Celestial Updates: SpaceX’s Launches, Curiosity’s Tracks, and K2 18b Controversies

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, where we


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bring you the latest news and insights


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from the world of space and astronomy.


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I'm your host, Anna, and today we have a


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busy episode with exciting developments


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from across the cosmos. We'll be


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exploring SpaceX's relentless expansion


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of their Starlink satellite


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constellation with their latest launch


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adding even more satellites to their


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growing network.


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Then we'll journey to China's Tiangong


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space station where a new crew has just


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arrived for a six-month mission. From


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Mars, we have a remarkable orbital


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snapshot of NASA's Curiosity rover


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caught in the act of traversing the red


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planet's surface. And in the realm of


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exoplanets, astronomers have made a


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surprising discovery about super Earths


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being far more common throughout the


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universe than we previously thought.


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Finally, we'll dive into the recent


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controversy surrounding potential bio


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signatures on exoplanet K218b, where


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claims of possible alien life have


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sparked both excitement and scientific


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skepticism. Is this the breakthrough


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we've been waiting for, or another case


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of premature speculation? Let's find out


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together. Let's kick things off with


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today's


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news. SpaceX continues its steady pace


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of Starlink launches, ever growing the


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company's orbital internet


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constellation. Last Thursday night, a


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Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from


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Florida's Space Coast, carrying the


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Starlink 674 mission. Liftoff occurred


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at 9 52 p.m. Eastern time from Cape


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Canaveral Space Force Station's launch


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complex 40. Stacked 28 tall inside the


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Falcon 9 fairing, these newest additions


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to SpaceX's Starlink Mega Constellation


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headed toward low Earth orbit, powered


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by the rocket's nine first stage Merlin


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engines. The mission represents yet


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another step in SpaceX's ambitious plan


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to provide global high-speed internet


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coverage from space. The workhorse first


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stage booster designated bone 69


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separated from the rocket's upper stage


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about 2 and 1/2 minutes into flight. 6


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minutes later, it executed a precise


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landing on SpaceX's whimsically named


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drone ship, a shortfall of Gravitas,


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stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. This


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marked an impressive 23rd launch for


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this particular booster and its 19th


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Starlink mission specifically.


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Meanwhile, the rocket's upper stage


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continued its journey, successfully


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releasing all 28 Starlink satellites


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about an hour after launch. These


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satellites will spend the next few days


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maneuvering into their designated


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positions to join the operational


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constellation. The Starlink network now


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consists of more than 7,000 satellites


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in low Earth orbit. Together, they


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operate in a grid that blankets nearly


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the entire planet with coverage


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extending to most areas except the polar


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regions. This network allows users to


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connect to high-speed internet from


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virtually anywhere they can point their


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Starlink receiver toward the sky.


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Whether that's a remote wilderness area,


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a ship at sea, or regions where


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traditional internet infrastructure is


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lacking. Thursday's mission was SpaceX's


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47th Falcon 9 launch of 2025, continuing


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their record-breaking launch cadence.


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Even more impressive, it was their 30th


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Starlink mission this year alone,


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highlighting the company's primary focus


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on building out this


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constellation. At this pace, SP X is on


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track to launch well over 100 rockets


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this year, a remarkable achievement for


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a company that just a decade ago was


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launching only a handful of missions


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annually.


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Meanwhile, China's space program has


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reached another significant milestone


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with the successful docking of the


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Shenzh 20 mission at the Tiangong space


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station. The spacecraft arrived


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yesterday at 11:49 a.m. Eastern time,


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beginning what will be a 6-month stay


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for its threeperson crew. The journey to


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the orbiting outpost was remarkably


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brief. Shenzhou 20 launched a top a Long


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March 2F rocket from Jukuan satellite


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launch center in northwest China at 5:17


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a.m. Eastern time, meaning the crew


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reached their destination in just under


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7 hours. This quick transit represents


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the efficiency of China's increasingly


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sophisticated crude spaceflight


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capabilities. Leading the mission is


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Commander Chen Dong, who brings valuable


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experience as this marks his third space


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flight. He's joined by two firsttime


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space travelers, Chen Jongui and


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Wongja. Upon arrival, they were greeted


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by the three members of the Shenzhou 19


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crew who are currently occupying the


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station. However, this sixperson


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arrangement will be shortlived as the


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Shenzh 19 team is scheduled to return to


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Earth on April 29th, just 5 days after


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the new crew's arrival. The Tiangong


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Space Station, which translates to


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Heavenly Palace, is a T-shaped facility


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that represents China's most ambitious


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space project to date. While it's


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smaller than the International Space


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Station, about 20% of the ISS's mass,


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it's still an impressive achievement.


