Cosmic Discoveries: Mini Moons, Laser Stars, and the Coldest Exoplanet Ever

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Language: en

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna


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bringing you the latest astronomical


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wonders and space news from across the


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universe. Today we have a stellar lineup


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of fascinating stories that showcase


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just how dynamic our universe truly is.


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We'll explore the surprising discovery


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of many moons lurking near Earth that


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might hint at a hidden population of


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lunar fragments in our neighborhood.


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Then we'll look at a remarkable


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telescope that's literally shooting


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lasers into space to create artificial


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stars. I'll also share details about the


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James Webb Space Telescope's


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groundbreaking discovery of the coldest


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exoplanet ever found and it's orbiting a


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dead star. Plus, get ready for the


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upcoming Eta Aquarid meteor shower. Your


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chance to witness the cosmic debris from


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Halie's comet lighting up our night


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skies. And finally, we'll update you on


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that Soviet Venus lander that's been


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stranded in Earth orbit for over 5


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decades and is now making its way back


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home. So, let's journey together through


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these cosmic tales that remind us just


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how wondrous our universe truly


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is. First up today, Earth's moon might


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be getting a bit of company in our


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cosmic neighborhood. Scientists have


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discovered what appears to be a second


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mini moon, a small rocky body that


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travels near Earth's orbit. This new


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minimoon, designated 2024 PT5, was first


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spotted last year by astronomers in


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South Africa, and the evidence suggests


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it may have been blown off our own moon


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during an ancient impact event. What


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makes 2024 PT5 particularly interesting


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is that it represents the second known


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lunar fragment traveling near Earth. The


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first, called Kamo Oalea, was traced to


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the moon in 2021. As planetary scientist


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Teddy Kretta from Lowel Observatory in


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Arizona puts it, "If there were only one


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object, that would be interesting, but


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an outlier. If there's two, we're pretty


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confident that's a population." This


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discovery hints at a potentially hidden


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collection of lunar fragments orbiting


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in Earthlike paths around the sun. Think


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of it as Earth traveling in its highway


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lane around the sun while these mini


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moons cruise along in adjacent lanes,


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occasionally merging into Earth's path


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before moving on again. What's


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fascinating about 2024 PT5 is how


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researchers identified its lunar origin.


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After its discovery, scientists quickly


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turned the Lowel Discovery Telescope


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toward this space rock and studied it


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using both visible and near infrared


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data. The composition matched rocks


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brought back by Apollo missions and the


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Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission,


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confirming its lunar heritage.


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Size-wise, 2024 PT5 is relatively small,


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estimated at just 26 to 39 ft in


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diameter. Scientists believe it was


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likely excavated when an asteroid or


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other object crashed into the moon,


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ejecting material that eventually found


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its way into an Earthlike orbit. Kretta


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Aptly compared this discovery to finding


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a new kind of evidence at a crime scene.


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These lunar fragments offer scientists a


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unique opportunity to study the effects


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of massive impacts on the moon. By


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matching the debris to specific lunar


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craters, researchers may gain new


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insights into how cratering events shape


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planetary bodies throughout the solar


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system. The two confirmed minimoons


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appear quite different from each other.


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Kamoa is larger and shows signs of


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longer exposure to cosmic rays and solar


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radiation, suggesting it's been in space


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longer than 2024 PT5. Their orbits also


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differ slightly. While 2024 PT5


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occasionally crosses Earth's orbital


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path, Kamoa maintains a more consistent


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quasi satellite orbit that keeps it in


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Earth's vicinity for several consecutive


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orbits. Researchers are now actively


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searching for more of these lunar


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refugees. with Ketta suggesting that


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some asteroids previously classified as


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unusual might actually be disguised


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lunar rocks. As new large-scale survey


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telescopes like the Vera Rubin


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Observatory come online, we may soon


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discover that Earth's mini moon


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population is much larger than


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previously


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thought. Next up, a rather intriguing


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experiment. At the Paranol Observatory


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in Chile, astronomers have developed


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what might be the most dramatic solution


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to a persistent problem. They're


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shooting powerful lasers into space. But


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this isn't science fiction. It's cutting


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edge astronomy at work. The UT4


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telescope, one of four 8 meter behemoths


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that make up the very large telescope


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array, is equipped with a remarkable


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system called the four laserg guide star


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facility. This system allows the


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telescope to do something extraordinary.


