June 5, 2025
Giant Planets, Cosmic Puzzles, and China's Rocket Revolution
Highlights: - Giant Planet Discovery: Dive into the astonishing discovery of TOI 6894 b, a gas giant orbiting the diminutive red dwarf star TOI 6894. This finding challenges our understanding of planet formation, as such small stars were not thought...
Highlights:
- Giant Planet Discovery: Dive into the astonishing discovery of TOI 6894 b, a gas giant orbiting the diminutive red dwarf star TOI 6894. This finding challenges our understanding of planet formation, as such small stars were not thought to possess enough material to form giant planets. With deep transits blocking 17% of the star's light, astronomers are eager to study its atmosphere using the James Webb Space Telescope.
- The Mystery of Heavy Elements: Explore the peculiar star Limos J 0804 5740, found within the remnants of a dwarf galaxy known as the Gaia Sausage. This actinide boost star holds clues to the origins of the universe's heaviest elements, such as uranium and thorium, which are produced through rapid neutron capture processes. Studying this star may help unravel the cosmic puzzle of how these elements are formed.
- China's Reusable Rocket: Learn about Space Epic's recent test launch of their reusable rocket booster, the Yangxing Zhi one, which successfully performed a soft landing in the ocean. Although it sank post-landing, the test demonstrated crucial capabilities for future missions, showcasing China's growing ambitions in space exploration alongside its emerging private sector.
- Galaxy Clusters on a Collision Course: Get the latest on NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory findings, revealing two galaxy clusters that have already collided and are now on a trajectory for a second encounter. These clusters, located 2.8 billion light years away, exhibit unique shock fronts and provide valuable insights into the dynamics of massive cosmic structures.
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, 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.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - Discovery of giant planet TOI 6894 b
10:00 - The mystery of heavy elements and Limos J 0804 5740
15:30 - China's reusable rocket Yangxing Zhi one
20:00 - Galaxy clusters on a collision course
✍️ Episode References
TOI 6894 b Discovery Details
[NASA Exoplanet Archive]( https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/ )
Heavy Elements and R Process Research
[Nature Astronomy]( https://www.nature.com )
Space Epic's Yangxing Zhi one Launch
[Space Epic]( https://www.spaceepic.com/ )
Chandra X-ray Observatory Findings
[NASA Chandra]( https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/main/index.html )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ )
For Commercial-Free versions become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support .
- Giant Planet Discovery: Dive into the astonishing discovery of TOI 6894 b, a gas giant orbiting the diminutive red dwarf star TOI 6894. This finding challenges our understanding of planet formation, as such small stars were not thought to possess enough material to form giant planets. With deep transits blocking 17% of the star's light, astronomers are eager to study its atmosphere using the James Webb Space Telescope.
- The Mystery of Heavy Elements: Explore the peculiar star Limos J 0804 5740, found within the remnants of a dwarf galaxy known as the Gaia Sausage. This actinide boost star holds clues to the origins of the universe's heaviest elements, such as uranium and thorium, which are produced through rapid neutron capture processes. Studying this star may help unravel the cosmic puzzle of how these elements are formed.
- China's Reusable Rocket: Learn about Space Epic's recent test launch of their reusable rocket booster, the Yangxing Zhi one, which successfully performed a soft landing in the ocean. Although it sank post-landing, the test demonstrated crucial capabilities for future missions, showcasing China's growing ambitions in space exploration alongside its emerging private sector.
- Galaxy Clusters on a Collision Course: Get the latest on NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory findings, revealing two galaxy clusters that have already collided and are now on a trajectory for a second encounter. These clusters, located 2.8 billion light years away, exhibit unique shock fronts and provide valuable insights into the dynamics of massive cosmic structures.
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, 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.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - Discovery of giant planet TOI 6894 b
10:00 - The mystery of heavy elements and Limos J 0804 5740
15:30 - China's reusable rocket Yangxing Zhi one
20:00 - Galaxy clusters on a collision course
✍️ Episode References
TOI 6894 b Discovery Details
[NASA Exoplanet Archive]( https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/ )
Heavy Elements and R Process Research
[Nature Astronomy]( https://www.nature.com )
Space Epic's Yangxing Zhi one Launch
[Space Epic]( https://www.spaceepic.com/ )
Chandra X-ray Observatory Findings
[NASA Chandra]( https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/main/index.html )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ )
For Commercial-Free versions become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support .
