From Titan's Slush to Interstellar Visitors: Space News Roundup

WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:03.400
Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that

1
00:00:03.400 --> 00:00:06.080
brings you the universe, one story at a time.

2
00:00:06.240 --> 00:00:07.200
I'm Avery.

3
00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:09.840
Anna: And I'm Anna. Ah, it's great to be with you.

4
00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.480
Today we've got news of a surprising

5
00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:15.160
discovery about one of Saturn's most famous

6
00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:18.120
moons to a cosmic crash that's rewriting

7
00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:20.240
our understanding of planet formation.

8
00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:22.960
Avery: Plus, we'll be talking again about our

9
00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.320
interstellar visitor, a mishap with the

10
00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:28.040
STARLink satellites, and NASA's incredible

11
00:00:28.040 --> 00:00:29.600
new map of the cosmos.

12
00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:31.450
So where are we starting, Ann?

13
00:00:31.450 --> 00:00:33.370
Anna: we're heading out to the Saturn system,

14
00:00:33.610 --> 00:00:36.490
specifically to its largest moon, Titan.

15
00:00:36.730 --> 00:00:39.330
For years, scientists have been excited by

16
00:00:39.330 --> 00:00:42.010
the theory that beneath Titan's icy crust

17
00:00:42.250 --> 00:00:44.730
lies a vast liquid water ocean,

18
00:00:44.970 --> 00:00:46.770
making it a prime candidate for

19
00:00:46.770 --> 00:00:48.090
extraterrestrial life.

20
00:00:48.810 --> 00:00:51.610
Avery: Right, the hidden ocean theory. It's been a

21
00:00:51.610 --> 00:00:54.050
cornerstone of astrobiology discussions for a

22
00:00:54.050 --> 00:00:54.330
while.

23
00:00:54.810 --> 00:00:56.730
Anna: Exactly. But a new study

24
00:00:56.890 --> 00:00:59.610
reanalyzing data from the Cassini mission

25
00:00:59.610 --> 00:01:02.370
is challenging that picture. It suggests

26
00:01:02.370 --> 00:01:05.110
Titans in interior might not be a liquid

27
00:01:05.110 --> 00:01:07.790
ocean after all. Instead, it could be a

28
00:01:07.790 --> 00:01:10.550
thick, warm and slowly freezing slush.

29
00:01:11.350 --> 00:01:14.270
Avery: Slush? So less of a swimming pool and

30
00:01:14.270 --> 00:01:16.990
more of a cosmic snow cone. What does that

31
00:01:16.990 --> 00:01:17.270
mean?

32
00:01:17.830 --> 00:01:20.310
Anna: Well, the data points to high pressure ice

33
00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:23.110
layers forming deep inside, which can trap

34
00:01:23.110 --> 00:01:25.510
liquid. So instead of one big

35
00:01:25.510 --> 00:01:28.190
interior ocean, we might be looking at

36
00:01:28.190 --> 00:01:30.870
smaller, isolated pockets of meltwater

37
00:01:30.950 --> 00:01:33.670
within a mostly solid icy mantle.

38
00:01:33.830 --> 00:01:36.810
It complicates the idea of a single habitable

39
00:01:36.810 --> 00:01:37.170
environment.

40
00:01:38.050 --> 00:01:40.610
Avery: That's a major shift in thinking. Does it

41
00:01:40.610 --> 00:01:42.530
lower the chances of finding life there?

42
00:01:43.090 --> 00:01:45.490
Anna: It makes it more challenging. A large,

43
00:01:45.650 --> 00:01:48.450
stable ocean allows for the free movement of

44
00:01:48.450 --> 00:01:50.930
nutrients and potential life. Small,

45
00:01:51.009 --> 00:01:53.930
isolated pockets are less dynamic. It

46
00:01:53.930 --> 00:01:56.210
doesn't rule life out, but it definitely

47
00:01:56.210 --> 00:01:58.610
changes where and how we would look for it.

48
00:01:58.930 --> 00:02:00.850
It's a fantastic reminder that our

49
00:02:00.850 --> 00:02:03.410
assumptions are always being tested by new

50
00:02:03.410 --> 00:02:03.730
data.

51
00:02:04.530 --> 00:02:07.290
Avery: Absolutely. From the far reaches of the solar

52
00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:09.610
system. Let's come a little closer to home

53
00:02:09.610 --> 00:02:10.610
for our next story.

