June 2, 2025

Blue Origin’s Latest Milestone, Sharper Black Hole Images, and Titan’s Dragonfly Mission

Blue Origin’s Latest Milestone, Sharper Black Hole Images, and Titan’s Dragonfly Mission
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Blue Origin’s Latest Milestone, Sharper Black Hole Images, and Titan’s Dragonfly Mission

Highlights:

- Blue Origin's Latest Milestone: Join us as we celebrate Blue Origin's successful 12th crewed suborbital mission aboard the New Shepard, where space tourists experienced the breathtaking views of Earth and the sensation of weightlessness. This achievement marks another step forward in commercial space tourism, showcasing the reusable capabilities of the New Shepard vehicle.

- Unprecedented Black Hole Imaging: Dive into the groundbreaking results from the Event Horizon Telescope, which has captured the sharpest images of black holes ever seen from Earth. With enhanced resolution at 345 GHz, scientists can now observe the behaviours of supermassive black holes in unprecedented detail, revealing insights into their magnetic environments and the dynamics surrounding them.

- Spectacular Aurora Displays: Discover the stunning auroras that lit up the skies across North America and beyond, triggered by a powerful coronal mass ejection. This event created breathtaking light shows, visible as far south as Sandy Kaye, and even delighted observers in New Zealand with vibrant displays of the Aurora Australis.

- NASA's Dragonfly Mission to Titan: Journey with us as we look ahead to NASA's upcoming Dragonfly mission, set to launch in July 2028. This revolutionary nuclear-powered rotorcraft will explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, investigating its unique methane-rich environment and the chemical processes that may shed light on the origins of life.

For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io ( http://www.astronomydaily.io/) . Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.

Chapters:

00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily

01:10 - Blue Origin's latest milestone

10:00 - Unprecedented black hole imaging

15:30 - Spectacular aurora displays

20:00 - NASA's Dragonfly mission to Titan

✍️ Episode References

Blue Origin Updates

[Blue Origin]( https://www.blueorigin.com/ ( https://www.blueorigin.com/) )

Event Horizon Telescope Findings

[Event Horizon Telescope]( https://eventhorizontelescope.org/ ( https://eventhorizontelescope.org/) )

Aurora Reports

[NOAA Space Weather]( https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ ( https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/) )

Dragonfly Mission Details

[NASA Dragonfly]( https://www.nasa.gov/dragonfly ( https://www.nasa.gov/dragonfly) )

Astronomy Daily

[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ ( http://www.astronomydaily.io/) )


Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support ( https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .

Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/27425044?utm_source=youtube

00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily

01:10 - Blue Origin’s latest milestone

10:00 - Unprecedented black hole imaging

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:02.389
Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily,


00:00:02.399 --> 00:00:04.230
your go-to podcast for the latest


00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:05.749
discoveries and developments in the


00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:08.230
cosmos. I'm your host, Anna, and we've


00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:10.070
got a great lineup of space news for you


00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:12.150
today. Coming up, we'll blast off with


00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:13.950
details of Blue Origin's latest


00:00:13.960 --> 00:00:16.470
achievement. Then, prepare to have your


00:00:16.480 --> 00:00:18.470
mind blown as we dive into


00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.870
groundbreaking black hole images that


00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:22.550
are the sharpest ever captured from


00:00:22.560 --> 00:00:24.670
Earth. We'll also explore the


00:00:24.680 --> 00:00:27.509
spectacular aurora displays that lit up


00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:30.070
skies across North America and beyond.


00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:32.069
And finally, we'll journey to the


00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:34.470
mysterious world of Titan as we look


00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:36.990
ahead to NASA's fascinating Dragonfly


00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:39.670
mission. So, strap in and prepare for


00:00:39.680 --> 00:00:41.670
liftoff as we explore today's top


00:00:41.680 --> 00:00:43.709
stories from across the


00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:46.069
universe. Blue Origin has once again


00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.069
reached for the stars with their New


00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:50.549
Shepard vehicle, successfully completing


00:00:50.559 --> 00:00:53.270
their 12th crude suborbital mission.