WEBVTT
0
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.320
Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your host, Anna,
1
00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:05.960
and I'm really excited to bring you your daily dose of cosmic
2
00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:08.920
happenings. Today we've got some really cool stuff to
3
00:00:08.920 --> 00:00:11.680
talk about. From a giant planet orbiting a tiny star
4
00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:14.840
to a weird star that might just solve one of astronomy's
5
00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:17.840
biggest mysteries. We will also cover China's reusable
6
00:00:17.840 --> 00:00:20.760
rocket and two galaxy clusters about to crash into
7
00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:23.600
each other again. So buckle up space fans.
8
00:00:23.840 --> 00:00:25.360
It's going to be an awesome ride.
9
00:00:26.890 --> 00:00:29.450
First up, we're diving into the head scratching
10
00:00:29.450 --> 00:00:32.170
discovery of a giant planet, TOI
11
00:00:32.250 --> 00:00:34.650
6894 b,
12
00:00:34.810 --> 00:00:37.450
orbiting a red dwarf star called TOI
13
00:00:37.450 --> 00:00:40.250
6894. Now, this
14
00:00:40.250 --> 00:00:43.210
star is tiny. I mean, we're talking about one fifth
15
00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:46.210
the size of our sun, which makes the discovery of
16
00:00:46.210 --> 00:00:48.250
this planet like a huge surprise.
17
00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:52.170
See, these small stars weren't thought to have enough material
18
00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:55.060
to even form giant planets. But there
19
00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:56.460
it is, TOI
20
00:00:56.460 --> 00:00:59.260
6894B, a
21
00:00:59.260 --> 00:01:01.380
gas giant roughly the size of Saturn.
22
00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:05.020
It's kinda like finding a fully grown elephant living in
23
00:01:05.020 --> 00:01:07.700
a mousehole, you know, this discovery
24
00:01:07.700 --> 00:01:10.499
kinda turns our understanding of planet formation on its
25
00:01:10.499 --> 00:01:13.180
head. The current theory suggests that the amount of
26
00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:15.940
material in the disc around a star which eventually
27
00:01:15.940 --> 00:01:18.900
forms planets is proportional to the star's mass.
28
00:01:19.460 --> 00:01:22.300
So a tiny star shouldn't have enough stuff to make a
29
00:01:22.300 --> 00:01:25.150
giant planet. But apparently nature
30
00:01:25.150 --> 00:01:27.950
loves to throw curveballs. Now,
31
00:01:27.950 --> 00:01:30.910
because TOI6894B has such
32
00:01:30.910 --> 00:01:33.830
deep transits, I mean, when it passes in front of its star,
33
00:01:33.990 --> 00:01:36.470
it blocks a whopping 17% of the light.
34
00:01:36.710 --> 00:01:39.710
It's a perfect candidate for atmosphere study. A team
35
00:01:39.710 --> 00:01:42.630
of astronomers has already applied for time with the James
36
00:01:42.630 --> 00:01:45.430
Webb Space Telescope to do just
37
00:01:45.430 --> 00:01:48.270
that. They are hoping to find a lot of methane in the
38
00:01:48.270 --> 00:01:51.260
exoplanet's atmosphere. That'll give us a better idea
39
00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:54.260
of how this planet formed and maybe help us refine
40
00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:57.020
our planet formation theories. Pretty cool, huh? Huh?
41
00:01:58.380 --> 00:02:00.780
Next up, let's talk about a really odd star,
42
00:02:01.100 --> 00:02:03.696
limos J 0804
43
00:02:04.024 --> 00:02:06.940
5740, residing in what's
44
00:02:06.940 --> 00:02:09.660
known as the Gaia Sausage. And no, it's not a
45
00:02:09.660 --> 00:02:12.660
galactic deli item. The Gaia Sausage is actually the
46
00:02:12.660 --> 00:02:15.340
remains of a dwarf galaxy that merged with our
47
00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:18.270
Milky Way billions of years ago. Now, this
48
00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:21.150
star, it may just help us solve one of astronomy's
49
00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:23.830
big mysteries. Where did the universe's heaviest
50
00:02:23.830 --> 00:02:26.710
elements come from? These elements, like uranium
51
00:02:26.710 --> 00:02:29.550
and thorium, are created through something called the
52
00:02:29.550 --> 00:02:32.270
R process. That's a rapid neutron
53
00:02:32.270 --> 00:02:34.990
capture process, essentially Atomic
54
00:02:34.990 --> 00:02:37.310
nuclei rapidly grab neutrons in extreme
55
00:02:37.310 --> 00:02:39.910
environments like neutron star mergers or
56
00:02:39.910 --> 00:02:42.910
supernovas, creating heavier elements. But
57
00:02:42.910 --> 00:02:45.850
here's the thing. We haven't quite figured out all the sources of the
58
00:02:45.850 --> 00:02:48.690
R process, and that's where Lemost J
59
00:02:48.690 --> 00:02:51.570
08045740
60
00:02:51.570 --> 00:02:54.330
comes in. This star is what they call an
61
00:02:54.330 --> 00:02:57.090
actinide boost star, meaning it has a high abundance of
62
00:02:57.090 --> 00:02:58.810
radioactive elements, actinides.
