Mars' Lifeless Destiny, Cosmic Giants and Their Dramatic Winds, and the Search for Rogue Planets

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for

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all the latest and most intriguing news from the cosmos.

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I'm your host, Anna. Get ready to explore the

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mysteries of Mars. As new data from the

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Curiosity rover sheds light on whether the red planet was

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ever truly destined for life, we'll also

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peer into the lives of cosmic giants, those

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incredibly massive stars that vomit vast

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amounts of matter before collapsing into black holes.

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A process far more dramatic than we previously imagined.

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And speaking of drama, we'll uncover how decades old

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Hubble images helped astronomers track down an

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elusive rogue planet wandering through space.

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Finally, prepare to be amused and amazed as we count

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down some of the strangest man made objects floating around in

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Earth's orbit. From glittering pea crystals to a

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Tesla Roadster with a dummy driver. So

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buckle up and let's journey through the wonders of

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astronomy in space.

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Now let's turn our attention to our dusty red neighbour,

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Mars. For years, scientists have pondered

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whether the red planet could have once harboured life, with

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evidence like ancient lake beds and rivers hinting at a

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much warmer, wetter past. But a

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fascinating new study, drawing on data from NASA's

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incredibly resilient Curiosity rover

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suggests a more sombre truth. Mars might

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have always been destined to be the cold, lifeless

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desert we see today. It's a huge

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unanswered question, and as Edwin Kite, an

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associate professor at the University of Chicago and the

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lead author of this study, puts it, why has

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Earth managed to keep its habitability while Mars

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lost it? His team's models propose that those

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periods of warmth and wetness on Mars were actually the

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exception rather than the rule.

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Essentially, Mars seems to self

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regulate itself as a desert planet. M

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We're truly in a golden age of Mars science right now,

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with multiple rovers on the surface and a fleet of orbiters giving us

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unprecedented insights into its history.

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So what's the secret to maintaining a habitable world over

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billions of years? It's not enough for a

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planet to just start off warm and wet. You need

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robust mechanisms to stabilise those conditions.

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Responding to environmental changes on

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Earth, we have this incredible system of carbon

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cycling. Carbon dioxide, or

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CO2, in our atmosphere leads to

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a rise in temperature. But this warming effect

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then speeds up chemical reactions that lock that

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CO2 away into rocks, preventing

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runaway global warming. Then, through volcanic

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eruptions, that carbon slowly leaks back into the

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atmosphere, restarting the cycle and maintaining a

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stable climate. Mars, however, lacks

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this crucial balancing act. Unlike, um, Earth, where

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volcanoes are almost always erupting somewhere,

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Mars is currently volcanically dormant. The

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rate at which volcanic gases, including CO2,

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escape into the Martian atmosphere is incredibly slow.

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This M means that any CO2 that got locked up in

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Martian rocks during those brief wet periods didn't get

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recycled back into the atmosphere. If there was even

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a little liquid water, it would continually draw down

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atmospheric carbon dioxide through the formation of

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carbonates, like the siderate material that

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Curiosity actually found. Without

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volcanoes to replenish it, the atmosphere would

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thin, temperatures would plummet, and the planet would dry

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out. Kyte's team used sophisticated

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computer models directly informed by data from the

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Curiosity rover, including that crucial discovery

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of side rate. Their simulations paint a picture

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of Mars having short, fleeting, warm, wet periods.

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But these were consistently followed by vast stretches.

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We're talking 100 million years of intensely

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dry desert conditions. Not exactly ideal for life

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to truly take hold and flourish, is it? It seems Mars

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was indeed, in a way, doomed from the start

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from the mysteries of Mars.

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Let's rocket off to the other end of the cosmic scale and talk

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about some truly colossal objects. Very

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massive stars. These aren't your average stellar

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bodies. They're like the rock stars of the universe

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powerful, living fast and dying young.

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And surprising. New research reveals that these cosmic

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giants, before they collapse into black holes,

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might vomit out much more material than we ever thought

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through incredibly powerful stellar winds.