54
00:02:10.850 --> 00:02:13.610
It involves SpaceX's Starlink constellation,

55
00:02:13.610 --> 00:02:15.410
which had a bit of a hiccup recently.

56
00:02:15.970 --> 00:02:17.860
Anna: Mm I saw the headlines on this. What

57
00:02:17.860 --> 00:02:18.340
happened?

58
00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:21.260
Avery: One other satellites experienced what they're

59
00:02:21.260 --> 00:02:23.650
calling an, anomaly. It essentially broke

60
00:02:23.650 --> 00:02:26.130
apart, creating a small amount of trackable

61
00:02:26.130 --> 00:02:28.010
debris and of course, cutting off

62
00:02:28.010 --> 00:02:29.810
communication with the satellite itself.

63
00:02:30.730 --> 00:02:33.570
Anna: Space debris is always a concern. Is this

64
00:02:33.570 --> 00:02:35.770
a major risk to other satellites?

65
00:02:36.330 --> 00:02:38.810
Avery: Fortunately, in this case, the risk is very

66
00:02:38.810 --> 00:02:41.170
low. SpaceX has confirmed that the satellite

67
00:02:41.170 --> 00:02:43.690
is in a very low orbit and is expected to

68
00:02:43.690 --> 00:02:45.890
completely deorbit and burn up in Earth's

69
00:02:45.890 --> 00:02:48.650
atmosphere within a few weeks. So it's A self

70
00:02:48.650 --> 00:02:50.410
cleaning problem. Which is good news.

71
00:02:50.890 --> 00:02:53.090
Anna: That's a relief. But it does highlight the

72
00:02:53.090 --> 00:02:55.610
growing debate around these massive satellite

73
00:02:55.610 --> 00:02:57.930
mega constellations and the long term

74
00:02:57.930 --> 00:03:00.690
sustainability of low Earth orbit. One

75
00:03:00.690 --> 00:03:03.350
anomaly. But thousands of

76
00:03:03.350 --> 00:03:05.510
satellites increase the odds of future

77
00:03:05.510 --> 00:03:06.150
problems.

78
00:03:06.710 --> 00:03:09.270
Avery: And the numbers are truly staggering. We're

79
00:03:09.270 --> 00:03:11.070
not talking about hundreds of satellites

80
00:03:11.070 --> 00:03:13.390
anymore, but tens of thousands planned for

81
00:03:13.390 --> 00:03:15.550
launch in the coming years. It raises the

82
00:03:15.550 --> 00:03:17.750
specter of the Kessler Syndrome, doesn't it?

83
00:03:17.909 --> 00:03:20.350
Where the density of objects becomes so high

84
00:03:20.350 --> 00:03:22.590
that collisions create a cascading chain

85
00:03:22.590 --> 00:03:23.750
reaction of debris.

86
00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:26.830
Anna: It absolutely does. That's the nightmare

87
00:03:26.830 --> 00:03:29.280
scenario for space agencies. A runaway

88
00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:32.280
cascade could render certain orbits unusable.

89
00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:34.580
For that's why international

90
00:03:34.820 --> 00:03:37.740
cooperation on space traffic management and

91
00:03:37.740 --> 00:03:40.340
debris mitigation is becoming so critical.

92
00:03:40.660 --> 00:03:42.860
It's not just about protecting individual

93
00:03:42.860 --> 00:03:45.540
assets anymore. It's about preserving access

94
00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:47.060
to space for everyone.

95
00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:50.660
Avery: Precisely. The technology is incredible. But

96
00:03:50.660 --> 00:03:52.900
the responsibility that comes with it is

97
00:03:52.900 --> 00:03:55.780
equally immense. A crucial topic for our

98
00:03:55.780 --> 00:03:56.100
times.

99
00:03:56.820 --> 00:03:59.460
Anna: So it's less about a single failure and more

100
00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:01.940
about the cumulative risk of having so much

101
00:04:01.940 --> 00:04:04.700
hardware orbiting above us. It's a delicate

102
00:04:04.700 --> 00:04:07.360
balance between enabling global connectivity

103
00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:09.920
and creating a long term environmental

104
00:04:09.920 --> 00:04:12.160
problem right on our cosmic doorstep.

105
00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:14.960
Avery: That's the bigger conversation for sure. It's

106
00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:17.080
a test case for how companies manage their

107
00:04:17.080 --> 00:04:18.080
orbital footprint.

