SpaceX's Starship Reusability, Ancient Galaxies' Secrets, and the Cosmic Dawn Unveiled

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest developments

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in space exploration and astronomical discoveries.

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I'm, your host, Anna, and we have a packed show for you today

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with some truly fascinating stories from across the

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cosmos. We'll be diving into SpaceX's

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upcoming ninth Starship test flight, which

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represents a major milestone for the programme as they

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attempt the first reuse of a super heavy booster.

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Then we'll explore a surprising discovery about

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galaxy evolution. Astronomers have found

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a massive galaxy that mysteriously

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stopped forming stars when the universe was just a cosmic

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toddler, challenging everything we thought we knew

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about how galaxies develop. We'll also

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examine a potential threat that may be hiding in plain

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sight. Then, from the International

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Space Station, we'll look at the scientific

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treasures that just returned aboard SpaceX's

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Dragon capsule. And finally, we'll shed light on

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what literally turned on the lights in our early

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universe. And ah, as new data reveals, the surprising

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cosmic powerhouses responsible for

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illuminating the darkness after the Big Bang.

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So let's get started with today's news.

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SpaceX is gearing up for what could be a pivotal moment

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in the Starship development programme with its ninth

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test flight scheduled for Tuesday, May

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27. Liftoff is targeted for

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6:30pm Central Time from SpaceX's

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Starbase facility in Texas, with the launch window

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extending to 8pm this mission carries

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extra significance as it marks the first time SpaceX

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will reuse a Super Heavy booster. Booster

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14, which previously flew during Flight 7 and was

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successfully caught by the launch tower, will make its second

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journey to space a crucial step toward

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SpaceX's ultimate goal of full reusability.

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The previous two Starship test flights ended in disappointment, with

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both ships failing just before reaching second stage engine

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cutoff. Flight 7's ship 33

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experienced fires in the attic above the engine bay due

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to a harmonic response issue during ascent, while

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Flight 8's Ship 34 suffered a hardware failure in one of its

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sea level Raptor engines, leading to a fire in the engine

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bay M. Despite these setbacks, both

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missions saw successful booster recoveries,

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providing valuable data and hardware experience for

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the programme. SpaceX has confirmed

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that the harmonic resonance problem from Flight 7

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has been fixed and they've implemented additional

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improvements for Flight 9. Ship 35

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will be attempting to fly past the point where its

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predecessors failed, aiming to complete its full

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mission profile. If successful, it would

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represent a major breakthrough for the Starship programme.

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The mission objectives remain similar to previous

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flights, with the ship expected to perform a

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splashdown in the Indian Ocean after completing

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several experiments. These experiments include

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deploying eight Starlink satellite simulators,

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relighting a Raptor engine in flight and testing

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various areas of the heat shield. The heat shield will

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feature metallic tiles, an actively cooled

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tile, missing tiles to test durability during

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reentry, and tapered edge tiles between the aft

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flaps and catch points. While the ship's

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trajectory remains largely unchanged from previous

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flights, Booster 14 will follow a different path

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this time. unlike Flight 7,

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SpaceX will not attempt to catch the booster,

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instead directing it to perform an experimental RE

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entry before splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico.

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The stakes couldn't be higher for SpaceX as they

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work to demonstrate that starship can

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reliably reach orbit, a capability essential

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for NASA's Artemis programme and

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SpaceX's own ambitious plans for Mars.

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After nearly six months since the last test flight, all eyes

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will be on whether the third time's the charm for getting a ship past

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the critical engine cutoff milestone.

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Next Today, a deep space mystery.

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In an unexpected discovery that's reshaping our

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understanding of cosmic evolution, astronomers

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have identified a massive galaxy that stopped forming

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stars when the universe was merely 700 million

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years old, long before Earth even existed.