00:00:53.280 --> 00:00:55.189
The spacecraft carried a full complement


00:00:55.199 --> 00:00:56.950
of space tourists to the edge of our


00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.110
atmosphere where they experienced the


00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:01.510
breathtaking views of our planet and the


00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.869
unforgettable sensation of


00:01:03.879 --> 00:01:05.910
weightlessness. This latest flight


00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:07.750
represents another milestone for Jeff


00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:10.230
Bezos's space company as they continue


00:01:10.240 --> 00:01:12.390
to establish themselves as leaders in


00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:14.789
the commercial space tourism industry.


00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:16.789
The new Shepard vehicle, named after


00:01:16.799 --> 00:01:19.350
Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, follows


00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:21.670
a fully autonomous flight profile,


00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:23.670
carrying passengers in a capsule that


00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:25.590
detaches from its booster rocket before


00:01:25.600 --> 00:01:27.550
both components return separately to


00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:29.990
Earth. The reusable nature of New


00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:31.830
Shepard continues to demonstrate Blue


00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:33.749
Origin's commitment to more sustainable


00:01:33.759 --> 00:01:35.990
space travel with the booster making a


00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:37.990
controlled powered landing while the


00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.230
passenger capsule gently descends under


00:01:40.240 --> 00:01:42.469
parachutes. This mission further


00:01:42.479 --> 00:01:44.469
cementss Blue Origin's growing track


00:01:44.479 --> 00:01:47.109
record of reliable suborbital flights,


00:01:47.119 --> 00:01:48.870
providing more civilians the rare


00:01:48.880 --> 00:01:50.950
opportunity to experience the overview


00:01:50.960 --> 00:01:52.950
effect, that profound shift in


00:01:52.960 --> 00:01:54.950
perspective that astronauts describe


00:01:54.960 --> 00:01:56.870
when seeing Earth from space for the


00:01:56.880 --> 00:01:57.870
first


00:01:57.880 --> 00:02:00.310
time. Now, this next story is pretty


00:02:00.320 --> 00:02:02.149
cool. In a major breakthrough for


00:02:02.159 --> 00:02:04.230
astronomy, scientists using the Event


00:02:04.240 --> 00:02:05.990
Horizon Telescope have captured the


00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.070
sharpest images ever of distant black


00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:10.389
holes from Earth. These remarkable new


00:02:10.399 --> 00:02:11.990
observations employed light at a


00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:15.430
frequency of 345 gigahertz, allowing


00:02:15.440 --> 00:02:17.270
researchers to peer deeper into the


00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:18.869
regions surrounding black holes with


00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:21.750
unprecedented clarity. This achievement


00:02:21.760 --> 00:02:23.510
represents a significant leap forward


00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:27.510
from their previous work at 230 GHz with


00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:29.350
the shorter wavelength providing


00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:32.630
approximately 50% sharper resolution


00:02:32.640 --> 00:02:35.589
around 14 microarch seconds.


00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:37.350
To put this in perspective, that's like


00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:39.509
being able to see a donut on the surface


00:02:39.519 --> 00:02:42.070
of the moon from Earth. The Event


00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:43.670
Horizon Telescope isn't a single


00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:45.750
instrument, but rather a global network


00:02:45.760 --> 00:02:48.750
of radio telescopes working in perfect


00:02:48.760 --> 00:02:50.710
synchronization. Using a powerful


00:02:50.720 --> 00:02:52.910
technique called very long baseline


00:02:52.920 --> 00:02:55.190
interferometry, scientists effectively


00:02:55.200 --> 00:02:57.030
created a virtual telescope the size of


00:02:57.040 --> 00:02:59.509
our planet. By combining signals from


00:02:59.519 --> 00:03:01.589
observatories scattered across Earth,


00:03:01.599 --> 00:03:03.190
they've achieved imaging capabilities


00:03:03.200 --> 00:03:05.030
far beyond what any single telescope


00:03:05.040 --> 00:03:07.990
could accomplish. Among the most studied


00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:10.149
targets are the super massive black hole