63
00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:02.730
So the star's unusual composition provides new
64
00:03:02.730 --> 00:03:05.650
clues about the different types of R process events that
65
00:03:05.650 --> 00:03:08.560
can occur in the universe. By studying it, astronomers,
66
00:03:09.210 --> 00:03:11.960
hope to better understand where these heavy elements
67
00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:14.080
come from and how they're created.
68
00:03:14.720 --> 00:03:17.680
It's like piecing together a cosmic puzzle, you know? You
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okay?
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So shifting gears a little, let's head over to China where
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a rocket startup called Space Epic, or Sepok
72
00:03:25.240 --> 00:03:27.800
if you like it short, recently showed off its
73
00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:30.240
reusable rocket booster, the Yangxing Zhi one.
74
00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:33.480
They had a test launch and get this, it did a soft landing right
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in the ocean. I mean, sadly it sank
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afterwards, but hey, the launch and the test were
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still a success. Apparently the whole point was
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to test things like the engine's thrust control,
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shutdown and restart capabilities. Plus they tested
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free descent, gliding and hovering before splashdown.
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Pretty cool right? Now this Yangxing Zhe booster is kinda
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00:03:53.430 --> 00:03:56.350
interesting. It's made from lightweight, thin walled aluminium,
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stainless steel and runs on liquid oxygen and
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methane. It's about 4.2 metres in diameter and
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almost 27 metres tall. Now I know what you're
86
00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:06.700
thinking, how does this stack up against SpaceX?
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00:04:07.020 --> 00:04:09.940
Well, SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster is a bit narrower, but
88
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it's taller. And speaking of SpaceX,
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it's kind of wild how they've turned landing and
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reusing boosters into like a near daily thing.
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Meanwhile, China is catching up with a bunch of space startups
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popping up recently. And you
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know, with China working on its own mega satellite
94
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constellation and planning some seriously ambitious missions,
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including their own version of the Hubble telescope, it's
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clear they are becoming a major player in space exploration.
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Space Epoch is hoping to reach orbit later this year.
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So yeah, it's definitely going to be interesting to see what these China
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based startups do in the coming years.
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Alright. Ah, next up in our cosmic headlines, NASA's
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Chandra X Ray Observatory has spotted something pretty
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wild. We're talking about two galaxy clusters
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known as PSZ2 G1,
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81.06 plus 48.47
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that have already collided once and are now heading back for a
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00:05:03.730 --> 00:05:06.570
second smash up. Now, galaxy clusters
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00:05:06.650 --> 00:05:09.650
just so, you know, are like the biggest structures in the
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universe held together by gravity. They're
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basically massive collections of galaxies,
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superheated gas, and dark matter.
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These two clusters are about 2.8 billion light
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years away. And after their first collision, they
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created these huge parentheses shaped shock fronts,
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kind of like sonic booms, but on a cosmic
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scale. These shock fronts are now separated by
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about 11 million light years, which is apparently
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the largest separation astronomers have ever seen.
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But get this. Chandra and XMM Newton
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data show that these clusters are now slowing down
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and turning around for another collision.
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Astronomers have spotted three new shock fronts that seem
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to be early signs of this second crash.
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What's really interesting is that the total mass of this
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system is less than other colliding
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galaxy clusters, making it a pretty
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unusual case. This event is
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giving scientists a, peek into the dynamics of these
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massive structures and how they evolve over
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time. So that's your
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Astronomy Daily News summary for today. From a tiny
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star with a giant planet to colliding galaxy clusters,
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I've been your host, Anna, and I hope you enjoyed our little
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tour of the cosmos. For all the latest space
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and astronomy news, don't forget to visit our website at
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00:06:25.600 --> 00:06:28.440
astronomydaily IO where you can catch up on
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00:06:28.440 --> 00:06:31.280
our constantly updating news feed. Until tomorrow,
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00:06:31.280 --> 00:06:33.440
thanks for tuning in and keep looking up
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stories.