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China completed the assembly of Chiang


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Gong's three primary modules in October


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2022, though officials have indicated


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they may add more modules in the future.


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Shenzhou 20 marks the ninth crude


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mission to reach the Chinese space


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station, demonstrating the steady


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progress of China's human space flight


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program. Interestingly, the docking


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coincided with a significant anniversary


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in space exploration. April 24th marked


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exactly 35 years since NASA's Hubble


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Space Telescope was deployed from the


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space shuttle discovery in 1990.


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As the Shenzh 20 crew settles in for


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their half-year stay, they'll continue


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China's ongoing scientific research


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aboard Tiangong, further establishing


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the country's growing presence in space


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exploration and cementing its position


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as one of the world's leading space


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fairing


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nations. Let's head out to Mars now. In


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an extraordinary development from our


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robotic explorer on the red planet,


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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has


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captured what appears to be the first


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ever image of the Curiosity rover while


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it was actively driving across the


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Martian landscape. This remarkable


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orbital snapshot was taken on February


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28th, which marked the


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4,466th Martian day or Saul of


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Curiosity's mission. The image taken by


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the high-rise camera aboard the orbiter


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shows Curiosity as a tiny dark speck at


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the front of an impressive trail of


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tracks stretching approximately 1,50 ft


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across the dusty Martian terrain. These


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tracks represent about 11 separate


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drives that Curiosity performed starting


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on February 2nd as it made its way from


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the Giddis Val channel. What makes these


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rover tracks particularly interesting is


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their longevity. Scientists expect them


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to remain visible for months before


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being erased by the persistent Martian


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winds. As the rover trudges along at its


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maximum speed of just 0.1 mph, it's


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creating a visible record of its journey


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that can be observed from orbit. Doug


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Ellison, Curiosity's planning team chief


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at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,


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noted, "By comparing the time high-rise


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took the image to the rover's commands


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for the day, we can see it was nearly


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done with a 69 ft drive.


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This precisely timed image capture


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provides valuable documentation of the


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rover's progress. The high-rise camera


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system is designed to take images with


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most of the scene in black and white


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with only a strip of color down the


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middle. In this particular image,


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Curiosity happened to fall within the


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black and white portion. The tracks lead


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to the base of a steep slope which the


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rover has since successfully climbed.


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Curiosity is currently making its way to


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its next scientific investigation site,


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which contains potential boxwork


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formations. These intriguing geological


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features may have been created by


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groundwater billions of years ago,


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providing potential insights into Mars'


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wet past. Engineers at JPL must


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carefully plan each day's journey,


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considering how the rover's navigation


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software will handle the challenging


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terrain it encounters.


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The rover is expected to reach this new


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scientific destination within a month or


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so, where it will conduct investigations


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that could further our understanding of


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Mars's ancient history and potential


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habitability. Next up, in a


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groundbreaking astronomical discovery,


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scientists have found that super Earth


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exoplanets are significantly more common


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throughout our universe than previously


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thought. This revelation comes after


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astronomers detected a small exoplanet


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in a wide orbit around its star during a


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gravitational microlensing event labeled


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Ogle 2016


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BLG00007. Jennifer Yei from the Center


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for Astrophysics at Harvard and


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Smithsonian explained, "We found a small


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planet in an orbit similar to Saturn's.


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This planet is part of a larger sample


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that shows super Earth planets between


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the orbits of Earth and Saturn are


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abundant. The abundance of super Earths


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was a surprise.


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For context, super Earths are planets


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with masses up to 10 times that of our


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own planet, but still significantly less


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massive than gas giants like Jupiter.