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Imagine winds so strong that they're less like a gentle

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breeze and more like a cosmic hurricane blowing

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the outer layers of these monstrous stars into space.

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While our sun is expected to live for about 10 billion

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years, these very massive stars burn

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through their nuclear fuel at an astonishing, astonishing rate.

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Sometimes living for only a few million or even a few

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hundred thousand years. Their lives may be short,

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but their impact on their environments is profound.

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These m strong winds, along with their eventual

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supernova explosions, eject newly formed

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elements into the vastness of space. Many of

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these elements go on to form the building blocks of new

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stars. And crucially, others, like carbon and

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oxygen, are the fundamental ingredients for life

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itself. Plus, these stellar

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behemoths are the progenitors of black holes,

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including the binary black holes that eventually

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merge and send out those ripples in spacetime we

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call gravitational waves, which we can detect here on

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Earth. For a long time, the behaviour of

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these incredibly rare, massive stars has

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puzzled astronomers. Observational

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constraints were few and far between. But thanks

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to recent direct observations from space and ground based

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telescopes, especially in the Tarantula

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Nebula of the Large Magellanic Cloud,

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scientists have finally been able to study stars with

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masses over a hundred times that of our Sun.

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These studies revealed that the most massive stars in the

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Tarantula Nebula are a Specific type of

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hot, bright Wolf Rayet star at the end of their

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hydrogen burning phase. What was odd was

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that these stars were found to be extremely hot,

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sometimes up to 50,000 degrees Celsius,

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which contrasted with standard models that predicted they should

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expand and cool down as they age.

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So how do you make the observations and the theory match up?

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The research team led by Kendall Shepard from the Institute for

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Advanced Study in Italy worked a new mass

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loss recipe into their stellar evolution

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code. Their new models featuring these much stronger

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stellar winds could finally match the observations.

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The powerful winds strip away so much of the star's

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outer layers, preventing it from cooling down

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while maintaining the surface composition that matches what was

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observed. The star stays more compact and hot for

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longer, exactly reproducing what telescopes have shown

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us. M this new understanding even sheds

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light on the origins of the most massive star ever

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seen, R136A1, which

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is found in the same Tarantula Nebula and boasts

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up to 230 times the mass of our Sun.

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The model suggests it could have been born as a single

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truly ginormous star, or perhaps

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formed from a dramatic stellar merger.

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This could even hint at a revision to what we thought was the

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upper limit for how massive a star can be in our

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local universe. But the implications

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don't stop there. These stronger stellar

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winds and the rapid mass loss they cause also

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have a significant impact on the masses of black holes

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formed when these stars finally collapse.

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Because hm the stronger winds strip away so much of the

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star's mass during its lifetime, and these stars end

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up forming smaller black holes at the end of their lives.

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This helps reconcile models with what's actually observed in

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nature, as it means fewer of those elusive

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intermediate mass black holes are produced.

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Objects that have proved notoriously difficult for

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astronomers to find. M Even more exciting

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when the team looked at binary black holes in their

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simulations, the new models with stronger winds were

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able to produce systems where both black holes were very

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massive. This is a crucial breakthrough because

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such massive binary black holes have been observed by

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gravitational wave detectors. But previous models

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with weaker winds struggled to explain their formation.

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The stronger winds actually push the two stars in a

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binary system further apart, preventing them from

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merging too early and allowing them to survive as a pair of

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black holes that can then slowly spiral in and

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eventually merge, sending out those detectable

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gravitational waves. This research,

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though focused on a specific environment with a unique

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chemical composition, opens the door to a much

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broader understanding. The next step for

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scientists will be to extend this study to a range of different

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initial compositions, modelling various

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environments across the Universe. It will be

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fascinating to see how much the predicted black hole

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populations change with these differing cosmic

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ingredients.

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Now, from the immense power of collapsing stars, let's

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turn our attention to something much smaller, yet equally

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a rogue planet. Astronomers have recently

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achieved a ah, significant first in exoplanet hunting.

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Using decades old images from the venerable Hubble

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Space Telescope to investigate a mysterious event that

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could very well reveal the existence of a rogue planet.

