Cosmic Jousts, Jupiter’s Giant Past, and Interstellar Microbial Mysteries

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Language: en

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Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily,


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your cosmic connection to the stars and


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beyond. I'm Anna and today we're


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exploring some truly mind-bending


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stories from across the universe. Coming


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up on today's show, we'll witness a


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celestial joust between two massive


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galaxies on a collision course with one


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firing a beam of radiation through the


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other like a night's lance. We'll also


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discover that Jupiter, the architect of


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our solar system, was once twice its


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current size with a magnetic field 50


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times stronger than it is


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today. Then we'll examine the often


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overlooked challenges of interstellar


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travel. Not the rockets and propulsion


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systems, but the microscopic passengers


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that would need to make the journey with


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us. Plus, we'll explore one of the


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strangest planetary systems ever


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discovered, featuring a planet that


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orbits perpendicular to everything we


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thought we knew about orbital mechanics.


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And finally, we'll check in on Tom


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Cruz's ambitious plans to become the


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first actor to film a movie in actual


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outer space. It's a packed episode


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exploring the biggest and smallest


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wonders of our universe. So, let's dive


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right into today's Astronomy Daily.


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Astronomers have recently observed what


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they're describing as a cosmic joust.


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two massive galaxies hurtling toward


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each other in deep space. This


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remarkable celestial event gives us a


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glimpse of a galactic merger as it was


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happening 11.4 billion years ago when


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the universe was just about 1/5 of its


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current age. The observation made using


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two powerful telescopes in Chile, the


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Adakama Largem Submillimem Array and the


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European Southern Observatory's Very


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Large Telescope reveals two galaxies,


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each containing roughly the same number


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of stars as our own Milky Way. But what


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makes this encounter particularly


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fascinating is what's happening at the


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heart of one of these galaxies. One of


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the galaxies contains a quazar, an


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extraordinarily luminous object powered


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by a super massive black hole. As gas


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and other material fall into this cosmic


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monster, it heats up due to friction,


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creating a disc that emits extremely


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powerful radiation in two opposite


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directions. These are called biconical


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beams, and one of them is directly


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piercing through the companion galaxy.


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The researchers have likened this


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interaction to medieval knights charging


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toward each other in a joust. As


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astrophysicist Sergey Balachev from the


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Iopa Institute in St. Petersburg puts


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it, "One of them, the quazar host, emits


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a powerful beam of radiation that


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pierces the companion galaxy like a


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lance." This radiation lance is actually


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disrupting the molecular clouds in the


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companion galaxy. The very clouds that


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would normally give rise to new stars.


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Instead of forming stars, these clouds


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are being transformed into tiny, dense


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cloudlets that are too small to create


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stellar nurseries. It's effectively


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wounding its opponent by disrupting the


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gas structure necessary for star


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formation. The super massive black hole


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powering this cosmic joust is estimated


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to be about 200 million times the mass


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of our sun, far larger than the one at


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the center of our own Milky Way, which


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is only about 4 million solar masses.


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What makes this observation particularly


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special is that it's the first time


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scientists have witnessed this kind of


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phenomenon. A quazar's radiation


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directly affecting the molecular clouds


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in another galaxy. The unique alignment


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of these galaxies from our perspective


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on Earth allowed researchers to observe


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the radiation passing directly through


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the companion galaxy. According to


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astronomer Pascar Notre Dame of the


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Paris Institute of Astrophysics, these


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two galaxies will eventually coalesce


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into a single larger galaxy as their


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gravitational interaction continues. The


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quazer will gradually fade as it


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exhausts its available fuel. Most


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galactic mergers observed by astronomers


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occurred later in the universe's


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history, making this early cosmic


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collision particularly valuable for


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understanding how galaxies evolved in


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the young universe. It's a dramatic


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snapshot of the violent processes that


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have shaped the cosmos since its


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earliest days. A cosmic joust that will


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ultimately end in union rather than


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victory for either


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contestant. Next, let's take a new look


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at one of our cosmic neighbors. Jupiter,


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the largest planet in our solar system,


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was once even more massive and


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magnetically powerful than it is today.


