Terraforming Mars: A Real Plan & Webb's Dying Star Revelation

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for

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the latest space and astronomy news. I'm

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Anna.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. We've got another stellar

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episode lined up for you today. Monday,

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January 26, 2026.

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Anna: That's right. Today we're taking you on quite

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a journey through the cosmos. We'll be

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exploring two fascinating Mars storeys that

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paint very different pictures of the Red

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Planet's future. From terraforming dreams

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to atmospheric water harvesting for survival.

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Avery: Plus, we've got some incredible disc

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discoveries from across the universe. We'll

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reveal how NASA's Chandra Observatory has

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catalogued over 1.3 million x

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ray sources, discover an ingenious new use

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for earthquake sensors that could save lives,

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and uncover why those water worlds we've been

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excited about might actually be lava

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planets in the skies.

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Anna: And we'll finish with a breathtaking look at

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our cosmic future, courtesy of the James Webb

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Space Telescope's latest images of a dying

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star. So settle in because we're about to

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explore the univers together.

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Avery: Let's get started, Avery.

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Anna: Let's kick things off with what could be one

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of humanity's most ambitious projects ever.

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Scientists are saying it's time to take

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terraforming Mars seriously and they've got a

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roadmap to make it happen.

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Avery: This is fascinating stuff, Anna. Uh, for

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decades, terraforming Mars has been the stuff

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of science fiction. But new research suggests

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we might actually have the tools to pull it

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off. A team of planetary scientists,

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biologists and engineers has published what

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amounts to a blueprint for transforming the

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Red Planet into a habitable world.

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Anna: What's really interesting is the timeline

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they're proposing. This isn't a quick fix.

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We're talking about a, uh, multi generational

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project that could take centuries. But the

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key breakthrough is that they believe we can

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use resources already on Mars rather

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than shipping everything from Earth.

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Avery: Exactly. The plan has three distinct

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phases. Phase one is all about warming the

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planet. Right now, Mars averages around minus

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70 degrees Celsius. The scientists propose

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using engineered nanoparticles made from

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Martian dust, shaped like tiny rods and

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released into the atmosphere. These particles

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would trap escaping heat and scatter sunlight

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towards the surface, potentially warming Mars

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by more than 30 degrees Celsius.

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Anna: And here's the clever part. This method is

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over 5000 times more efficient than previous

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terraforming schemes. University of

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Chicago planetary scientist Edwin Kite, one

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of the study's co authors, notes that Mars

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was habitable in the past. So greening

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Mars could be viewed as the ultimate

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environmental restoration challenge.

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Avery: Phase two brings in biology. Once

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temperatures rise enough to melt some of

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Mars's vast ice deposits, scientists would

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introduce genetically engineered

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extremophiles, hardy microorganisms that

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can survive in the harshest environments.

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These pioneer species would kick off

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ecological succession, creating organic

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matter and slowly changing the chemistry of

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the surface and atmosphere.

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Anna: And the final phase is the longest and most

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ambitious, building a stable biosphere

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with oxygen rich air. The goal is a

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0.1 bar oxygen atmosphere, which would be

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enough to sustain human life without pressure

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suits. Harvard planetary scientist Robin

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Wordsworth puts it beautifully. Life is

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precious. We know of nowhere else in the

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universe where it exists. We have a duty to

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conserve it on Earth, but also to consider

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how we could begin to propagate it to other

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worlds.

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Avery: But this isn't just about making Mars

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habitable. Nina Lanza from Los Alamos

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National Laboratory sees Mars as a prime

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testbed for planetary engineering. She

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suggests that if we want to learn how to

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modify our environment here on Earth to keep

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it habitable, maybe it would be better to

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experiment on Mars first, rather than being

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too bold with our home planet.

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Anna: Of course, there are serious ethical

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considerations. As Lanza points out, if

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we terraform Mars, we'll really change it in

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ways that may or may not be reversible.

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Mars has its own history and we might lose

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the opportunity to study how planets form and

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evolve in their natural state.

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Avery: The researchers stress that we need to start

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preparing now. Even though actual

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terraforming is still far off. Upcoming

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Mars missions in 2028 or 2031

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should include small scale experiments to

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test these strategies, such as warming

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localised regions. Any technology deployed

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must be reversible, controllable and

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biologically safe.