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This ancient galaxy, with the technical designation Ruby's

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UDS QGZ7, now holds the record

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as the most distant dead or quiescent galaxy ever

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confirmed. What makes this finding so

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remarkable is that galaxies typically need

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billions of years to grow large and then shut down

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their star formation. Yet here was this

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massive celestial structure that had already

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completed its life cycle in the universe's

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infancy. The powerful James Webb Space

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Telescope made this discovery possible, allowing

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astronomers to peer deeper into cosmic history than ever before.

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The galaxy managed to form an astonishing amount of stars

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in its brief active period, with stellar mass

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equivalent to more than 10 billion suns.

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Then, for reasons astronomers are still trying to understand,

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it simply stopped. All star formations ceased

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completely, leaving behind what scientists call a,

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quenched galaxy. Data from Webb's Near

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Infrared Spectrograph confirmed this quiet state

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during observations conducted as part of the RUBIES survey

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that stands for Red Unknowns Bright

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Infrared Extragalactic Survey. The

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spectrum revealed no signs of ongoing star formation,

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instead showing strong balmar and calcium absorption

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features characteristic of older stellar

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populations. When astronomers determined its

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redshift of 7.29, they realised they

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were looking at a galaxy, as it appeared just a few hundred

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million years after the Big Bang. Further

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analysis suggests it had already stopped forming stars

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around 50 to 100 million years before the light

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we're now detecting left the galaxy. This means

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it likely completed its entire star forming phase even

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before redshift 8, pushing our timeline of

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galaxy evolution into uncharted territory.

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The discovery challenges fundamental assumptions about how

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quickly galaxies can form and evolve in the early universe.

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Current theoretical models simply don't account for

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galaxies growing so large and then shutting down so

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rapidly in the cosmic dawn era. This

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finding suggests we may need to substantially revise

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our understanding of the processes driving

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galaxy formation and evolution in the universe's

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earliest epochs. What makes this

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discovery particularly remarkable is the galaxy's

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extremely compact nature. Despite its

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massive stellar content, Ruby's UDS QG

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Z7 measures just 650 light years

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across. To put that in perspective, our, Milky Way

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galaxy spans approximately 100,000

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light years. This incredible density

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makes it one of the most tightly packed galaxies ever

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observed. Scientists believe this

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ancient compact galaxy likely represents the

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core of what would eventually become the giant

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elliptical galaxies we see in today's universe.

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These modern ellipticals are among the largest and

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oldest galaxies we observe. Often found at the

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centres of galaxy clusters, the structure of

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Ruby's Udes QGZ7 closely resembles what

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we see in the central regions of these massive ellipticals

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in our cosmic neighbourhood. As Anna DeGraaf,

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lead investigator of the Rubies programme at the Max Planck

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Institute for Astronomy, explains,

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the discovery provides the first strong evidence that

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the centres of some nearby massive ellipticals may

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have already been in place since the first few hundred million

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years of the universe. The James

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Webb Space Telescope has been absolutely crucial

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in confirming this discovery. Previous

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telescopes like Hubble and ground based instruments

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simply couldn't see deep enough into the infrared spectrum

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to detect features like the Balmer break at such high

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redshifts. While the Spitzer Space

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Telescope offered some infrared capability, it

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lacked the resolution and sensitivity needed for definitive

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observations. Webb's revolutionary

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infrared capabilities have completely transformed our ability

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to study the early universe.

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Next up, a subject we keep returning to and with

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good reason. While NASA has been diligently

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tracking near Earth asteroids that could threaten our planet for the

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past two decades, recent research suggests we may

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have a significant blind spot in our Planetary Defence

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Strategy. Twenty years ago, Congress

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tasked NASA with finding 90% of near Earth

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asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth. And they've made

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considerable progress. However, astronomers are now

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discovering a new category of potentially hazardous

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objects that have largely escaped our attention.

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Asteroids CO orbiting with Venus. These

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Venus co orbital asteroids follow the same path around the

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sun as our neighbouring planet, but with a concerning

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twist. They can cross Earth's orbit.

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Currently, scientists have identified 20 of these CO orbital

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asteroids. But new research indicates this may be just

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the tip of the cosmic iceberg. What makes these

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objects particularly concerning is their elusiveness.