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A world drifting through space without a host star.

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This fascinating discovery centres on a brief

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astronomical phenomenon detected in May

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2023 by ground based telescopes

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known by the catchy name

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OGLE2023BLG0524.

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The event lasted a mere 8 hours and was caused by

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gravitational microlensing. If you

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remember, this is an effect predicted by Einstein,

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where a massive object acts like a cosmic

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magnifying glass, briefly brightening the light from

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a more distant object as it passes directly in front of it.

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What makes this particular case extraordinary is a

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stroke of pure astronomical luck.

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Astronomers realised that the same patch of sky had

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actually been photographed by Hubble way back in

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1997. It was purely by chance

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during observations of a completely different micro

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lensing event. This incredible coincidence

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created a 25 year baseline between the original

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images and the recent planetary detection.

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A timeframe far longer than any previous study of

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its kind. The short duration of the

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2023 event strongly suggested it was caused

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by a free floating planet, also known as a

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rogue planet. These are worlds that have been

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ejected from their original solar systems, now

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wandering through the galaxy, unattached to

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any star. They can be kicked out through various

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gravitational interactions, perhaps with other

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planets, encounters in crowded star clusters,

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or even the violent death of their host star.

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Rogue planets are incredibly difficult to detect

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because they generally emit no light of their own.

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Gravitational microlensing offers one of the very few

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ways to find them. But distinguishing between a

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true rogue planet and a regular planet orbiting

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very far from its star requires additional evidence.

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This is precisely where those archival Hubble images became

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absolutely crucial.

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The research team led by Mateusz Kapusta from

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the University of Warsaw used the 1997

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Hubble images to search for any companion star

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that might be hosting the planet. If the lensing

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object were actually a planet in a wide orbit around a

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star, that star should theoretically be

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visible in Hubble's high resolution data.

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Even from 25 years earlier, their

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analysis found no evidence of a stellar companion,

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significantly strengthening the case that OGLE

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2023 Bl

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G0524 is indeed a rogue world.

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The team estimates its mass to be somewhere between that

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of Earth and Saturn, depending on its location in

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our galaxy. This study powerfully

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demonstrates the immense scientific value of archival telescope

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data. The 1997 Hubble observations,

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though high resolution, were relatively shallow with

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short exposure times. This meant the team

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could only rule out stellar companions brighter than a

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certain magnitude, leaving the possibility that

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dimmer red dwarf stars could still be lurking

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undetected in the data. However, this

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work also points the way toward even more powerful future

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studies. Next generation telescopes like the

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James Webb Space Telescope, with its enhanced

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infrared capabilities and sensitivity, should be

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able to detect much fainter potential host stars and provide

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more definitive answers about the nature of these lensing

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events. Looking further ahead, the

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Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to

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launch in 2027, will conduct an

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extensive microlensing survey and is expected

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to discover thousands of new rogue planets.

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Coordinated with archival observations from other space

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telescopes, these missions could finally reveal the

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true population of these mysterious rogue worlds

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wandering our galaxy from

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naturally occurring rogue planets to something distinctly man

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made, let's embark on a fascinating journey through some of

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the strangest objects our species has intentionally

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or accidentally sent into the void.

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When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 back in

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1957, it marked the beginning of

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humanity's presence beyond Earth. But in the

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decades since, we've done more than just launch

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satellites and scientific instruments into orbit.

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We've sent art, ashes, accidents, and

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some truly outright oddities. Let's start with something

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surprisingly human pee crystals.

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Yes, astronauts pee. And for decades,

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urine produced aboard spacecraft was simply released into

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space. Once expelled, it would instantly

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freeze into a cloud of tiny, glittering crystals,

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a twinkling golden mist visible through the

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portholes. Some astronauts have even described the

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site as beautiful. More recently, the

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International Space Station installed a, uh, high tech filtration

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system to recycle urine into drinking water, which

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is a much more sustainable approach. Then

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there's Elon Musk's cherry red Tesla

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Roadster, complete with a spacesuit wearing dummy named

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Starmen in the driver's seat. Launched

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in 2018 aboard the Maiden voyage of the Falcon

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Heavy rocket, it overshot its intended Mars

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orbit and now loops around the sun every

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557 days. A cosmic billboard for

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SpaceX. Not all space toys are left behind by

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accident. In 2011, NASA's

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Juno probe launched toward Jupiter, carrying three

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tiny Lego figurines made from aluminium

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to withstand the brutal radiation of the gas giant.