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Create artificial stars high in Earth's


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atmosphere. When we look up at the night


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sky, we see stars twinkling. While this


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might be beautiful, it's actually a


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serious problem for astronomers trying


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to capture clear images. That twinkling


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is caused by atmospheric turbulence.


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Essentially, we're looking at space


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through a constantly shifting layer of


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air that distorts the light. The UT4


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solution, it fires four brilliant laser


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beams about 90 km up into the atmosphere


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where they excite sodium atoms, causing


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them to glow brightly. These glowing


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points effectively create guide stars


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that the telescope can use as reference


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points.


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By observing how these artificial stars


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are distorted by the Earth's atmosphere


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in real time, the telescope's adaptive


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optics system can precisely adjust the


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shape of its secondary mirror to


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counteract the blurring effects. It's


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like wearing glasses that constantly


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update their prescription to match


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changing conditions. The results are


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spectacular. This technology allows UT4


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to capture images from the ground that


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are almost as sharp as those taken from


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space-based telescopes, but at a


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fraction of the cost and with the


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ability to upgrade and maintain the


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equipment


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regularly. The success of this system


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has been so impressive that plans are


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underway to equip the other three


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telescopes in the VT array with similar


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laser technology.


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This is part of a series of upgrades to


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the VT interferometer and its gravity


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plus instrument which can combine light


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from multiple telescopes to create what


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is essentially a huge virtual telescope.


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Not far from Paranol, another ambitious


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project is taking shape. The extremely


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large telescope currently under


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construction will be equipped with at


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least six lasers to ensure it delivers


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the sharpest possible images for a


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groundbased observatory. What makes this


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technology truly revolutionary is how it


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transforms the capabilities of


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earth-based astronomy. Space telescopes


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like Hubble and James Web provide


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incredible clarity but are


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extraordinarily expensive to build,


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launch, and operate. With laser adaptive


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optics, groundbased telescopes can now


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approach that level of precision while


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remaining accessible for regular


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upgrades and maintenance.


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This brilliant solution, literally


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creating stars with lasers to see the


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real ones better, represents one of the


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most innovative approaches in modern


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astronomy. It's allowing us to peer


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deeper into the cosmos than ever before,


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all while keeping our feet firmly on the


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ground. And while on the subject of


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telescopes, let's get an update from the


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JWST.


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The James Webb Space Telescope has made


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another groundbreaking discovery. This


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time, finding the first confirmed planet


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orbiting a dead star. This isn't just


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any exoplanet. It's also the coldest one


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ever directly observed, offering


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astronomers unprecedented insights into


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planetary evolution. The planet named


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WD1856 + 534b was actually first spotted


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back in 2020. But scientists weren't


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entirely sure whether it was truly a


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planet or possibly a brown dwarf, one of


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those failed stars that never quite


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gathered enough mass to ignite fusion in


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their cores. It took the incredible


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sensitivity of the James Webb Space


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Telescope to settle the debate. Located


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about 80 lighty years from Earth, this


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Jupiterized world orbits a white dwarf,


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the dense Earth-sized remnant core left


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behind after a sunlike star has


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exhausted its nuclear fuel, expanded


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into a red giant, and then collapsed.


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What makes this discovery particularly


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fascinating is that the planet completes


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an orbit around its dead star every 1.4


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days, placing it remarkably close to the


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stellar remnant. This proximity creates


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what astronomers call a paradox.


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WD1856 + 534b exists in what should be a


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forbidden zone. A region so close to the


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white dwarf that any planet there should


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have been completely destroyed when the


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star expanded during its red giant


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phase. Yet somehow this massive world


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survived or more likely migrated inward


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after the stars violent death throws had


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subsided. As Maryanne Limbach, the


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astronomer who led the study at the


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University of Michigan, put it, "This is


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compelling evidence that planets can not


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only survive the violent death of their


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star, but also move into orbits where we


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didn't previously necessarily expect


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them to exist. The planet is


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extraordinarily cold with a temperature


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of about 125°


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F, 87°.