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What makes this finding particularly


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remarkable is how it expands our


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understanding of where these planets can


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exist. Until now, data from NASA's


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Kepler Space Telescope mission had


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established that super Earths commonly


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orbit their stars within a distance


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equivalent to that between Earth and our


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Sun 1 astronomical unit. However, this


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new research demonstrates that these


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rocky worlds are also frequently found


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at much greater distances from their


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host stars, approximately 10


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astronomical units away. As Yei noted


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previously, there were only upper limits


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on the numbers of super Earths in wide


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orbits, and there was a suggestion that


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they might not exist at all. Based on


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their calculations, the team estimates


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there should be around


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0.35 super Earth planets per star in


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these wider Jupiter-like orbits. This


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discovery has significant implications


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for our understanding of planetary


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formation processes. The distribution


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pattern suggests planets can be


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separated into two distinct populations,


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super Earths and Neptunized worlds in


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one group and more massive gas giants in


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another. This division likely reflects


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fundamental differences in how these


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planetary types form. Perhaps most


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intriguingly, this finding could expand


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our concept of habitable zones around


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stars. While Jupiter and Saturn orbit


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outside our solar systems habitable


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zone, super Earths in similar orbits


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around hotter stars could potentially


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fall within regions tempered enough to


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support liquid water, the key ingredient


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for life as we know it. The discovery


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was made possible by the Korea


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microlensing telescope network which


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uses Einstein's theory of general


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relativity to detect planets. When a


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planetary system passes between Earth


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and a background light source, it causes


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a tiny distortion in that source's


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light, a microlensing event that can


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reveal otherwise invisible planets. This


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new understanding of super Earth


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distribution throughout the cosmos not


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only reshapes our models of planetary


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system formation, but potentially


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expands the scope of our search for


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habitable worlds beyond our solar


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system. Finally, today, there's nothing


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like a good bit of controversy to get


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scientific debate going. Last week, a


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team of astronomers made headlines


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around the world by announcing what they


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called the strongest evidence yet for


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life beyond our solar system. The claim


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centers around the exoplanet


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K218b located about20 lighty years away


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in the constellation Leo where


00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:27.990
researchers believe they've detected


00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.230
dimethyl sulfide or DMS in its


00:11:31.240 --> 00:11:33.509
atmosphere. What makes this finding so


00:11:33.519 --> 00:11:35.750
potentially groundbreaking is that on


00:11:35.760 --> 00:11:38.710
Earth DMS is almost exclusively produced


00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:41.110
by living organisms particularly marine


00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:43.670
algae. According to Niku Maru Sudan of


00:11:43.680 --> 00:11:45.110
Cambridge University who led the


00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:47.190
research team, "These are the first


00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:49.110
hints we are seeing of an alien world


00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:51.110
that is possibly inhabited. This is a


00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:53.670
revolutionary moment." The team used


00:11:53.680 --> 00:11:55.910
data from the James Webb Space Telescope


00:11:55.920 --> 00:11:59.509
to analyze K218b's atmosphere, detecting


00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:01.750
not only DMS, but also its chemical


00:12:01.760 --> 00:12:05.590
cousin dimethyl dissulfide or DMDS,


00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:07.590
which is also considered a potential bio


00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:10.069
signature. Based on these findings,


00:12:10.079 --> 00:12:12.389
they've suggested K218b could be an


00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:15.829
ocean world teeming with life. However,


00:12:15.839 --> 00:12:17.750
the scientific community has responded


00:12:17.760 --> 00:12:20.230
with considerable caution. Several


00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:21.590
limitations have been pointed out that


00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:22.790
temper the excitement of this


00:12:22.800 --> 00:12:25.190
announcement. For one, the DMS detection


00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:26.949
was reported with only three sigma


00:12:26.959 --> 00:12:29.710
statistical significance, indicating a


00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:32.069
0.3% chance it could be due to random


00:12:32.079 --> 00:12:33.430
chance.


00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:35.190
This falls significantly short of the


00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:37.110
five sigma standard typically required


00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.910
for a definitive scientific discovery.