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Anna: It's an audacious vision. But as the team

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points out, 30 years ago, terraforming

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Mars wasn't just hard, it was impossible.

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Today, with advances in technology and our

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understanding of Mars, it's becoming a real

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possibility. Whether we should do it is a

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question we'll need to answer as a

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civilization.

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Avery: Sticking with Mars, Anna Our next storey

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takes a more immediate look at how future

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astronauts might survive on the Red Planet.

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New research suggests that the Martian

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atmosphere itself could provide a vital

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backup water source.

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Anna: This is really practical thinking, Avery.

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While underground ice remains the most

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promising long term water source for Mars

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missions, scientists are now exploring

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atmospheric water harvesting as an adaptable

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solution for scenarios where subsurface

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resources are inaccessible.

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Avery: The study, led by Dr. Vasilis Englesakis

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of Strathclyde University and published in

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Advances in Space Research, emphasises

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building a self sufficient water

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infrastructure. As Dr. Anglizakis explains,

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reliable access to water would be essential

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for human survival on Mars. Not only for

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drinking, but also for producing oxygen and

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fuel, which would reduce dependence on Earth

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based supplies.

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Anna: The challenge is that Mars atmosphere is

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extremely thin and cold, but it does

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contain trace amounts of water vapour that

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could be collected and condensed using

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specialised technology. The study introduces

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novel approaches inspired by Earth based

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dehumidification and sorption technologies.

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Avery: What makes this particularly valuable is the

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flexibility. While underground ice deposits

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are seen as the most practical long term

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solution, their accessibility is limited,

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especially near likely landing zones for

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human missions. Since the precise location of

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usable ice is uncertain and excavation

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technology is still evolving, having

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alternative sources is essential.

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Anna: Atmospheric water harvesting offers a mobile,

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adaptable alternative. The equipment would be

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portable, making it a compelling addition to

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the toolkit for sustaining human life on

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Mars. As Dr. Inglezakis notes, this

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study is one of the first to compare the

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various technologies that could be deployed

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to recover water in a Martian environment.

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Avery: The key takeaway is that future Mars missions

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will require not just one solution, but a uh,

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layered approach. Combining underground ice

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extraction, soil moisture recovery and

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atmospheric harvesting will allow missions to

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adapt to different environmental and

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logistical conditions.

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Anna: While the process is energy intensive,

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atmospheric harvesting can serve as a crucial

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contingency, especially in emergencies or

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during long range missions. The research

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offers insights that could make future space

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exploration missions more self sufficient and

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sustainable.

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Avery: It's this kind of practical, multifaceted

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planning that will ultimately make long

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duration Mars missions and potential

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colonisation efforts successful. Every

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backup system counts when you're 225

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million kilometres away from home, from the.

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Anna: Red Planet to the entire cosmos.

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Avery let's talk about NASA's Chandra X

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Ray Observatory and its incredible catalogue

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of cosmic recordings.

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Avery: Anna uh, this is like the ultimate

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astronomical music collection. The Chandra

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source catalogue now contains over

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1.3 million X ray detections

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across the sky, representing 22 years of

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observations from one of NASA's great

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observatories.

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Anna: The latest version, called CSC

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2.1 contains data through the end

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of 2020 and includes over

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400,000 unique compact and

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extended sources. This catalogue is

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a treasure trove for scientists, providing

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everything from precise positions in the sky

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to detailed information about X ray

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energies.

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Avery: What makes this particularly valuable is that

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it allows scientists using other telescopes

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both on the ground and in space, including

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NASA's James Webb and Hubble telescopes,

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to combine Chandra's unique X ray data with

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information from other wavelengths of light.

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Anna: To illustrate the richness of this catalogue,

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NASA released a stunning new image of the

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Galactic Centre, the region around the

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supermassive Black hole at the heart of the

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Milky Way, Sagittarius A.

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In just a 60 light year span,

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Chandra has detected over 3300

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individual X ray sources.

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Avery: That's incredible when you think about it.

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3300 sources and what amounts to a

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pinprick on the entire sky. This image

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represents 86 observations added together,

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totaling over 3 million seconds of Chandra

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observing time.