00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:12.550
at the center of galaxy M87 and


00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.869
Sagittarius A star, the black hole at


00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:17.190
the heart of our own Milky Way. With


00:03:17.200 --> 00:03:19.270
this enhanced resolution, researchers


00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:21.190
can now observe how light bends near


00:03:21.200 --> 00:03:23.110
these cosmic giants with remarkable


00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:25.430
detail, potentially revealing subtle


00:03:25.440 --> 00:03:26.790
behaviors that were previously


00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.270
invisible. The technical challenges


00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:33.830
involved were immense. At 345 GHz,


00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:35.990
atmospheric water vapor heavily absorbs


00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.149
radio waves, significantly weakening


00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:40.229
signals from distant black holes. To


00:03:40.239 --> 00:03:42.470
overcome this, the EHT team expanded


00:03:42.480 --> 00:03:44.470
their bandwidth and carefully selected


00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:46.390
high altitude observation sites like the


00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:49.110
Atakama largem submillimeter array in


00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:50.949
Chile and the submillimeter array in


00:03:50.959 --> 00:03:53.030
Hawaii where atmospheric interference is


00:03:53.040 --> 00:03:54.550
minimized.


00:03:54.560 --> 00:03:56.509
This advancement opens exciting new


00:03:56.519 --> 00:03:58.869
possibilities. Scientists can now study


00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:01.030
polarized light around black holes with


00:04:01.040 --> 00:04:03.270
greater precision, providing insights


00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:05.509
into their magnetic environments. The


00:04:05.519 --> 00:04:07.990
reduced effects of Faraday rotation, a


00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:09.830
phenomenon that alters light's electric


00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:12.229
field orientation, allows for clearer


00:04:12.239 --> 00:04:13.910
observations of magnetic field


00:04:13.920 --> 00:04:16.150
structures. Perhaps most thrilling is


00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:17.670
the potential to create time-lapse


00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.069
movies of black hole environments


00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:21.990
showing material moving around the event


00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:24.310
horizon in near real time. For


00:04:24.320 --> 00:04:26.950
Sagittarius, a star, which has a dynamic


00:04:26.960 --> 00:04:29.350
time scale of about 200 seconds.


00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:31.430
Simultaneous observations at multiple


00:04:31.440 --> 00:04:33.670
wavelengths could soon allow scientists


00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:35.990
to watch the cosmic dance of matter as


00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:37.670
it spirals toward the point of no


00:04:37.680 --> 00:04:40.390
return. This groundbreaking advancement


00:04:40.400 --> 00:04:42.390
in black hole imaging technology is set


00:04:42.400 --> 00:04:44.150
to revolutionize our understanding of


00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:47.270
these cosmic giants. With the successful


00:04:47.280 --> 00:04:50.550
345 gigahertz observations, scientists


00:04:50.560 --> 00:04:52.230
are now on the cusp of creating


00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:55.510
something truly remarkable. Time-lapse


00:04:55.520 --> 00:04:57.510
movies of black hole environments that


00:04:57.520 --> 00:04:59.110
would show us the dynamic nature of


00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.670
these extreme regions in unprecedented


00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:04.710
detail. For M7's black hole, which


00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:06.950
evolves over a longer period of about 3


00:05:06.960 --> 00:05:09.749
days, researchers could combine images


00:05:09.759 --> 00:05:11.990
collected over consecutive observation


00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:14.189
sessions to construct detailed


00:05:14.199 --> 00:05:16.189
visualizations of its active


00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:18.870
surroundings. These time-lapse sequences