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According to a groundbreaking new study


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published in the journal Nature


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Astronomy, researchers from Caltech and


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the University of Michigan have


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determined that approximately 3.8


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million years after the formation of the


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solar systems first solids, Jupiter was


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about twice its current size with a


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magnetic field 50 times stronger than


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what we observe now. This revelation


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comes from an ingenious approach that


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bypasses traditional uncertainties in


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planetary formation models. Rather than


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relying on assumptions about gas opacity


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or accretion rates, the researchers


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focused on something more concrete. The


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orbital dynamics of Jupiter's tiny moons


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Amla and Theeb. These small moons, which


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orbit even closer to Jupiter than the


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Galilean moon Io, have slightly tilted


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orbits. By analyzing these orbital


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discrepancies, Constantine Badigan,


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professor of planetary science at


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Caltech, and Fred C. Adams, professor of


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physics and astronomy at the University


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of Michigan, were able to calculate


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Jupiter's original dimensions. Their


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findings paint a picture of a truly


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enormous early Jupiter with a volume


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equivalent to over 2,000 Earths. This


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isn't just an interesting factoid. It


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provides critical information about a


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pivotal moment in our solar systems


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development. The research establishes a


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clear snapshot of Jupiter at the precise


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moment when the surrounding solar nebula


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evaporated, effectively locking in the


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primordial architecture of our solar


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system. Our ultimate goal is to


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understand where we come from and


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pinning down the early phases of planet


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formation is essential to solving the


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puzzle, explains bad. This brings us


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closer to understanding how not only


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Jupiter but the entire solar system took


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shape.


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What makes this research particularly


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valuable is that it provides independent


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verification of long-standing planet


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formation theories which suggest that


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Jupiter and other giant planets formed


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via core accretion a process where a


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rocky and icy core rapidly gathers gas.


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These theories have been developed over


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decades by many researchers including


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Calte Dave Stevenson and this new study


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adds crucial specificity to our


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understanding.


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Understanding Jupiter's early evolution


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has broader implications for our solar


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systems development. Jupiter's gravity


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has often been called the architect of


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our solar system, playing a critical


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role in shaping the orbital paths of


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other planets and sculpting the disc of


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gas and dust from which they formed. As


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Fred Adams notes, it's astonishing that


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even after 4.5 billion years, enough


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clues remain to let us reconstruct


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Jupiter's physical state at the dawn of


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its existence. While Jupiter's very


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first moments remain obscured, this


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research establishes what Badigen calls


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a valuable benchmark, a point from which


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scientists can more confidently


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reconstruct the evolution of our solar


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system, bringing us closer to answering


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fundamental questions about our cosmic


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origins and the processes that made our


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planetary neighborhood what it is


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today. Our next story today features a


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subject I know many of us wonder about.


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When we think about interstellar travel,


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our minds typically gravitate toward the


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technological challenges of propulsion


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systems and spacecraft design. But


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according to physicist and author Paul


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Davies, we're overlooking perhaps the


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most critical obstacle to human space


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exploration beyond our solar system, the


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complex biological requirements for


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creating a sustainable ecosystem. In


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Davies's analysis, traveling between


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stars will inevitably be a one-way


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journey, even with the most optimistic


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technological advances. This means any


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mission would require creating a


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completely self-sustaining ecological


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environment. It's not simply about


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growing enough food and generating


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oxygen. It's about replicating Earth's


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intricate web of life on a cosmic scale.


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The true complexity lies in the


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microbial realm. As Davies points out,


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almost all terrestrial species are


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microbes, bacteria, archa, and


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unicellular ukarotes, and they form the


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foundation of Earth's biosphere. These


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microorganisms aren't merely passengers


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on our planet. They're essential


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components of our life support system,


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recycling materials and exchanging


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genetic components in ways we're only


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beginning to


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understand. Even within our own bodies,


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microbes play a crucial role. Your


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personal microbiome, the microbial


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inhabitants of your gut, lungs, and


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other organs, outnumber your own cells.