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This makes it significantly colder than


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the previous record holder, epsilon


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indieab, which is a relatively balmy 35°


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F. The extreme cold, combined with its


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orbit around a white dwarf, offers


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astronomers a unique laboratory for


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studying planetary atmospheres and


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evolution. This discovery has


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wide-ranging implications for our


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understanding of cosmic evolution. It


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suggests that the migration of planets


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after stellar death might be a key


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mechanism for positioning worlds in the


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potentially habitable zones around white


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dwarfs, regions where liquid water and


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potentially life could exist. While this


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particular gas giant wouldn't be


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habitable, the principle applies to


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smaller rocky worlds as well. The James


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Webb Space Telescope hasn't yet reached


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its theoretical limits for detecting


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cold objects. Future observation


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programs aim to push those boundaries,


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potentially allowing astronomers to


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detect planets as cold as negative 324°


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F. Such capabilities would accelerate


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our understanding of exoplanets similar


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to our own Jupiter and Saturn, placing


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our solar system in a broader galactic


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context. The research team isn't


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finished with this fascinating system


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either. They plan to conduct a second


00:10:15.079 --> 00:10:18.310
JWST observation this July, hoping to


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spot any additional planets that might


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be gravitationally bound to the star.


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Finding another planet could help


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explain how WD1 1856 plus 534b managed


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to migrate to its current close orbit


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around the white dwarf without being


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destroyed in the process.


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Whether or not they find additional


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planets, these observations represent a


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crucial step forward in understanding


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how planetary systems evolve through the


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dramatic final stages of a stars life


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cycle. Knowledge that may one day help


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us predict the ultimate fate of our own


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solar


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system. Okay, it's time to get outside


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and look up. Get ready for a spectacular


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celestial light show as the ITA aquarid


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meteor shower is set to peak on the


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morning of Tuesday, May 6.


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That's this coming Tuesday. This


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dazzling display occurs when Earth


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passes through the debris trail left


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behind by perhaps the most famous cosmic


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wanderer of all, Hal's comet. During the


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peak nights of May 5, and 6, well


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observers could witness up to 50 meteors


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per hour streaking across the night sky.


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These shooting stars are actually tiny


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particles of primordial comet dust, some


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no bigger than grains of sand, that slam


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into Earth's atmosphere at the


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astonishing speed of 40 m/s. That's


00:11:32.560 --> 00:11:34.910
about 144,000


00:11:34.920 --> 00:11:37.590
mph. The shower takes its name from its


00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:39.910
radiant point, which appears to be near


00:11:39.920 --> 00:11:43.150
the star Eta Aquari in the constellation


00:11:43.160 --> 00:11:45.110
Aquarius. This makes the southern


00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:46.949
hemisphere the prime viewing location


00:11:46.959 --> 00:11:49.430
for this particular meteor shower. as


00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:51.269
Aquarius rises much higher in their


00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:53.590
night sky this time of year, allowing


00:11:53.600 --> 00:11:55.269
observers there to catch the greatest


00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:57.750
number of meteors. For those of us in


00:11:57.760 --> 00:12:00.630
the northern hemisphere, don't despair.


00:12:00.640 --> 00:12:02.870
We can still enjoy the show, though with


00:12:02.880 --> 00:12:05.190
somewhat reduced numbers. The best


00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:07.190
viewing time will be during the pre-dawn


00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:09.790
hours when Aquarius rises in the eastern


00:12:09.800 --> 00:12:12.550
sky. Observers in places like New York


00:12:12.560 --> 00:12:14.550
might expect to see around 10 meteors


00:12:14.560 --> 00:12:16.710
per hour. While fewer than our southern


00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:18.550
neighbors, it's still a respectable


00:12:18.560 --> 00:12:21.110
showing for a meteor shower. What makes


00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.430
the ITA aquarids particularly special is


00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:25.990
the nature of the meteors themselves.


00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:27.670
They're known for leaving glowing debris


00:12:27.680 --> 00:12:29.670
trails that can persist in the night sky


00:12:29.680 --> 00:12:31.829
for several seconds after the meteor


00:12:31.839 --> 00:12:34.230
itself has disappeared. These luminous


00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:35.990
trails are sometimes called persistent


00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:38.389
trains and add an ethereal quality to


00:12:38.399 --> 00:12:40.550
the shower. For the best viewing


00:12:40.560 --> 00:12:42.550
experience, experts recommend finding a


00:12:42.560 --> 00:12:45.269
spot 40° away from the radiant in the


00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.030
direction of your zenith. That's the