00:05:18.880 --> 00:05:20.950
would reveal how matter behaves as it


00:05:20.960 --> 00:05:22.710
approaches the event horizon,


00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:24.390
potentially showing the formation and


00:05:24.400 --> 00:05:26.629
evolution of jets that extend thousands


00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:29.510
of light years into space. Beyond the


00:05:29.520 --> 00:05:31.590
well-known black holes at M87 and


00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.909
Sagittarius A star, the improved


00:05:33.919 --> 00:05:36.070
resolution enables detailed studies of


00:05:36.080 --> 00:05:38.070
active galactic nuclei jets with


00:05:38.080 --> 00:05:40.629
unprecedented precision. Researchers can


00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:42.390
now investigate phenomena like limb


00:05:42.400 --> 00:05:44.390
brightening, where jets appear brighter


00:05:44.400 --> 00:05:46.710
near their edges, and study how these


00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:48.870
massive energy beams form and accelerate


00:05:48.880 --> 00:05:51.830
across vast cosmic distances. Perhaps


00:05:51.840 --> 00:05:53.430
most exciting is the potential for


00:05:53.440 --> 00:05:55.830
multi-frequency synthesis, a technique


00:05:55.840 --> 00:05:57.390
that combines data from different


00:05:57.400 --> 00:05:59.590
frequencies to map black hole


00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:01.710
environments in exquisite detail over


00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:04.230
time. For our galaxy's central black


00:06:04.240 --> 00:06:06.230
hole, this could provide real-time


00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:07.790
glimpses into its turbulent


00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:10.070
surroundings, capturing momentby-moment


00:06:10.080 --> 00:06:12.189
changes near the event


00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:14.950
horizon. Did you happen to see this?


00:06:14.960 --> 00:06:16.390
Earth has been putting on quite a show


00:06:16.400 --> 00:06:19.110
lately. A powerful coronal mass ejection


00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:20.950
struck our planet headon in the early


00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:23.270
hours of June 1, triggering one of the


00:06:23.280 --> 00:06:25.270
most spectacular aurora displays in


00:06:25.280 --> 00:06:27.749
recent memory. The CME originated from


00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:30.870
an M8.2 class solar flare that erupted


00:06:30.880 --> 00:06:33.430
on May 30 and raced toward Earth at a


00:06:33.440 --> 00:06:35.469
staggering speed of nearly


00:06:35.479 --> 00:06:36.990
1,938


00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:40.110
km/s. That's about 4.3 million


00:06:40.120 --> 00:06:42.870
mph. When this massive burst of solar


00:06:42.880 --> 00:06:44.629
energy collided with Earth's magnetic


00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:46.790
field, it triggered what scientists


00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.270
classify as a severe G4 geomagnetic


00:06:50.280 --> 00:06:52.950
storm. This intense disturbance in our


00:06:52.960 --> 00:06:55.110
planet's magneettosphere created


00:06:55.120 --> 00:06:57.350
breathtaking auroras that were visible


00:06:57.360 --> 00:06:59.270
much farther south than usual,


00:06:59.280 --> 00:07:01.110
delighting skygazers across North


00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.990
America. The severity of this particular


00:07:04.000 --> 00:07:05.830
storm meant that aurora chasers were


00:07:05.840 --> 00:07:08.550
treated to spectacular displays even in


00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:10.150
regions where such sightings are


00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:13.110
extremely rare. Terry Griffin captured


00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:14.950
beautiful aurora pillars in St. George,


00:07:14.960 --> 00:07:17.189
Kansas, noting that the white pillars


00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:18.950
were strikingly visible to the naked


00:07:18.960 --> 00:07:22.150
eye. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, sky watchers


00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:24.309
reported brilliant curtains of green and


00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:26.629
purple light dancing across the night


00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.270
sky. Perhaps most remarkable were the


