S03E27: Unveiling Venus & Mars' Costly Quest: The Winchcombe Meteorite's Watery Tale

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast
your gateway to the universe beyond our blue

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planet. I'm your guide on this
interstellar journey, bringing you the latest and

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most fascinating discoveries from the farthest reaches
of space. Stay tuned as we uncover

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the secrets of ancient meteorites, probe
the atmospheric mysteries of Venus, and dive

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into the cosmic significance of the Milky
Way in ancient Egyptian mythology. With the

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cosmos as our backdrop, we begin
today's odyssey through the stars. All here

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on Astronomy Daily, the podcast The
Economy Podcast. Imagine a rocky voyager from

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the dawn of our Solar system embarking
on a journey through the cosmic wilderness.

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This is the tale of the Winchcombe
meteorite, nestled in an English sheep field

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in twenty twenty one. It tells
a story that predates history itself. An

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Internet national team of researchers, uniting
from institutions across the globe, has deployed

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an arsenal of sophisticated analytical techniques ones
usually reserved for samples collected by pricey space

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missions to unravel the Winchcombe meteorite's complex
narrative. This analysis has transported them back

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to a time when it existed as
an ice bound, dry rock, only

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to experience a metamorphosis through the thawing
of its icy heart into a muddled aggregate,

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a cyclical tale of breakage and reformation. These scientists were afforded the rare

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opportunity to study the Winchcombe sample in
exquisite detail due to its prompt retrieval just

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hours after impacting Earth, thereby evading
contamination from our planet's atmosphere. Through their

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work, which has been meticulously documented
in the journal Metiorritics and Planetary Science,

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we've gained an intimate understanding of how
water once swirled within its parent asteroid,

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profoundly altering the minerals that compose this
cm carbonaceous chondrite. The Winchcombe meteorite is

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a pristinely preserved member of a rock
family that emerged during the Solar System's infancy.

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These rocks bear minerals imbued by water, holding clues to the mysteries of

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how planets, including Earth, came
to be, and perhaps even offering answers

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to the origins of Earth's own water
but the history of Winchcombe transcends its watery

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past. The researcher's findings suggest that
this meteorite was repeatedly smashed to bits,

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then pulled back together, a testament
to the turbulent environment that is space.

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Doctor Luke Daley and his team's discovery
of carbon rich carbonates in this meteorite challenges

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our prior understanding. They propose that
the asteroid from which Winchcombe hails may have

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hoarded a vast quantity of frozen CO
two before its fiery plunge to Earth.

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This insight could elucidate the grand carbonate
veins barring the surface of asteroid Benu,

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as glimpsed by NASA's Osiris REX mission. The narrative of Winchcombe meteorite is more

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than just a puzzle over billions of
years old. It is a testament to

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the person distance of the cosmic order, a brutal history etched into a tiny

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rock, now a beacon for human
curiosity and intrinsic to piecing together the vast

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mosaic of our solar system's origins.
In the face of rigorous budget constraints and

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a labyrinth of technical challenges, NASA
is taking a step back to reconsider its

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approach to the highly anticipated Mars Sample
Return mission. This mission, which aims

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to bring back to Earth's soil samples
painstakingly collected by the Perseverance Rover on the

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Martian surface, has been no small
feat for the Space Agency. However,

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with costs ballooning and the complexity of
the project's spiraling, NASA is at a

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pivotal point, urging a reimagination of
the strategy. As the agency issues a

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call for proposals that promises to reshape
the program. It's a clear signal that

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innovation and harnessing proven technology are now
at the forefront of this mission's trajectory.

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This strategic pivot aims to diminish development
time, decrease risks, and more importantly,

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cut costs. Quite the formidable task
when planning to launch a rocket from

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another planet's surface for the very first
time. This stark redesign was sparked by

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an independent review highlighting gaps in the
original plan, namely unrealistic budget expectations and

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an ineffective organizational structure. Now,
with congressional cutbacks throwing a wrench into an

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already tight budget, the pressure is
on for NASA to deliver a more financially

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feasible solution, one that doesn't compromise
other significant explorations, including ventures to Venus

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and Titan. NASA envisions this recalibration
could truncate the ever expanding expense, initially

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projected at five billion dollars to seven
billion dollars but expected to surge up to

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eleven billion dollars under current designs.
Moreover, the mission's return timeline could potentially

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be pushed from the twenty thirties to
twenty forty, which has prompted the agency

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to also weigh the possibility of leaving
some of the thirty plus collected samples on

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the red planet. What stands before
NASA now is not only a meticulous reconsideration

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of the current Mars mission plans,
but an ardent whirlwind of innovation. And

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as NASA's top minds grapple with redefining
such an important mission, one thing remains

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certain. The quest to bring Mars
closer to home is as alive as ever,

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but it must now be pursued with
a prudent fusion of ambition and cost

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effectiveness. In a groundbreaking discovery,
Europe's intrepid BEPI Columbo spacecraft has revealed startling

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new information about our neighbor Venus as
it journeys to its ultimate destination, Mercury.

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During its flyby, the probe observed
an abundance of gases, including carbon

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and oxygen, being stripped away from
Venus's already fragile atmosphere. This data offers

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us previously unseen glimpses into the dynamics
at play in the atmospheric erosion of the

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fiery planet. What makes Venus particularly
vulnerable is the absence of a stable intrinsic

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magnetic field. Earth is fortunate in
this guard as our magnetic field acts as

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a shield, preventing our atmosphere from
leaking away into space. Venus, however,

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is left unprotected, its atmosphere subject
to the whims of solar winds.