108
00:04:18.640 --> 00:04:21.640
Speaking of managing space, our next topic

109
00:04:21.640 --> 00:04:23.240
shifts from the corporate to the

110
00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:25.770
governmental. Anna. you're taking us into the

111
00:04:25.770 --> 00:04:27.050
world of space policy.

112
00:04:27.530 --> 00:04:29.970
Anna: That's right. President Trump issued an

113
00:04:29.970 --> 00:04:31.970
executive order that significantly

114
00:04:31.970 --> 00:04:34.700
reorganized national space policy. The

115
00:04:34.700 --> 00:04:37.140
headline grabbing goals set by the order was

116
00:04:37.140 --> 00:04:39.940
a 2028 landing for astronauts on the moon.

117
00:04:40.180 --> 00:04:43.020
Avery: 2028. That's an incredibly

118
00:04:43.020 --> 00:04:45.220
ambitious timeline. Even more aggressive than

119
00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:46.820
NASA's own initial plans.

120
00:04:46.980 --> 00:04:49.420
Anna: Extremely. The order was designed to

121
00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:51.900
accelerate things. Reinforcing NASA's

122
00:04:51.900 --> 00:04:54.140
Artemis program which is the framework for

123
00:04:54.140 --> 00:04:56.740
that lunar return. Beyond the moon landing.

124
00:04:56.740 --> 00:04:59.060
The order also called for a comprehensive

125
00:04:59.060 --> 00:05:01.620
space security strategy addressing the

126
00:05:01.620 --> 00:05:04.260
increasing militarization and competition in

127
00:05:04.260 --> 00:05:04.580
space.

128
00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:07.500
Avery: That makes sense. It's about planting a flag

129
00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:10.220
both literally on the moon m and figuratively

130
00:05:10.220 --> 00:05:12.980
in terms of geopolitical standing. Did the

131
00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:14.380
order have lasting effects?

132
00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:17.140
Anna: It certainly solidified the Artemis program's

133
00:05:17.140 --> 00:05:19.580
direction and injected a sense of urgency.

134
00:05:19.900 --> 00:05:22.380
While the 2028 timeline has since been

135
00:05:22.380 --> 00:05:25.220
adjusted to be more realistic, the core focus

136
00:05:25.220 --> 00:05:27.700
on a sustainable lunar presence and preparing

137
00:05:27.700 --> 00:05:30.540
for Mars remains central to US space policy.

138
00:05:30.940 --> 00:05:32.780
It really framed the narrative for this

139
00:05:32.780 --> 00:05:34.220
decade of space exploration.

140
00:05:34.540 --> 00:05:37.180
Avery: It's fascinating how policy can shape science

141
00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:40.020
on such a grand scale. And from grand

142
00:05:40.020 --> 00:05:42.540
policy to a grand cosmic mystery.

143
00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:45.300
Our next story feels like a detective novel.

144
00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:47.660
Set in space. We're talking about the

145
00:05:47.660 --> 00:05:49.660
exoplanet Fomalhaut B.

146
00:05:49.740 --> 00:05:52.690
Anna: Ah, the zombie planet. I love this story. It

147
00:05:52.690 --> 00:05:54.610
was one of the first exoplanets to be

148
00:05:54.610 --> 00:05:57.570
directly imaged. But it behaved so strangely

149
00:05:57.570 --> 00:05:58.290
over the years.

150
00:05:58.610 --> 00:06:01.490
Avery: Exactly. It was dimming and had a weird

151
00:06:01.490 --> 00:06:04.210
orbit. Well, astronomers using the Hubble

152
00:06:04.210 --> 00:06:06.750
Space Telescope finally cracked the case.

153
00:06:07.070 --> 00:06:10.070
Fomalhaut B was never a planet. What they had

154
00:06:10.070 --> 00:06:12.390
been tracking was the expanding cloud of

155
00:06:12.390 --> 00:06:14.990
debris from a massive cosmic crash between

156
00:06:14.990 --> 00:06:16.590
two large icy bodies.

157
00:06:17.070 --> 00:06:19.110
Anna: So they were literally watching the dust

158
00:06:19.110 --> 00:06:21.470
settle from a collision. That's incredible.