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00:06:55.750 --> 00:06:56.390
We told.
0
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.320
Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your host, Anna,
1
00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:05.960
and I'm really excited to bring you your daily dose of cosmic
2
00:00:05.960 --> 00:00:08.920
happenings. Today we've got some really cool stuff to
3
00:00:08.920 --> 00:00:11.680
talk about. From a giant planet orbiting a tiny star
4
00:00:12.080 --> 00:00:14.840
to a weird star that might just solve one of astronomy's
5
00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:17.840
biggest mysteries. We will also cover China's reusable
6
00:00:17.840 --> 00:00:20.760
rocket and two galaxy clusters about to crash into
7
00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:23.600
each other again. So buckle up space fans.
8
00:00:23.840 --> 00:00:25.360
It's going to be an awesome ride.
9
00:00:26.890 --> 00:00:29.450
First up, we're diving into the head scratching
10
00:00:29.450 --> 00:00:32.170
discovery of a giant planet, TOI
11
00:00:32.250 --> 00:00:34.650
6894 b,
12
00:00:34.810 --> 00:00:37.450
orbiting a red dwarf star called TOI
13
00:00:37.450 --> 00:00:40.250
6894. Now, this
14
00:00:40.250 --> 00:00:43.210
star is tiny. I mean, we're talking about one fifth
15
00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:46.210
the size of our sun, which makes the discovery of
16
00:00:46.210 --> 00:00:48.250
this planet like a huge surprise.
17
00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:52.170
See, these small stars weren't thought to have enough material
18
00:00:52.170 --> 00:00:55.060
to even form giant planets. But there
19
00:00:55.060 --> 00:00:56.460
it is, TOI
20
00:00:56.460 --> 00:00:59.260
6894B, a
21
00:00:59.260 --> 00:01:01.380
gas giant roughly the size of Saturn.
22
00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:05.020
It's kinda like finding a fully grown elephant living in
23
00:01:05.020 --> 00:01:07.700
a mousehole, you know, this discovery
24
00:01:07.700 --> 00:01:10.499
kinda turns our understanding of planet formation on its
25
00:01:10.499 --> 00:01:13.180
head. The current theory suggests that the amount of
26
00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:15.940
material in the disc around a star which eventually
27
00:01:15.940 --> 00:01:18.900
forms planets is proportional to the star's mass.
28
00:01:19.460 --> 00:01:22.300
So a tiny star shouldn't have enough stuff to make a
29
00:01:22.300 --> 00:01:25.150
giant planet. But apparently nature
30
00:01:25.150 --> 00:01:27.950
loves to throw curveballs. Now,
31
00:01:27.950 --> 00:01:30.910
because TOI6894B has such
32
00:01:30.910 --> 00:01:33.830
deep transits, I mean, when it passes in front of its star,
33
00:01:33.990 --> 00:01:36.470
it blocks a whopping 17% of the light.
34
00:01:36.710 --> 00:01:39.710
It's a perfect candidate for atmosphere study. A team
35
00:01:39.710 --> 00:01:42.630
of astronomers has already applied for time with the James
36
00:01:42.630 --> 00:01:45.430
Webb Space Telescope to do just
37
00:01:45.430 --> 00:01:48.270
that. They are hoping to find a lot of methane in the
38
00:01:48.270 --> 00:01:51.260
exoplanet's atmosphere. That'll give us a better idea
39
00:01:51.260 --> 00:01:54.260
of how this planet formed and maybe help us refine
40
00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:57.020
our planet formation theories. Pretty cool, huh? Huh?