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Many of these asteroids remain hidden in the sun's glare

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from our Earth based perspective, making them

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exceptionally difficult to detect with conventional survey

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methods. When the Venus co orbitals are

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positioned between Earth and the sun, they become virtually

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invisible to our telescopes, creating

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dangerous blind spots in our monitoring systems.

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Perhaps even more troubling is the unpredictable nature of

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their orbits. According to the research, these

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asteroids exhibit what scientists call highly

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chaotic orbital patterns with Lyapunov times

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of just 150 years. In

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astronomical terms, the Lyapunov time indicates how

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long it takes for an object's orbit to become unpredictable

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due to chaotic dynamics. This means that tracking

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these objects trajectories beyond a century and a half

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becomes extraordinarily challenging. Lead

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researcher Valerio Carruba from Sao Paulo University

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explains that co orbital status protects these

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asteroids from close approaches to Venus, but it

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does not protect them from encountering Earth. This

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creates a peculiar situation where objects that share

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Venus's orbit can potentially pose a greater threat to

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our planet than to Venus itself. The

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research team defines these objects as potentially

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hazardous if they have a minimum diameter of

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about 140 metres and come within

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0.05 astronomical units of

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Earth's orbit. For context, an

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asteroid of this size striking Earth could release energy

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equivalent to hundreds of megatons of tnt,

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Thousands of times more more powerful than the atomic

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bombs used in World War II. Such an impact

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could devastate an entire metropolitan area.

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As we expand our understanding of these celestial

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dynamics, it's becoming clear that our

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planetary defence strategy may need significant

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recalibration to address this

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previously underestimated threat lurking

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in the orbit of our nearest planetary neighbour.

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In the early hours of May 25,

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SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down off

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the California coast, Successfully completing the

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company's 32nd commercial resupply mission

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to the International Space Station. The

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unpiloted spacecraft returned with an impressive

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haul. Approximately

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6,700 pounds of scientific

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equipment, supplies and experiments

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that had been conducted in the unique microgravity environment

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of the orbiting laboratory. This

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scientific treasure trove represents some of the most cutting edge

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research being conducted in space today. The

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Dragon undocked from the station's Harmony Module two

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days earlier before making its journey home, carrying

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cargo that could revolutionise everything from spacecraft

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design to satellite maintenance.

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Among the most fascinating returns was the

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Missy20 experiment. Short for Multipurpose

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International Space Station Experiment. This

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project tested various materials by exposing them directly

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to the harsh conditions of space. The samples

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included radiation shielding, solar Sail

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coatings, ceramic composites for re entry

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vehicles and specialised resins that might one day

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form the basis of improved heat shields

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mounted on the exterior of the station. These

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materials endured extreme conditions that can't be

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replicated on Earth. Ultraviolet radiation,

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atomic oxygen charged particles and

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dramatic temperature swings that would destroy most

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conventional materials. By analysing how

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these samples performed, scientists can better

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design spacecraft and satellites to withstand the

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unforgiving environment beyond our atmosphere.

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Perhaps the most visually striking experiment returning to

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Earth was

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Astrobreacch,

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which stands for Responsive Engaging Arms for Captive care and

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handling. This innovative technology demonstrated something

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that sounds straight out of science fiction. Robotic tentacle

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like arms capable of grasping and relocating

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objects in space. The system used

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specialised adhesive pads to capture items of different shapes

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and surface materials. This capability

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represents a major step forward in addressing one of the growing

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challenges in Earth orbit. Safely capturing

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and relocating debris and defunct satellites.

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Such technology could eventually help extend satellite

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lifespans through in orbit servicing and potentially reduce

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the hazardous debris field that increasingly threatens

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spacecraft operations. The

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Dragon's cargo also included some more whimsical but no

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less important items. Books from the Storytime

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From Space project are returning after orbiting the Earth.

