Anna: Well, scientists have long theorized that

167
00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:16.860
these bubbles could be interconnected,

168
00:06:16.940 --> 00:06:19.700
forming, uh, a kind of network. These new X

169
00:06:19.700 --> 00:06:22.120
ray observations from erosion are providing

170
00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:24.880
the first real evidence that these tunnels or

171
00:06:24.880 --> 00:06:27.720
chimneys might actually exist, connecting

172
00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:29.720
our local bubble to other regions.

173
00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:32.240
Avery: That's incredible. It paints a picture of our

174
00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:34.400
galaxy's structure that's much more complex

175
00:06:34.400 --> 00:06:36.720
and dynamic than just empty space between

176
00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:37.320
stars.

177
00:06:37.720 --> 00:06:40.400
Anna: It really does. The data also showed a

178
00:06:40.400 --> 00:06:42.240
temperature difference between the northern

179
00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:44.600
and southern halves of our bubble, suggesting

180
00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:47.080
it's not a uniform sphere, but has been

181
00:06:47.080 --> 00:06:49.920
shaped by asymmetrical forces. It could be

182
00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:52.320
that these tunnels act as pathways for cosmic

183
00:06:52.320 --> 00:06:54.900
rays and gas gas to flow through the galaxy.

184
00:06:55.140 --> 00:06:57.380
Avery: A galactic subway system of sorts.

185
00:06:57.620 --> 00:06:58.340
Amazing.

186
00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:00.660
This brings us to the commercial side of

187
00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:02.980
space, which is also creating new pathways,

188
00:07:03.140 --> 00:07:05.900
albeit to orbit. The reusable rocket

189
00:07:05.900 --> 00:07:08.420
race is heating up, and it's not just SpaceX

190
00:07:08.420 --> 00:07:08.900
anymore.

191
00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:11.580
Anna: That's right. The Chinese rocket startup

192
00:07:11.580 --> 00:07:14.020
Landspace has made it clear they're inspired

193
00:07:14.020 --> 00:07:16.740
by SpaceX. They recently conducted the first

194
00:07:16.740 --> 00:07:19.580
reusable rocket test by a Chinese entity with

195
00:07:19.580 --> 00:07:21.050
their Zhuki 3 rocket.

196
00:07:21.520 --> 00:07:23.680
Avery: And they've been very open about modeling it

197
00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:26.120
after the Falcon 9. The Deputy Chief

198
00:07:26.120 --> 00:07:28.600
designer even called it a high compliment to

199
00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:31.120
be referred to as the Chinese Falcon 9.

200
00:07:31.520 --> 00:07:34.480
Anna: It's a major paradigm shift. China's state

201
00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.959
led space program has historically been very

202
00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:39.760
risk averse, whereas Landspace is embracing

203
00:07:39.760 --> 00:07:42.720
the test fail iterate philosophy that SpaceX

204
00:07:42.720 --> 00:07:45.040
is famous for. Their first test actually

205
00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:47.760
ended in a crash, but state media covered it

206
00:07:47.760 --> 00:07:48.240
openly.

207
00:07:48.520 --> 00:07:51.040
Avery: Elon Musk himself even commented on it,

208
00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:53.200
noting that they've adopted aspects of both

209
00:07:53.200 --> 00:07:56.040
Falcon 9 and Starship. He acknowledged

210
00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:58.680
their design could potentially beat Falcon 9,

211
00:07:58.760 --> 00:08:01.160
though he added that Starship is in another

212
00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:01.640
league.

213
00:08:02.200 --> 00:08:05.000
Anna: It shows how quickly the global landscape is

214
00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.760
changing. With Beijing support and plans

215
00:08:07.760 --> 00:08:10.440
for massive satellite constellations, low

216
00:08:10.440 --> 00:08:13.400
cost, reusable launch is a top priority.

217
00:08:13.640 --> 00:08:16.000
It's also worth remembering that SpaceX had

218
00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:18.320
two failed booster landing attempts before

219
00:08:18.320 --> 00:08:19.880
their first success in 20.

220
00:08:20.660 --> 00:08:21.700
Avery: A very good point.

221
00:08:22.020 --> 00:08:24.620
And speaking of launch infrastructure, our

222
00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:27.500
final story looks at how two other ambitious

223
00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:29.670
companies are transforming the iconic, uh,

224
00:08:30.140 --> 00:08:31.700
Space coast in Florida.

225
00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:34.700
Anna: This is really exciting. Stokespace

226
00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:37.500
and Relativity Space are rapidly building out

227
00:08:37.500 --> 00:08:40.180
launch sites at Cape Canaveral. Stokes

228
00:08:40.180 --> 00:08:43.020
base is at Launch Complex 14, which is a

229
00:08:43.020 --> 00:08:44.180
site rich with history.

230
00:08:44.820 --> 00:08:47.140
Avery: That's the pad where John Glenn became the

231
00:08:47.140 --> 00:08:49.380
first American to orbit the earth back in

232
00:08:49.380 --> 00:08:52.090
1962. It's been inactive for over

233
00:08:52.400 --> 00:08:54.680
50 years, and now it's being prepped for

234
00:08:54.680 --> 00:08:57.120
Stoke's fully reusable Nova rocket.

235
00:08:57.440 --> 00:09:00.200
Anna: Exactly. Aerial views show the launch pad

236
00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:02.680
is nearly complete. And right next door at

237
00:09:02.680 --> 00:09:05.440
Launch Complex 16, relativity space

238
00:09:05.520 --> 00:09:07.840
is making massive upgrades for its much

239
00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:09.600
larger Terran R rocket.

240
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:12.680
Avery: The Progress there is really visible. They've

241
00:09:12.680 --> 00:09:14.920
installed a towering water tower for the

242
00:09:14.920 --> 00:09:17.880
Deluge system, added huge new propellant

243
00:09:17.880 --> 00:09:19.760
tanks, and are pouring concrete for the

244
00:09:19.760 --> 00:09:20.260
launch mount.

245
00:09:20.890 --> 00:09:23.530
Anna: It's a perfect example of how the Space coast

246
00:09:23.530 --> 00:09:26.170
is evolving, reviving historic sites to

247
00:09:26.170 --> 00:09:28.250
become hubs for the next generation of

248
00:09:28.250 --> 00:09:30.810
spaceflight. Stoke is targeting a, uh, first

249
00:09:30.810 --> 00:09:33.210
launch in early 2026, with

250
00:09:33.210 --> 00:09:35.690
Relativity aiming for late 2026.

251
00:09:36.169 --> 00:09:38.930
Avery: It truly shows the accelerating pace of the

252
00:09:38.930 --> 00:09:39.930
commercial space industry.

253
00:09:40.410 --> 00:09:42.690
And that brings us to the end of our show for

254
00:09:42.690 --> 00:09:42.970
today.

255
00:09:43.290 --> 00:09:45.770
Anna: We've journeyed from the celestial events of

256
00:09:45.770 --> 00:09:48.570
2026 to the edge of the solar system

257
00:09:48.570 --> 00:09:51.370
and seen how new technologies on Earth are

258
00:09:51.370 --> 00:09:53.670
po shape our access to space.

259
00:09:54.230 --> 00:09:56.710
Avery: Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Avery.

260
00:09:56.790 --> 00:09:59.030
Anna: And I'm Anna. We'll see you next time on

261
00:09:59.030 --> 00:10:00.070
Astronomy Daily.