41
00:01:58.380 --> 00:02:00.780
Next up, let's talk about a really odd star,
42
00:02:01.100 --> 00:02:03.696
limos J 0804
43
00:02:04.024 --> 00:02:06.940
5740, residing in what's
44
00:02:06.940 --> 00:02:09.660
known as the Gaia Sausage. And no, it's not a
45
00:02:09.660 --> 00:02:12.660
galactic deli item. The Gaia Sausage is actually the
46
00:02:12.660 --> 00:02:15.340
remains of a dwarf galaxy that merged with our
47
00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:18.270
Milky Way billions of years ago. Now, this
48
00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:21.150
star, it may just help us solve one of astronomy's
49
00:02:21.150 --> 00:02:23.830
big mysteries. Where did the universe's heaviest
50
00:02:23.830 --> 00:02:26.710
elements come from? These elements, like uranium
51
00:02:26.710 --> 00:02:29.550
and thorium, are created through something called the
52
00:02:29.550 --> 00:02:32.270
R process. That's a rapid neutron
53
00:02:32.270 --> 00:02:34.990
capture process, essentially Atomic
54
00:02:34.990 --> 00:02:37.310
nuclei rapidly grab neutrons in extreme
55
00:02:37.310 --> 00:02:39.910
environments like neutron star mergers or
56
00:02:39.910 --> 00:02:42.910
supernovas, creating heavier elements. But
57
00:02:42.910 --> 00:02:45.850
here's the thing. We haven't quite figured out all the sources of the
58
00:02:45.850 --> 00:02:48.690
R process, and that's where Lemost J
59
00:02:48.690 --> 00:02:51.570
08045740
60
00:02:51.570 --> 00:02:54.330
comes in. This star is what they call an
61
00:02:54.330 --> 00:02:57.090
actinide boost star, meaning it has a high abundance of
62
00:02:57.090 --> 00:02:58.810
radioactive elements, actinides.
63
00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:02.730
So the star's unusual composition provides new
64
00:03:02.730 --> 00:03:05.650
clues about the different types of R process events that
65
00:03:05.650 --> 00:03:08.560
can occur in the universe. By studying it, astronomers,
66
00:03:09.210 --> 00:03:11.960
hope to better understand where these heavy elements
67
00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:14.080
come from and how they're created.
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It's like piecing together a cosmic puzzle, you know? You
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okay?
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So shifting gears a little, let's head over to China where
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a rocket startup called Space Epic, or Sepok
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if you like it short, recently showed off its
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reusable rocket booster, the Yangxing Zhi one.
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They had a test launch and get this, it did a soft landing right
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in the ocean. I mean, sadly it sank
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afterwards, but hey, the launch and the test were
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still a success. Apparently the whole point was
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to test things like the engine's thrust control,
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shutdown and restart capabilities. Plus they tested
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free descent, gliding and hovering before splashdown.
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Pretty cool right? Now this Yangxing Zhe booster is kinda
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interesting. It's made from lightweight, thin walled aluminium,
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stainless steel and runs on liquid oxygen and
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methane. It's about 4.2 metres in diameter and
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almost 27 metres tall. Now I know what you're
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thinking, how does this stack up against SpaceX?
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Well, SpaceX's Falcon 9 booster is a bit narrower, but
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it's taller. And speaking of SpaceX,
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it's kind of wild how they've turned landing and
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reusing boosters into like a near daily thing.
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Meanwhile, China is catching up with a bunch of space startups
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popping up recently. And you
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know, with China working on its own mega satellite
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constellation and planning some seriously ambitious missions,
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including their own version of the Hubble telescope, it's
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clear they are becoming a major player in space exploration.
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Space Epoch is hoping to reach orbit later this year.
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So yeah, it's definitely going to be interesting to see what these China
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based startups do in the coming years.
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Alright. Ah, next up in our cosmic headlines, NASA's
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Chandra X Ray Observatory has spotted something pretty
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wild. We're talking about two galaxy clusters
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known as PSZ2 G1,
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81.06 plus 48.47
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that have already collided once and are now heading back for a
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second smash up. Now, galaxy clusters
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just so, you know, are like the biggest structures in the
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universe held together by gravity. They're
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basically massive collections of galaxies,
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superheated gas, and dark matter.
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These two clusters are about 2.8 billion light
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years away. And after their first collision, they
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created these huge parentheses shaped shock fronts,
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kind of like sonic booms, but on a cosmic
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scale. These shock fronts are now separated by
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about 11 million light years, which is apparently
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the largest separation astronomers have ever seen.
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But get this. Chandra and XMM Newton
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data show that these clusters are now slowing down
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and turning around for another collision.
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Astronomers have spotted three new shock fronts that seem
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to be early signs of this second crash.
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What's really interesting is that the total mass of this
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system is less than other colliding
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galaxy clusters, making it a pretty
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unusual case. This event is
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giving scientists a, peek into the dynamics of these
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massive structures and how they evolve over
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time. So that's your
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Astronomy Daily News summary for today. From a tiny
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star with a giant planet to colliding galaxy clusters,
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I've been your host, Anna, and I hope you enjoyed our little
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tour of the cosmos. For all the latest space
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and astronomy news, don't forget to visit our website at
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astronomydaily IO where you can catch up on
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our constantly updating news feed. Until tomorrow,
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thanks for tuning in and keep looking up
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stories.
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We told.