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The minifigs represent Jupiter, his wife

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Juno, and Galileo Galilei, the first person

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to observe Jupiter's largest moons, all aimed

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at inspiring young people in science.

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And finally, hurtling through interstellar space,

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the twin Voyager spacecraft carry one of humanity's

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most ambitious attempts at cosmic communication.

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A pair of gold plated phonograph records.

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Curated by Carl Sagan and his team. The these

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iconic golden records include greetings in 55

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languages, recordings of a baby crying, a

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heartbeat, the sound of waves and music from across human

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history, including Bach, Beethoven and even

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Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode. They're

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meant for any alien civilizations that might stumble upon them

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billions of years from now.

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Speaking of iconic figures, it seems only right that

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Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, should

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find his final resting place up among the stars.

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While previous attempts to launch his ashes into space either

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failed or ended in atmospheric re entry, a

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successful launch finally took place in January

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2024. This time, a portion of

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Roddenberry's ashes made it beyond the Earth moon system

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and into deep space, where they will now

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drift forever. But not all space art

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or oddities are officially sanctioned. Back in

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1969, artist Forrest Meyers devised a plan

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to smuggle art onto the moon aboard Apollo 12.

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NASA wasn't interested, so Myers covertly handed off a

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tiny ceramic tile etched with artwork from six

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famous artists, including Andy Warhol,

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to an insider working on the lunar lander.

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This tile, dubbed the Moon Museum, was

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reportedly installed without NASA's knowledge.

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Warhol later claimed his contribution was just his initials,

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but the etching on the tile looks very much like a crude drawing of

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male genitalia. It's certainly one of the more

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unusual and cheeky pieces of art in the cosmos.

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And while some objects are sent into space with great intention,

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many more are just junk. We've left

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a lot of forgotten stuff up there and it's starting to get dangerous.

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Space debris includes everything from dead satellites and

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spent rocket boosters to tiny flecks of paint

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and broken antennae. Some pieces travel

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at over 27,000 kilometres per hour,

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fast enough to cause catastrophic damage on impact.

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The problem has grown so severe that experts warn of the

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potential for Kessler Syndrome, a chain reaction of

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collisions that could make Earth's orbit unusable for

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decades. Adding to the bizarre collection are

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relics from the Cold War. For example, in

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1963, the US launched 480 million

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tiny copper needles into space as part of Project

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West Ford, intending to create an artificial

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ionosphere for bouncing radio signals. Most

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of these needles eventually fell back to Earth and burned up.

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But not all. Clumps of these tiny metallic

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slivers still orbit the Earth today. A strange

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reminder of just how far Cold War paranoia was

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willing to go. And then there's

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J002E3amysterious

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60 foot long object that

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orbits Earth, spinning once every minute.

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First detected in September 2002 by an amateur

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astronomer, it was initially mistaken for an asteroid,

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but further analysis revealed it was not natural. It was

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built by humans. Experts now believe it's

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likely the long lost third stage of the Apollo 12

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rocket, which launched to the moon in 1969

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and was thought to have vanished into deep space.

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The cosmos truly is a fascinating, if sometimes messy

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place.

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M and that brings us to the end of another

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fascinating journey through the cosmos here on

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Astronomy Daily. I'm your host, Anna, and I hope

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you enjoyed today's episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

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Before you go, remember, you can visit our website at, uh,

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astronomydaily.IO. there you can

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sign up for our free daily newsletter to get all the latest

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space and astronomy news delivered straight to your

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inbox. You can also catch up on all our past

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episodes and dive deeper into the topics we discuss.

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And of course, don't forget to subscribe to Astronomy Daily on

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of content. Cosmic wonder until next time,

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keep looking up.