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Anna: They've also created a fascinating

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sonification of the catalogue, translating

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the astronomical data into sound. The

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sonification encompasses the new map that

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includes all of Chandra's observations from

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its launch through 2021, showing how

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X ray sources appear and reappear over

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time through different musical notes.

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Avery: In the visualisation, each X ray detection is

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represented by a circle, and the size of a

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circle is determined by the number of

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detections in that location over time. You

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can see the core of the Milky Way in the

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centre and the galactic plane stretching

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horizontally across the image.

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Anna: And here's the exciting part. Since

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Chandra continues to be fully operational,

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the catalogue keeps growing. The video

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transitions to and beyond after

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2021 as the telescope continues

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to collect new observ.

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Avery: This catalogue represents decades of cutting

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edge science and will continue to be an

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invaluable resource for astronomers studying

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everything from stellar evolution to the

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nature of black holes. It's a testament to

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the longevity and continued productivity of

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the Chandra mission.

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Anna: Now for something completely different. Avery

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scientists have found an ingenious new use

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for earthquake sensors, tracking dangerous

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space debris as it falls back to Earth.

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Avery: This is such a clever solution to a growing

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problem. Every year, thousands of discarded

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satellites orbit our planet and an increasing

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number are falling back into Earth's

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atmosphere. While most disintegrate before

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hitting the ground, some survive long enough

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to pose real dangers.

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Anna: Researchers from Johns Hopkins University and

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the University of London have demonstrated

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that existing seismic monitoring networks can

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track these falling satellites with

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remarkable accuracy. The investigation was

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led by Benjamin Fernando, a UH postdoctoral

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fellow at Johns Hopkins, who studies seismic

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activity on both Earth and other planets.

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Avery: Here's how it works. When falling objects re

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enter Earth's atmosphere at high speed, they

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generate sonic booms. These sonic

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booms create shock waves that ripple through

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the ground. And seismometers can detect this

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seismic energy just like they detect

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earthquakes.

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Anna: The team demonstrated this by analysing the

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April 2, 2024 re entry

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of China's Shenzhou 15 orbital

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module. This module was about 3

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1/2ft in diameter and weighed over

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1.5 tonnes. Definitely

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dangerous if any component reached Earth's

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surface.

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Avery: Using127 Seismometers in

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Southern California. They tracked the module

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as it travelled at Hypersonic velocities

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between Mach 25 and Mach 30,

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roughly 10 times faster than the world's

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fastest jet. From the seismometer data, they

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reconstructed the object's trajectory,

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determining it followed a northeasterly path

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over Santa Barbara and Las Vegas.

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Anna: What's particularly impressive is that their

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reconstruction placed the flight path about

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25 miles north of the predicted RE entry

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path from orbital tracking alone. This

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highlights the limitations of current

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tracking methods once objects enter the

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denser parts of the atmosphere.

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Avery: The seismic data also revealed the breakup

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pattern. Initially the signals showed the

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spacecraft was mostly intact during its high

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altitude trajectory. Later signals

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indicated complex waveforms showing

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fragmentation about eight to 11

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unique breakup events within just two

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seconds.

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Anna: This gradual degradation pattern is crucial

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information. It suggested that dense

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reinforced components likely survived long

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enough to reach the lower atmosphere,

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increasing their chances of landing intact.

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Avery: Beyond just tracking where debris lands, this

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method addresses environmental concerns.

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Falling debris can produce tiny particulate

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matter containing toxic propellants or

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radioactive materials. For example,

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Chilean scientists found man made plutonium

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in a glacier that they suspect came from the

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Russian spacecraft uh, Mars 96, which

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disintegrated in 1996.

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Anna: The ability to track debris in near real

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time, providing accurate locations within

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minutes instead of days or weeks would help

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authorities respond faster, protect people

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and identify hazardous materials. It

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could also provide aircraft warnings and

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support environmental monitoring.

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Avery: As Fernando points out, as launches increase

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and more large satellite constellations reach

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the end of their design lives, tools like

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this will become increasingly important. We

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need as many different ways as possible to

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track and characterise space debris.