159
00:06:21.630 --> 00:06:24.070
Avery: It gets even better. They realized that they

160
00:06:24.070 --> 00:06:26.470
had also witnessed a second more recent

161
00:06:26.470 --> 00:06:28.910
collision in the same system. This means

162
00:06:28.910 --> 00:06:31.510
we're getting a rare real time look at how

163
00:06:31.510 --> 00:06:34.160
planetary systems are built through violent

164
00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:36.680
chaotic collisions. We're not just finding

165
00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:38.680
planets, we're watching the construction

166
00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:39.080
zone.

167
00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:41.800
Anna: It really is a construction zone, and a messy

168
00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:43.920
one at that. What kind of scale are we

169
00:06:43.920 --> 00:06:45.720
talking about for these colliding objects?

170
00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:47.800
Are these planet sized bodies?

171
00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:50.160
Avery: Based on the models, they estimate the

172
00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:53.160
objects were both around 200 km in diameter.

173
00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:55.720
So large asteroids or protoplanets.

174
00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:58.360
The impact would have been catastrophic,

175
00:06:58.520 --> 00:07:01.040
vaporizing them and creating an expanding

176
00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:03.560
cloud of extremely fine dust particles

177
00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:06.300
smaller than grains of sand. That's what

178
00:07:06.300 --> 00:07:07.780
Hubble was actually seeing.

179
00:07:07.940 --> 00:07:10.180
Anna: And that dust cloud is what tricked everyone

180
00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:12.940
into thinking it was a planet for so long. It

181
00:07:12.940 --> 00:07:15.020
was bright enough to be seen, but as the

182
00:07:15.020 --> 00:07:17.620
cloud expanded and dispersed, the object

183
00:07:17.620 --> 00:07:20.180
appeared to dim and eventually fade away.

184
00:07:20.420 --> 00:07:22.500
Which is not something a planet does.

185
00:07:22.740 --> 00:07:25.220
Avery: Exactly. It's a perfect example of the

186
00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:27.780
scientific process in action. An observation,

187
00:07:27.940 --> 00:07:30.740
a hypothesis, and then

188
00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:33.310
more observations that don't fit, leading to

189
00:07:33.310 --> 00:07:35.750
a completely new and even more exciting

190
00:07:35.830 --> 00:07:38.270
conclusion. The universe is full of

191
00:07:38.270 --> 00:07:40.790
surprises. And sometimes a, disappearing act

192
00:07:40.790 --> 00:07:43.030
is more interesting than a discovery that

193
00:07:43.030 --> 00:07:43.270
gives.

194
00:07:43.270 --> 00:07:45.470
Anna: You such a sense of perspective. It's a

195
00:07:45.470 --> 00:07:47.590
reminder of the dynamic and sometimes

196
00:07:47.590 --> 00:07:49.870
destructive processes that shaped our own

197
00:07:49.870 --> 00:07:52.710
solar system billions of years ago. What a

198
00:07:52.710 --> 00:07:53.390
discovery.

199
00:07:53.710 --> 00:07:56.190
And speaking of things passing through, our

200
00:07:56.190 --> 00:07:58.710
next story is about a visitor that won't be

201
00:07:58.710 --> 00:07:59.700
staying right.

202
00:07:59.780 --> 00:08:01.230
Avery: An, interstellar traveler.

203
00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:04.110
Anna: Indeed. The interstellar comet 3I

204
00:08:04.110 --> 00:08:06.510
ATLAS is currently making its closest

205
00:08:06.510 --> 00:08:08.990
approach to Earth. This is an object that was

206
00:08:08.990 --> 00:08:11.470
born in another solar system and has been

207
00:08:11.470 --> 00:08:13.470
traveling through the galaxy for millions,

208
00:08:13.630 --> 00:08:16.030
maybe billions of years before wandering into

209
00:08:16.030 --> 00:08:16.830
our neighborhood.

210
00:08:16.910 --> 00:08:19.030
Avery: Can we see it? Is this another naked eye

211
00:08:19.030 --> 00:08:19.950
comet opportunity?

212
00:08:20.270 --> 00:08:23.270
Anna: Unfortunately, no. It's far too faint for the

213
00:08:23.270 --> 00:08:26.270
naked eye or even backyard telescopes. But

214
00:08:26.270 --> 00:08:28.070
for those who want to follow its journey,

215
00:08:28.070 --> 00:08:29.950
there are numerous online tools and

216
00:08:29.950 --> 00:08:32.650
observatories providing tracking data and

217
00:08:32.650 --> 00:08:35.050
even live streams as it makes its flyby.