00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:41.829
Critics have also noted that the James


00:12:41.839 --> 00:12:44.470
Web Space Telescope seems to be pushed


00:12:44.480 --> 00:12:46.590
to its technical limits for this


00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:49.509
analysis and some scientists suggest the


00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.430
researchers might have used a biased


00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:53.350
model that artificially inflated the


00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.430
significance of the DMS signal in the


00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:58.629
planet's atmosphere. Manazi Lingam, an


00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.230
astrobiologist not involved in the


00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:02.629
research, stated that concluding that


00:13:02.639 --> 00:13:05.230
DMS has been detected appears to be


00:13:05.240 --> 00:13:07.710
premature. Others point out scientific


00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:09.430
inconsistencies, such as Eddie


00:13:09.440 --> 00:13:12.310
Schwiderman from UC Riverside, who noted


00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:14.710
the absence of ethane alongside the


00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:17.269
potential DMS signal, something that


00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:18.550
should be present based on our


00:13:18.560 --> 00:13:20.430
understanding of atmospheric


00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:22.509
chemistry. This isn't the first time


00:13:22.519 --> 00:13:24.629
K218b has been at the center of such


00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:26.790
excitement. Madis Sudan's team


00:13:26.800 --> 00:13:28.629
previously reported a possible DMS


00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:31.590
detection on the same planet in 2023,


00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:33.350
but that finding didn't hold up under


00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:35.910
independent analysis of the same data.


00:13:35.920 --> 00:13:38.389
Matt Genge, a planetary scientist from


00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:40.870
Imperial College London, summarized the


00:13:40.880 --> 00:13:43.509
situation well. When a discovery is as


00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:45.590
monumental as the discovery of alien


00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:48.069
life, the bar is set very high for


00:13:48.079 --> 00:13:50.710
convincing evidence. The scientific


00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:52.350
community seems to agree that while


00:13:52.360 --> 00:13:54.790
intriguing, this potential discovery of


00:13:54.800 --> 00:13:56.949
extraterrestrial life signals should be


00:13:56.959 --> 00:13:59.590
approached with healthy skepticism. As


00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.670
astrobiologist Christopher Glin aptly


00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:03.590
put it, did they find a needle in the


00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.470
haystack or just a sharp piece of hay?


00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:09.430
The K218b case perfectly illustrates the


00:14:09.440 --> 00:14:11.110
delicate balance scientists must


00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:12.629
maintain in the search for


00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:15.189
extraterrestrial life. As Carl Sean


00:14:15.199 --> 00:14:17.590
famously said, "Extraordinary claims


00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:19.509
require extraordinary evidence, and


00:14:19.519 --> 00:14:20.870
there's perhaps no claim more


00:14:20.880 --> 00:14:22.550
extraordinary than discovering life


00:14:22.560 --> 00:14:24.870
beyond Earth." This principle sits at


00:14:24.880 --> 00:14:26.710
the heart of scientific methodology when


00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:28.509
approaching potential bio signature


00:14:28.519 --> 00:14:30.870
detections. The evidence must not just


00:14:30.880 --> 00:14:32.870
suggest life might be present, but


00:14:32.880 --> 00:14:34.550
effectively rule out all other


00:14:34.560 --> 00:14:36.870
reasonable explanations. What we're


00:14:36.880 --> 00:14:37.790
seeing with


00:14:37.800 --> 00:14:40.870
K218B is science working exactly as it


00:14:40.880 --> 00:14:43.350
should. initial discovery followed by


00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:45.790
rigorous questioning and alternative


00:14:45.800 --> 00:14:47.910
hypothesis. Scientists are especially


00:14:47.920 --> 00:14:49.430
cautious because we've been down this


00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:52.430
road before. Remember the excitement in


00:14:52.440 --> 00:14:54.870
1996 when researchers announced


00:14:54.880 --> 00:14:56.829
potential microossils in a Martian


00:14:56.839 --> 00:14:59.750
meteorite or the 2020 claim of phosphine


00:14:59.760 --> 00:15:02.470
detection in Venus's atmosphere. Both


00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:04.790
generated tremendous public interest


00:15:04.800 --> 00:15:06.710
only to face significant scientific


00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:09.670
challenges later. These experiences have


00:15:09.680 --> 00:15:11.590
taught the scientific community valuable


00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:13.910
lessons about premature announcements.


00:15:13.920 --> 00:15:15.829
For a bio signature to be truly


00:15:15.839 --> 00:15:18.069
convincing, it needs to pass multiple


00:15:18.079 --> 00:15:19.670
independent confirmations using


00:15:19.680 --> 00:15:21.470
different instruments and analytical


00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:23.350
techniques. The signal should be


00:15:23.360 --> 00:15:25.710
unambiguous with strong statistical


00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:28.310
significance. Typically, that five sigma


00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:30.590
standard that gives us


00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:33.829
99.9997% confidence. And perhaps most


00:15:33.839 --> 00:15:35.670
importantly, scientists must thoroughly


00:15:35.680 --> 00:15:38.670
explore every possible non-biological


00:15:38.680 --> 00:15:40.790
explanation. This is particularly


00:15:40.800 --> 00:15:42.629
challenging when studying exoplanets


00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:43.470
like


00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:45.990
K218b because our understanding of their


00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:48.790
potential chemistry is still developing.