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Anna: Avery Our next storey is going to make

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exoplanet hunters rethink some of their most

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exciting discoveries. It turns out that

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98% of what we thought were potential water

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worlds might actually be lava planets.

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Avery: This is a real wake up call for the

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scientific community. Anna New uh, research

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led by Rob Calder at the University of

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Cambridge suggests that nearly all known sub

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Neptune exoplanets, previously thought to be

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potential ocean bearing hycean worlds, are

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far more likely to be composed of molten

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rock.

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Anna: Sub Neptunes are the most commonly discovered

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type of exoplanet, larger than Earth but

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smaller than Neptune. Yet their exact nature

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has remained elusive. Because our solar

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system offers no direct equivalent.

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Understanding what these worlds are made of

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is crucial for the search for life and for

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refining our models of planetary formation.

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Avery: The problem stems from what scientists call

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degeneracy, when one set of observations

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can be interpreted in multiple ways. Take the

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case of planet K2 18b.

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Researchers celebrated its methane rich

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ammonia Poor atmosphere as evidence of a

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Hycean planet with thick hydrogen atmosphere

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overlying vast oceans.

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Anna: But here's the twist. Kaldar and his team

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point out that molten rock can also dissolve

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ammonia just like water can. So the

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absence of ammonia doesn't necessarily mean

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there are oceans. It could just as easily

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indicate a magma ocean.

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Avery: To test their theory, the researchers

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developed a new model called the

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Solidification shoreline. This tool connects

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the amount of energy a planet receives from

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its star with the star's effective

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temperature. By plotting known exoplanets

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against this framework, they could estimate

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whether a planet was likely to have

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maintained a magma ocean since formation.

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Anna: Using the Proteus model to simulate internal

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heat dynamics, they found that 98% of

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sub Neptune exoplanets fall above

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this shoreline. That means they receive

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enough stellar energy to keep their interiors

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hot and molten, rather than allowing them to

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cool into solid bodies.

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Avery: For astrobiologists and exoplanet hunters,

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the implications are significant. The

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Hycean world hypothesis had offered an

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enticing planets that might host life

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in vast subsurface oceans protected by thick

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atmospheres. This new research suggests that

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vision may have been premature.

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Anna: It's important to note that this doesn't

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close the door on water worlds altogether. It

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simply urges caution against over

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interpretation and reminds us that planetary

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evolution can take multiple paths. As

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Calver and his team make clear, the lack of

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reliable atmospheric mass data across many

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exoplanets limits current models.

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Avery: While this conclusion might seem like a

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setback, it actually offers a more stable

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foundation for future research. It's better

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to have a realistic understanding of what

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these planets are than to chase false hopes

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of habitability.

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Anna: Exactly. Science progresses through these

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kinds of corrections and refinements. We're

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building a more accurate picture of the

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cosmos, even if it means letting go of some

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earlier assumptions.

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Avery: And Anna for our final storey.

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Today we have something both beautiful and

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sobering. A glimpse into the future fate

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of our own sun.

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Anna: The James Webb Space Telescope has captured

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stunning new images of the Helix Nebula,

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one of the closest planetary nebulae to

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Earth. And what it reveals is absolutely

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breathtaking.

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Avery: Avery, also known as the eye of

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God, the Helix Nebula is located about

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650 light years away in the

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constellation Aquarius. It's the result of a

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sun like star that exhausted its nuclear fuel

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and shed its outer layers into space, leaving

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behind a dense core called a white dwarf.

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Anna: Webb's near infrared camera captured

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pillars of gas that look like thousands of

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comets with extended tails tracing the

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00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:04.210
circumference of an expanding shell of gas.

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These structures form when BLISTERING winds

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of hot moving gas from the dying star

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crash into slower moving colder shells

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of dust and gas that were shed earlier in the

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star's life.

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Avery: What makes Webb's view so special is the

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level of detail it reveals. The image shows

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the stark transition between different

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temperature hot ionised gas near

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the centre where the white dwarf sits, cooler

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molecular hydrogen farther out and

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00:18:32.670 --> 00:18:34.950
protective pockets where more complex

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00:18:34.950 --> 00:18:37.310
molecules can begin to form within dust

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clouds.