00:12:47.040 --> 00:12:49.670
point directly overhead. Allow at least


00:12:49.680 --> 00:12:51.509
30 minutes for your eyes to fully adapt


00:12:51.519 --> 00:12:53.750
to the darkness. And remember,


00:12:53.760 --> 00:12:55.670
binoculars or telescopes aren't


00:12:55.680 --> 00:12:58.069
necessary or even recommended for meteor


00:12:58.079 --> 00:13:00.150
watching. Your naked eyes with their


00:13:00.160 --> 00:13:02.069
wide field of view are the perfect


00:13:02.079 --> 00:13:03.910
instruments for taking in these fleeting


00:13:03.920 --> 00:13:06.629
celestial visitors. While the shower


00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:09.350
peaks on May 56, the ETA aquarids have


00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:11.910
actually been active since April 20. So,


00:13:11.920 --> 00:13:13.509
keep watching the skies in the coming


00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:15.910
days as activity ramps up. There's


00:13:15.920 --> 00:13:17.350
always the chance of catching an


00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:19.670
especially dramatic fireball, a meteor


00:13:19.680 --> 00:13:21.509
that burns exceptionally bright as a


00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:23.430
larger chunk of cometary debris meets


00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:26.389
its fiery end in our atmosphere. This


00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:28.629
celestial light show is just one of two


00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:30.949
annual meteor showers produced by Hal's


00:13:30.959 --> 00:13:33.269
comet. will cross its debris field again


00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:35.750
in October, creating the Orioned meteor


00:13:35.760 --> 00:13:37.910
shower. So, even though Halley itself


00:13:37.920 --> 00:13:39.509
won't return to the inner solar system


00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:42.470
until 2061, we get to enjoy its cosmic


00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:44.509
calling cards twice each


00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:47.110
year. Finally, today, an update to a


00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:49.190
story we covered yesterday. There's new


00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:51.269
information. After more than half a


00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:53.910
century silently orbiting Earth, a relic


00:13:53.920 --> 00:13:55.750
of the space race is finally coming


00:13:55.760 --> 00:13:59.590
home. The Soviet Union's Cosmos 482, a


00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.629
failed Venus probe launched back in


00:14:01.639 --> 00:14:04.310
1972, is expected to re-enter Earth's


00:14:04.320 --> 00:14:06.870
atmosphere around May 10, give or take


00:14:06.880 --> 00:14:08.710
about 2 days, according to satellite


00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:11.670
tracker Marco Langbrook. This isn't your


00:14:11.680 --> 00:14:15.189
typical space debris. Cosmos 482 was


00:14:15.199 --> 00:14:16.870
meant to be a sister mission to the


00:14:16.880 --> 00:14:19.829
successful Venera 8, which successfully


00:14:19.839 --> 00:14:22.230
landed on Venus and transmitted data for


00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:24.310
50 minutes before succumbing to the


00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:25.990
planet's crushing atmosphere and


00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.949
scorching temperatures. Unfortunately,


00:14:28.959 --> 00:14:31.590
Cosmos 482's upper stage rocket


00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:33.189
malfunctioned after reaching Earth


00:14:33.199 --> 00:14:35.269
orbit, stranding the Venusbound


00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:37.269
spacecraft in our planet's gravitational


00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:40.069
embrace. What makes this re-entry


00:14:40.079 --> 00:14:42.310
particularly fascinating is that the


00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:44.230
surviving component appears to be the


00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.710
actual lander module, a reinforced


00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:48.470
capsule specifically designed to


00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:50.590
withstand the extreme conditions of


00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:53.350
Venus. This robust engineering means it


00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:55.189
might actually survive the plunge


00:14:55.199 --> 00:14:57.829
through Earth's atmosphere intact and


00:14:57.839 --> 00:14:59.189
reach the surface without


00:14:59.199 --> 00:15:00.710
disintegrating.


00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:02.710
Recent images captured by satellite


00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:04.269
tracker Ralph Vanderberg in the


00:15:04.279 --> 00:15:06.870
Netherlands reveal intriguing details


00:15:06.880 --> 00:15:09.269
about the Wayward spacecraft. His


00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:11.269
highresolution photography shows what


00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:14.710
appears to be a clear compact ball,


00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:17.509
presumably the lander itself. Even more


00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:19.590
interesting, several frames seem to show


00:15:19.600 --> 00:15:21.750
a weak elongated structure extending


00:15:21.760 --> 00:15:24.470
from one side of the spherical object.