218
00:08:35.450 --> 00:08:38.260
Avery: So we can still watch it just digitally. And

219
00:08:38.220 --> 00:08:39.820
this is a one time show, right?

220
00:08:40.060 --> 00:08:42.460
Anna: Correct. Its trajectory is hyperbolic,

221
00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:44.740
meaning it has more than enough speed to

222
00:08:44.740 --> 00:08:47.460
escape the sun's gravity. Once it passes us,

223
00:08:47.460 --> 00:08:49.580
it's heading back out into interstellar

224
00:08:49.580 --> 00:08:52.220
space, never to return. It's a fleeting

225
00:08:52.220 --> 00:08:54.620
chance for scientists to study a pristine

226
00:08:54.700 --> 00:08:56.700
sample from another star system.

227
00:08:57.150 --> 00:08:59.990
Avery: Incredible. It's like a cosmic postcard from

228
00:08:59.990 --> 00:09:01.230
a place we'll never visit.

229
00:09:01.790 --> 00:09:04.150
For our final story, we're zooming out from a

230
00:09:04.150 --> 00:09:06.430
single object to look at the entire sky,

231
00:09:06.430 --> 00:09:08.110
thanks to a new NASA mission.

232
00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.640
Anna: This is about the Spherex telescope, right?

233
00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:13.600
Avery: That's the one. The Spherex Space Telescope

234
00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.400
has just completed its first all sky infrared

235
00:09:16.400 --> 00:09:18.960
map. This isn't just a picture. It's a map

236
00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:21.560
taken in 102 different colors of

237
00:09:21.560 --> 00:09:24.000
infrared light. Think of it as giving us a

238
00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:26.360
new set of eyes to see the universe's heat

239
00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:28.310
signature in unprecedented detail.

240
00:09:28.380 --> 00:09:30.580
Anna: Detail. And what will scientists do with that

241
00:09:30.580 --> 00:09:32.820
data? What questions can this map help

242
00:09:32.820 --> 00:09:33.180
answer?

243
00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:35.100
Avery: It's going to tackle some of the biggest

244
00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:37.820
questions in cosmology. First, by looking at

245
00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:39.860
the large scale structure of the universe, it

246
00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:42.140
will help us study the rapid expansion period

247
00:09:42.220 --> 00:09:45.220
right after the Big Bang. Second, it will map

248
00:09:45.220 --> 00:09:47.540
how galaxies have formed and evolved over

249
00:09:47.540 --> 00:09:48.380
cosmic time.

250
00:09:48.540 --> 00:09:49.980
Anna: That alone is huge.

251
00:09:50.300 --> 00:09:52.780
Avery: It is. And third, and perhaps most

252
00:09:52.780 --> 00:09:55.060
excitingly for many, it will map the

253
00:09:55.060 --> 00:09:57.660
distribution of water and organic molecules,

254
00:09:57.660 --> 00:10:00.140
the key ingredients for life throughout our

255
00:10:00.280 --> 00:10:02.520
galaxy's stellar nurseries and planet forming

256
00:10:02.520 --> 00:10:04.840
disks. This map will be a foundational

257
00:10:04.920 --> 00:10:07.000
resource for astronomers for decades.

258
00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:09.440
Anna: From the origins of the universe to the

259
00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:12.360
origins of life. That's an incredible scope.

260
00:10:12.440 --> 00:10:14.840
A perfect big picture story to end on.

261
00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:17.560
Avery: And that's a wrap for today's episode. We've

262
00:10:17.560 --> 00:10:20.200
gone from a slushy moon to a phantom planet.

263
00:10:20.200 --> 00:10:22.080
And all the way out to an interstellar

264
00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:22.600
visitor.

265
00:10:22.680 --> 00:10:25.360
Anna: Thanks for joining us on Astronomy Daily. You

266
00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:27.760
can find us on all major podcast platforms

267
00:10:27.760 --> 00:10:30.480
and our DMs are always open for questions and

268
00:10:30.480 --> 00:10:31.560
future show ideas.

269
00:10:31.910 --> 00:10:33.630
Avery: We'll be back next time with more news from

270
00:10:33.630 --> 00:10:36.030
across the cosmos. Until then, keep looking

271
00:10:36.030 --> 00:10:36.390
up.