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BEPI Colombo's instruments detected ions charged particles
being aggressively removed from the planet by solar

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radiation, propelling these molecules at velocities
so remarkable they overcome Venusian gravity, casting

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them out into the cosmos. This
observation of expatriated ions raises intriguing questions about

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planetary evolution, especially for a world
as enigmatic as Venus, with its thick,

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carbon dioxide dominated atmosphere. The mystery
deepens as we consider the planet's lost

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water and how these atmospheric escape mechanisms
might explain its arid state today. Venus

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once harbored vast amounts of water,
and understanding how it transformed into the dry

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world we see today has significant implications
for planetary science. Studying the shifting constituents

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of Venus's atmosphere takes us one step
closer to reconstructing its climatic past and potentially

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its initial habitability. The BEPY Columbo
mission, although primarily focused on Mercury,

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proves that a spacecraft's journey can be
just as revelatory as its destination, as

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this fleeting encounter with Venus has demonstrated. The invaluable insights gained from this mission

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are not just about Venus, but
contribute to our holistic understanding of planetary atmospheres

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and their evolution across the Solar System. As BEPI Colombo inches closer to Mercury,

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its sophisticated instruments continue to beam back
findings that have the potential to reshape

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our cosmic perspectives. This recent Venusian
revelation is merely a glimpse of the wealth

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of knowledge that awaits as the mission
presses onward. The Astronomy Daily podcasts,

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the vast expanse of the night sky
has always been a source of wonder and

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mystery, and our ancestors look towards
the heavens to make sense of the world

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around them. Ancient Egypt, a
civilization known for its monumental achievements and advanced

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knowledge of astronomy, was no different. While much attention has been given to

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how they saw and worshiped the Sun
and planets as gods, recent studies are

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casting a new light on the significance
of the Milky Way in their cosmology,

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specifically its connection to the sky goddess
nut Nut was often depicted an Egyptian art

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as a star spangled woman arched protectively
over the Earth, personified by her brother

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Geb. She had the critical role
of shielding the Earth from the chaotic waters

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of the void, which can be
interpreted as the endless expanse of space.

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Additionally, she played a part in
the daily rebirth of the Sun, which

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was believed to set in the evening, only to be swallowed by Nut and

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then reborn from her in the morning. Astrophysicists at the University of Portsmouth have

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recently posited that the Milky Way may
have represented the outstretched arms of Nut during

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the winter months and her backbone during
summer. This aligns with the appearings and

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position of our galaxy in the sky, suggesting that Egyptians might have seen the

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Milky Way as a physical manifestation of
the goddess herself. The studies suggest that

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Nut's celestial role extended beyond the symbolic
She was also seen as a guide for

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souls transitioning to the afterlife, correlating
with the migration patterns of birds, an

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observation that resonates with the beliefs of
other cultures who attributed similar spiritual significance to

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the Milky Way. This revelation not
only deepens our understanding of ancient Egyptian mythology,

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but highlights the cultural importance of the
Milky Way, a celestial feature that

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may have been overlooked in past interpretations
of Egyptian lore. It's a reminder that

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even as we delve into the mysteries
of the cosmos with modern science, there

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are historical perspectives waiting to be rediscovered
and appreciated in our endless night sky.

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The dawn of a new era in
astronomy is upon us with the advent of

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the Reuben Observatory, a state of
the art facility that is set to propel

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our understanding of the cosmos to new
heights. This cutting edge observatory, perched

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on a mountaintop in Chile, is
engineered to capture the vastness of the night

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sky like never before, delving into
mysteries that have long captivated scientists and stargazers

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alike. At the heart of Reuben
Observatory's mission is an ambitious quest to map

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the heavens in unprecedented detail, revealing
the ghostly influence of dark matter as it

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perturbs stellar streams. These streams,
delicate ribbons of stars gracefully wind their way

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through the galactic neighborhood, carrying with
them the secrets of gravitational interactions and the

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sculpting forces of our universe. Dark
matter, the elusive and invisible substance that

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binds galaxies together, leaves subtle but
detectable disruptions in these stellar formations. The

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Ruben Observatory sophisticated instruments are poised to
observe these effects, providing a new window

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into the nature of dark matter and
its role in causing evolution. As the

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observatory scans the skies, it's expected
to generate a deluge of data capturing the

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positions and movements of billions of celestial
bodies. This treasure trove of information will

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not only shed light on dark matter's
disruptions, but also contribute to a myriad

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of other research areas, such as
the expansion rate of the universe, the

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properties of distant galaxies, and the
cataloging of potentially hazardous asteroids. The Ruben

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Observatory stands on the brink of transforming
our understanding of the cosmos. Through its

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powerful lens, we may finally glimpse
the intricate cosmic dance of dark and luminous

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matter that orchestrates the structure and destiny
of our universe. As we eagerly anticipate

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the observatory's completion, the astronomical community
buzzes with excitement, ready to unravel the

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mysteries that have remained just beyond our
grasp. The journey ahead, illuminated by

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Reuben's revelations, is sure to deepen
our connection with the stars and the enigmatic

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dark matter that weaves the fabric of
space time. Thank you for joining us

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on Astronomy Daily the Podcast. It's
been a pleasure bringing the universe a little

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closer to you. As the stars
fade into the day's light, Remember that

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our exploration of the skies continues online. Visit our website at Astronomy Daily dot

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io to catch up on back episodes, subscribe to our free daily newsletter,

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and delve into our blog posts.
Today's space news is constantly unfolding, and

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we make sure you won't miss a
celestial beat. Our podcast is out there

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waiting for you among the stars on
Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or

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wherever you choose to tune into the
cosmos. Plus, you can always stream

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directly from our website, putting the
universe right at your fingertips. Until next

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time, keep your eyes to the
skies and your curiosity boundless. This is

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Anna, your host, signing off
and saying bye bye until next time.

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The Astronomy Daily Podcast