00:07:29.280 --> 00:07:31.029
sightings from places like Farmington,


00:07:31.039 --> 00:07:33.270
New Mexico, where photographer Derek


00:07:33.280 --> 00:07:35.589
Wilson captured a stunning timelapse of


00:07:35.599 --> 00:07:38.309
the northern lights. Wilson explained


00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:40.790
that visible auroras this far south are


00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:43.110
such a rare occurrence that he knew he


00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:45.029
had to get far from city lights when he


00:07:45.039 --> 00:07:47.510
saw the solar storm data. Most


00:07:47.520 --> 00:07:49.270
astonishingly, the light show was


00:07:49.280 --> 00:07:51.430
confirmed as visible on webcams as far


00:07:51.440 --> 00:07:53.830
south as San Diego, California. An


00:07:53.840 --> 00:07:55.270
extremely unusual occurrence that


00:07:55.280 --> 00:07:56.710
highlights just how powerful this


00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:59.749
GeForce storm truly was. The Southern


00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:01.350
Hemisphere wasn't left out of this


00:08:01.360 --> 00:08:03.670
extraordinary light show. Sky Watchers


00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:04.950
in New Zealand were treated to


00:08:04.960 --> 00:08:06.990
spectacular displays of the Aurora


00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:09.990
Australas with vibrant red and pink hues


00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:12.309
illuminating night skies. The crimson


00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:14.390
and magenta hues that dominated many


00:08:14.400 --> 00:08:16.869
southern hemisphere sightings created an


00:08:16.879 --> 00:08:19.110
almost otherworldly atmosphere


00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:20.469
distinctly different from the


00:08:20.479 --> 00:08:23.029
predominantly green curtains often seen


00:08:23.039 --> 00:08:26.469
in the north. In Australia, the Aurora


00:08:26.479 --> 00:08:28.469
Australas made a dramatic appearance


00:08:28.479 --> 00:08:30.710
over Victoria. The aurora was


00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:32.790
particularly impressive over Tasmania


00:08:32.800 --> 00:08:34.790
with observers in Queenstown reporting


00:08:34.800 --> 00:08:37.350
some of the most vibrant displays. The


00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:39.509
rugged landscape provided a striking


00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:42.230
foreground to the cosmic light show with


00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:45.190
red and pink aurora reflections visible


00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:47.430
in the still waters of lakes and bays


00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:49.829
across the region. What makes these


00:08:49.839 --> 00:08:52.310
sightings especially remarkable is their


00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:54.550
rarity. While northern lights are


00:08:54.560 --> 00:08:56.230
occasionally visible in the northern


00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:58.630
United States, seeing auroras from


00:08:58.640 --> 00:09:00.470
places like San Diego or central


00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:03.509
Australia is extraordinarily uncommon,


00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:05.670
requiring exceptionally powerful


00:09:05.680 --> 00:09:09.389
geomagnetic storms like this G4


00:09:09.399 --> 00:09:11.829
event. Now, let's turn our attention to


00:09:11.839 --> 00:09:13.590
a mission that will take us to one of


00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.829
the most fascinating worlds in our solar


00:09:15.839 --> 00:09:17.269
system.


00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:18.870
NASA is preparing to launch the


00:09:18.880 --> 00:09:20.949
Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan


00:09:20.959 --> 00:09:25.030
in July 2028 using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy


00:09:25.040 --> 00:09:27.030
rocket to send this revolutionary


00:09:27.040 --> 00:09:29.670
spacecraft on its six-year journey.


00:09:29.680 --> 00:09:31.990
Titan is unlike any world we've explored


00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:34.389
before. It's the only moon in our solar


00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:36.710
system with a thick atmosphere, and its


00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:38.790
surface is dotted with methane rivers,


00:09:38.800 --> 00:09:41.350
lakes, and seas. This methane rich


00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:43.509
environment has scientists excited


00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:45.190
because they believe Titan resembles


00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:47.110
what Earth may have looked like billions


00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.590
of years ago before life transformed our


00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:52.230
planet's chemistry. What makes Dragonfly


00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.630
truly revolutionary is its design.