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This educational initiative featured astronauts reading

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science and mathematics related children's books while floating

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in zero gravity. The crew also

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recorded themselves performing science demonstrations that

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corresponded with the book's themes. All these

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videos have been made available in an online library

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with accompanying educational materials inspiring

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the next generation of space explorers.

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Additionally, hardware and data from a one year

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technology demonstration called Optica

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onboard programmable technology for image compression

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and analysis made the journey home. This

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advanced imaging system was designed to revolutionise how

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we transmit ultra high resolution hyperspectral

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imagery from space to Earth in real time,

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potentially transforming everything from disaster response

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to environmental monitoring. Together,

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these returning experiments showcase how the International

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Space Station continues to serve as

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humanity's premier orbital laboratory.

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Developing technologies that not only advance space

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exploration, but also deliver tangible benefits

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to life on Earth.

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To wrap up today, let's look at a solution to a

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great scientific mystery that's finally been sorted.

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We finally have an answer to one of cosmology's biggest

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mysteries. What switched on the lights in our

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early universe? For decades,

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astronomers have been puzzled by how our universe

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transitioned from a dark opaque fog to the

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transparent cosmos we observe today. The

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answer, it turns out, is surprisingly small.

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According to groundbreaking new data from the Hubble and James

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Webb space telescopes, it was tiny dwarf

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galaxies that cleared the primordial fog of

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neutral hydrogen filling intergalactic space after

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the Big Bang. In the beginning the universe

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was filled with a hot, dense plasma that scattered

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light, effectively making everything dark. As

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it cooled, protons and electrons combined to

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form neutral hydrogen gas. While this

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gas allowed some wavelengths of light to pass through, there

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weren't many light sources around to illuminate the cosmos.

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That changed with the birth of the first stars.

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Their radiation was strong enough to strip electrons from

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hydrogen atoms, reionizing the gas and

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making the universe transparent to light. By

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about 1 billion years after the Big Bang, the

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period known as cosmic dawn, the universe was

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fully reionized. Scientists had long

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assumed that the primary drivers of this reionization must

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have been powerful sources, supermassive black

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holes, or massive star forming galaxies. But the

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Webb Telescope's unprecedented sensitivity has

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revealed a different story. By examining a

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galaxy cluster called

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Abel2744, which

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acts as a cosmic magnifying glass, through gravitational

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lensing, researchers were able to detect

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extremely faint dwarf galaxies near the cosmic

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dawn. Their analysis revealed something astonishing.

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These dwarf galaxies outnumber larger galaxies by a

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ratio of 100 to 1. Even more

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surprisingly, these tiny galaxies collectively

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emit four times more ionising radiation than

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previously assumed from larger galaxies.

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Despite their diminutive size, they were extraordinarily

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efficient at producing the high energy photons needed

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to clear the cosmic fog. As

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astrophysicist Hakim Atek described them, these

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galaxies were truly cosmic powerhouses

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whose abundance and collective energy output was

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substantial enough to transform the entire state of the

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universe. It's a case where quantity truly

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overcame quality. Their sheer numbers compensated for

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their individual small size. This discovery

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fundamentally changes our understanding of how the universe evolved

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from darkness to light, highlighting how even

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the smallest cosmic structures can drive the most profound

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transformations in our universe's history.

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If confirmed across multiple observations,

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this discovery represents one of the most significant

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breakthroughs in our understanding of cosmic evolution.

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It suggests that the universe's most transformative

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processes weren't necessarily driven by the

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largest, most spectacular objects,

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but by the collective influence of countless smaller

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ones. A profound lesson about how even

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the smallest entities can collectively drive the most

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fundamental changes in our universe.

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And that's it for today's episode. Thanks for joining me on Astronomy

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Daily. I'm Anna reminding you to visit us at

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astronomydaily IO, where you can find all of

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today's news and all things Astronomy Daily. And of

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course, remember to subscribe to the free podcast

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available on all podcast platforms. I'll see you

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tomorrow for more fascinating developments from the final

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frontier. Until then, do as I do.

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Keep looking up.