00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:26.069
This has led to speculation that the


00:15:26.079 --> 00:15:28.150
lander's parachute may have prematurely


00:15:28.160 --> 00:15:30.790
deployed during its decades in orbit.


00:15:30.800 --> 00:15:32.470
Vanderberg notes that the object might


00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:34.550
be tumbling, which would explain why


00:15:34.560 --> 00:15:36.550
this potential parachute is only visible


00:15:36.560 --> 00:15:39.350
in certain frames. If confirmed, this


00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:41.509
would be an extraordinary development. A


00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:43.829
spacecraft that not only survived 53


00:15:43.839 --> 00:15:45.990
years in space, but actually initiated


00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:47.670
part of its landing sequence while still


00:15:47.680 --> 00:15:50.629
in orbit. The re-entry is expected to be


00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:52.949
a long shallow trajectory through the


00:15:52.959 --> 00:15:54.550
atmosphere due to the spacecraft's


00:15:54.560 --> 00:15:57.670
current orbit. This combined with the


00:15:57.680 --> 00:15:59.670
age and condition of the object


00:15:59.680 --> 00:16:01.990
introduces numerous uncertainties about


00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:04.389
exactly when and where it might return


00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:07.110
to Earth. However, the fact that this


00:16:07.120 --> 00:16:08.790
capsule was engineered to withstand


00:16:08.800 --> 00:16:11.350
Venus's atmosphere, which is far denser


00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:13.350
and hotter than Earth's, gives it a


00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:15.030
fighting chance to reach the surface


00:16:15.040 --> 00:16:17.749
relatively intact. This unexpected


00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.710
return of Cosmos 482 offers a rare


00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.550
opportunity to examine early Soviet


00:16:22.560 --> 00:16:24.870
planetary exploration technology that


00:16:24.880 --> 00:16:26.790
has endured more than five decades in


00:16:26.800 --> 00:16:29.110
the harsh environment of space. For


00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:31.829
scientists and space enthusiasts alike,


00:16:31.839 --> 00:16:33.430
this visitor from the early days of


00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:35.590
interplanetary exploration provides a


00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:37.269
tangible connection to the ambitious


00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:39.790
dreams of the first space


00:16:39.800 --> 00:16:42.470
age. Well, that brings us to the end of


00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.470
today's cosmic journey. And what an


00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:46.150
extraordinary collection of discoveries


00:16:46.160 --> 00:16:48.710
we've explored together. From the hidden


00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:50.470
population of mini moons that may be


00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:51.910
scattered throughout our orbital


00:16:51.920 --> 00:16:53.509
neighborhood to giant telescopes


00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:56.069
shooting lasers into space, the universe


00:16:56.079 --> 00:16:58.710
continues to surprise and captivate us.


00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:00.629
The James Web Space Telescope's


00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:02.629
discovery of a planet orbiting a dead


00:17:02.639 --> 00:17:04.870
star challenges our understanding of


00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:07.270
planetary survival, while the upcoming


00:17:07.280 --> 00:17:10.150
Eta Aquarid meteor shower promises to


00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:11.949
paint our skies with celestial


00:17:11.959 --> 00:17:14.390
fireworks. and the imminent return of a


00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:16.710
Soviet Venus lander after 53 years in


00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:19.189
orbit reminds us of humanity's long


00:17:19.199 --> 00:17:21.350
history of reaching toward other worlds.


00:17:21.360 --> 00:17:23.590
If you've enjoyed today's episode, I'd


00:17:23.600 --> 00:17:26.189
love for you to visit our website at


00:17:26.199 --> 00:17:28.069
astronomyaily.io where you can sign up


00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:30.310
for our free daily newsletter and catch


00:17:30.320 --> 00:17:32.470
up on all the latest space and astronomy


00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:34.390
news with our constantly updating


00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.549
newsfeed. You can subscribe to Astronomy


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Daily on all podcast apps, including


00:17:39.120 --> 00:17:41.990
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and


00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:43.909
iHeart Radio, or wherever you get your


00:17:43.919 --> 00:17:46.470
podcasts from. I'm Anna, and I'll be


00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:47.990
back soon with more fascinating stories


00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:50.310
from the cosmos. Until then, keep


00:17:50.320 --> 00:17:51.990
looking up. There's a lot going on if


00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:54.909
only you look. Astronomy


00:17:54.919 --> 00:17:58.390
day. Stories be told.


00:17:58.400 --> 00:18:12.759
[Music]