00:09:54.640 --> 00:09:56.949
Rather than a traditional rover, NASA


00:09:56.959 --> 00:09:59.590
has created a nuclearpowered roercraft,


00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:01.670
essentially a science drone that can fly


00:10:01.680 --> 00:10:03.829
from location to location across Titan's


00:10:03.839 --> 00:10:06.550
surface. This mobility will allow it to


00:10:06.560 --> 00:10:08.230
cover hundreds of kilometers during its


00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:10.710
mission, exploring diverse landscapes


00:10:10.720 --> 00:10:13.190
that would be impossible to reach with a


00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:15.590
wheeled vehicle. The principal


00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:17.350
investigator, Zibby Turtle from John's


00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:19.590
Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory,


00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.590
explains that Dragonfly isn't searching


00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:24.630
for current life on Titan. Instead, it's


00:10:24.640 --> 00:10:26.389
investigating the chemical processes


00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.790
that might have preceded life on Earth.


00:10:28.800 --> 00:10:31.910
Since Titan is so cold, about 144


00:10:31.920 --> 00:10:34.550
degrees C below zero, any chemical


00:10:34.560 --> 00:10:36.389
reactions occur much more slowly than


00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.310
they would on Earth, effectively


00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:40.110
preserving evidence of prebiotic


00:10:40.120 --> 00:10:42.389
chemistry. One of Dragonflyy's prime


00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:45.110
destinations is Sulk Crater, a massive


00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.990
90 km wide impact site. Scientists


00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.069
believe this ancient asteroid impact may


00:10:50.079 --> 00:10:52.069
have temporarily melted Titan's icy


00:10:52.079 --> 00:10:54.470
crust, creating a warm pool of liquid


00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:56.870
water mixed with organic compounds,


00:10:56.880 --> 00:10:59.430
essentially a prebiotic soup, similar to


00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:01.230
what might have spawned life on early


00:11:01.240 --> 00:11:04.230
Earth. By studying Titan, scientists


00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:05.990
hope to answer fundamental questions


00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:08.790
about how life begins. Is the path from


00:11:08.800 --> 00:11:11.030
chemistry to biology universal,


00:11:11.040 --> 00:11:13.269
following the same pattern everywhere?


00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:15.269
Or was Earth's development of life a


00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:17.269
cosmic coincidence?


00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:19.350
It's essentially a longunning chemical


00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:22.150
experiment, explains Sarah H, a


00:11:22.160 --> 00:11:24.389
Dragonfly co-investigator. That's why


00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:26.470
Titan is exciting. It's a natural


00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:27.910
version of our origin of life


00:11:27.920 --> 00:11:29.910
experiments, except it's been running


00:11:29.920 --> 00:11:33.069
much longer and on a planetary


00:11:33.079 --> 00:11:35.990
scale. Well, what an incredible journey


00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:37.430
around our cosmic neighborhood we've


00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:39.430
taken today. From witnessing Blue


00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:41.030
Origin's continued progress in


00:11:41.040 --> 00:11:43.110
commercial space flight to marveling at


00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:44.870
the sharpest black hole images ever


00:11:44.880 --> 00:11:46.630
captured from Earth.


00:11:46.640 --> 00:11:48.630
This has been Anna hosting Astronomy


00:11:48.640 --> 00:11:50.630
Daily. If you'd like to keep up with all


00:11:50.640 --> 00:11:52.630
the latest space and astronomy news,


00:11:52.640 --> 00:11:54.430
visit our website at


00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:56.310
astronomydaily.io where our newsfeed


00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:58.790
updates constantly. You can also follow


00:11:58.800 --> 00:12:00.389
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00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.350
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00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:05.110
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00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:07.030
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00:12:07.040 --> 00:12:17.310
up.


00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:20.830
Oh, the stories were told.


00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:27.389
[Music]