00:15:48.800 --> 00:15:51.189
What appears biological to us might


00:15:51.199 --> 00:15:53.269
simply reflect chemical processes we


00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:55.069
don't yet understand in these alien


00:15:55.079 --> 00:15:57.829
environments. As one researcher noted,


00:15:57.839 --> 00:16:00.870
life is the hypothesis of last resort.


00:16:00.880 --> 00:16:02.829
Rather than seeing the skepticism as


00:16:02.839 --> 00:16:05.189
discouraging, we should recognize it as


00:16:05.199 --> 00:16:07.790
the strength of science. Each


00:16:07.800 --> 00:16:09.829
investigation, even those that turn out


00:16:09.839 --> 00:16:12.629
to be false alarms, helps refine our


00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:14.870
techniques and understanding. We're


00:16:14.880 --> 00:16:17.430
developing better models, more sensitive


00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:19.990
instruments, and clearer criteria for


00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.110
distinguishing biological from


00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:23.710
non-biological


00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:25.990
signatures. The search for life beyond


00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:29.230
Earth is a marathon, not a sprint. While


00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:31.509
K218B may not ultimately provide the


00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:33.350
breakthrough we're hoping for, it


00:16:33.360 --> 00:16:34.949
represents an important step in our


00:16:34.959 --> 00:16:36.949
journey, teaching us how to ask better


00:16:36.959 --> 00:16:39.590
questions, design better studies, and


00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:41.269
approach future discoveries with the


00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:44.670
appropriate blend of excitement and


00:16:44.680 --> 00:16:46.870
skepticism. Well, that's all for today's


00:16:46.880 --> 00:16:48.870
episode of Astronomy Daily. We've


00:16:48.880 --> 00:16:50.790
traveled from SpaceX's growing Starlink


00:16:50.800 --> 00:16:53.030
constellation to China's latest space


00:16:53.040 --> 00:16:55.269
station crew, watched NASA's Curiosity


00:16:55.279 --> 00:16:57.590
rover make tracks on Mars, discovered


00:16:57.600 --> 00:16:59.269
that super Earths are more common than


00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.350
we thought, and examined the fascinating


00:17:01.360 --> 00:17:03.350
but contentious claims about potential


00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:05.710
bio signatures on


00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:08.309
K218b. I'm Anna, and it's been my


00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:09.590
pleasure to guide you through this


00:17:09.600 --> 00:17:12.069
cosmic journey of discovery. The


00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:13.750
universe continues to surprise and


00:17:13.760 --> 00:17:16.309
challenge us, reminding us that space


00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:18.390
exploration is as much about careful


00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:21.630
scientific scrutiny as it is about bold


00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:23.909
exploration. If you've enjoyed today's


00:17:23.919 --> 00:17:25.590
episode, I invite you to visit our


00:17:25.600 --> 00:17:27.230
website at


00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:28.950
astronomydaily.io, where you can catch


00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:30.789
up on all the latest space and astronomy


00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:32.950
news with our constantly updating news


00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:34.669
feed and listen to all our back


00:17:34.679 --> 00:17:36.870
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00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:38.950
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00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:41.830
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00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:46.230
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00:17:47.679 --> 00:17:50.070
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00:17:50.080 --> 00:17:51.909
It helps us more than you would know,


00:17:51.919 --> 00:17:53.909
and we'd be incredibly grateful for your


00:17:53.919 --> 00:17:55.830
help in getting the word out there.


00:17:55.840 --> 00:17:57.190
Thank you for joining me on this


00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.830
astronomical adventure today. The cosmos


00:17:59.840 --> 00:18:02.549
is vast, mysterious, and filled with


00:18:02.559 --> 00:18:05.110
wonders waiting to be discovered. Until


00:18:05.120 --> 00:18:06.549
next time, keep looking up and stay


00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:19.590
curious about our magnificent universe.


00:18:19.600 --> 00:18:21.910
Stories told.


00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:28.469
[Music]