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Anna: The colour in the image represents

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temperature and chemistry. Blue marks the

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00:18:42.870 --> 00:18:44.910
hottest gas being blasted by the white

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dwarf's radiation. Yellow regions show

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00:18:47.790 --> 00:18:50.230
gas that's cooled as it moves away from the

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white dwarf. And the coolest material at the

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edge of the nebula appears red.

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Avery: This isn't just a pretty picture. It's

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showing us stellar recycling in action.

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The gas and dust being expelled don't

461
00:19:02.469 --> 00:19:04.910
disappear. They're incorporated into the

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interstellar medium, enriching clouds with

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00:19:07.550 --> 00:19:09.590
heavy elements forged in the stellar

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interior. This is the raw material from

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which new stars and planets will eventually

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form.

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Anna: According to NASA, this image is essentially

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a window into our own Future. In about

469
00:19:20.950 --> 00:19:23.710
5 billion years, our sun will enter

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this same phase, creating a similar nebula

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as it fades into a white dwarf.

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Avery: The Helix Nebula has been imaged many times

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over the nearly two centuries since it was

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00:19:33.790 --> 00:19:36.390
discovered by both ground based and space

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based observatories. But Webb's near

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infrared view brings unprecedented detail,

477
00:19:42.350 --> 00:19:44.670
revealing structures that were invisible to

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previous telescopes.

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Anna: Scientists can use these detailed

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observations to refine their understanding of

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stellar evolution, how stars end their lives

482
00:19:54.270 --> 00:19:56.550
and how they distribute the elements they've

483
00:19:56.550 --> 00:19:59.150
created back into the galaxy. Every

484
00:19:59.230 --> 00:20:02.070
shell of gas represents a different episode

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of mass loss, creating a timeline of the

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star's final stages.

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00:20:06.590 --> 00:20:08.990
Avery: It's a powerful reminder that even in death,

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stars continue to shape the universe. The

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00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:14.550
atoms that will one day form new worlds,

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00:20:14.550 --> 00:20:17.470
perhaps even new life, are being forged and

491
00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:20.230
distributed in nebulae like this right now.

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00:20:20.470 --> 00:20:23.270
Anna: It's both humbling and inspiring to see

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our cosmic future laid out so clearly.

494
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The Helix Nebula shows us that endings in

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space can be as magnificent as beginnings.

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Avery: And that wraps up today's journey through the

497
00:20:34.430 --> 00:20:37.230
cosmos. From terraforming dreams to

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00:20:37.230 --> 00:20:39.960
atmospheric water harvesting on Mars, from

499
00:20:40.110 --> 00:20:42.510
from X ray catalogues mapping millions of

500
00:20:42.510 --> 00:20:45.510
cosmic sources to earthquake sensors tracking

501
00:20:45.510 --> 00:20:48.390
falling satellites, we've covered incredible

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00:20:48.390 --> 00:20:48.990
ground today.

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00:20:49.390 --> 00:20:51.790
Anna: We've also learned to be more cautious about

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00:20:51.790 --> 00:20:54.670
those exciting water world discoveries and

505
00:20:54.670 --> 00:20:57.270
witnessed the beautiful death of a sun like

506
00:20:57.270 --> 00:20:59.550
star through Webb's remarkable eyes.

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It's been quite a day in space in astronomy

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00:21:02.150 --> 00:21:02.430
news.

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00:21:02.750 --> 00:21:04.910
Avery: Thanks for joining us on Astronomy Daily.

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00:21:05.070 --> 00:21:06.590
Remember, you can find us at

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00:21:06.590 --> 00:21:09.470
astronomydaily.IO for all our

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00:21:09.470 --> 00:21:11.470
episodes, show notes and more.

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00:21:12.650 --> 00:21:14.490
Anna: And don't forget to follow us on social

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00:21:14.490 --> 00:21:17.490
media. Astrodaily Pod we

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00:21:17.490 --> 00:21:19.410
love hearing from our listeners about what

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00:21:19.410 --> 00:21:21.050
storeys excite you most.

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Avery: Until next time, keep looking up clear

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skies everyone.

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00:21:34.730 --> 00:21:34.810
Mhm.

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Sam.