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Without them, you would die. So,


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astronauts cannot journey to the stars


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without, at minimum, their own


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microbiomes. But it gets even more


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complicated. Microbes don't exist in


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isolation. They form vast networks of


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biological interactions that remain


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poorly understood. There's horizontal


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gene transfer, cell-toell signaling,


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viral interactions, and collective


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organization that creates an ecological


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web of staggering complexity. Scientists


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have barely begun to map this intricate


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planetary scale information flow. This


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raises what Davies calls a Noah's Arc


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conundrum with a vengeance. Which


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species get chosen for the journey? What


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is the minimum complexity of an


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ecosystem necessary for long-term


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sustainability? At what point does


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removing certain microbes cause the


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entire system to collapse? The problem


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is that we simply don't know. We haven't


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identified the smallest self-sustaining


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purely microbial ecosystem, let alone


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which microbes are crucial for human


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survival in space. Imagine compiling a


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list of plants and animals to accompany


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humans on a one-way mission. cows, pigs,


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vegetables, but then consider how many


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and which microbial species these


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organisms depend on and which other


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microbes those microbes depend on. Space


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conditions add another layer of


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complexity. Research shows that bacteria


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can change their gene expression in zero


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gravity. Michelle Leven's experiments


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with plenaria worms that had flown on


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the space station revealed that some


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returned with two heads instead of the


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normal one. How might other organisms


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change in the harsh environment of


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space? Davey suggests our best hope may


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lie not in cataloging genes, but in


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discovering the underlying principles


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governing the flow and organization of


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information in living systems, what he


00:10:29.680 --> 00:10:33.030
calls the software of life. If we can


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identify universal informationational


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patterns in biology, we might create a


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transplantable ecosystem robust enough


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to withstand space conditions. Without


00:10:41.680 --> 00:10:43.430
solving these fundamental biological


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challenges, our dreams of establishing


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permanent human settlements beyond our


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solar system may remain just that,


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dreams. The tiniest organisms may pose


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the biggest obstacles to our cosmic


00:10:55.160 --> 00:10:57.509
ambitions. Next up today, will the


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cosmos ever stop surprising us? I hope


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not. In what might be the most unusual


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planetary arrangement ever discovered,


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astronomers have recently identified a


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system that defies our conventional


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understanding of how planets form and


00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:15.870
orbit. The system, informally known as 2


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M1510, features what appears to be a


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planet tracing an orbit that carries it


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directly over the poles of two brown


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dwarfs that are orbiting each other.


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If you're having trouble visualizing


00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:30.310
this, imagine two spinning tops circling


00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:32.550
each other on a table while a marble


00:11:32.560 --> 00:11:34.470
rolls around them in a path that goes


00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:36.790
over and under the table. It's a


00:11:36.800 --> 00:11:39.030
configuration that until now existed


00:11:39.040 --> 00:11:41.829
only in theoretical models. In typical


00:11:41.839 --> 00:11:44.150
planetary systems like our own solar


00:11:44.160 --> 00:11:46.630
system, planets orbit their stars in a


00:11:46.640 --> 00:11:48.470
relatively flat plane that aligns with


00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:50.790
the stars equator. This makes sense


00:11:50.800 --> 00:11:52.550
because planets form from the same


00:11:52.560 --> 00:11:54.870
rotating disc of material that formed


00:11:54.880 --> 00:11:57.030
the star. Everything stays nice and


00:11:57.040 --> 00:11:58.829
orderly, moving in roughly the same


00:11:58.839 --> 00:12:01.389
plane. But candidate planet


00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:04.230
2M1510b breaks all these rules. Its


00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:05.590
orbital plane appears to be


00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:08.550
perpendicular at a 90° angle to the


00:12:08.560 --> 00:12:11.030
plane in which its two host brown dwarfs


00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:13.190
orbit each other. Brown dwarfs


00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:15.509
themselves are fascinating objects, too


00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:17.269
massive to be considered planets, but


00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:18.790
not massive enough to sustain the


00:12:18.800 --> 00:12:21.670
nuclear fusion that powers stars.


00:12:21.680 --> 00:12:23.509
They're cosmic inbetweeners, and this


00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:25.829
system has two of them at its center,


00:12:25.839 --> 00:12:27.829
with a third brown dwarf orbiting at an


00:12:27.839 --> 00:12:30.150
extreme distance. The detection method


00:12:30.160 --> 00:12:32.430
for this perpendicular planet is itself


00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:34.870
remarkable. Most exoplanets today are


00:12:34.880 --> 00:12:37.110
found using the transit method, where we


00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.910
detect tiny dips in starlight as planets


00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:42.230
cross in front of their stars. But that


00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:44.269
wouldn't work in this unusual orbital


00:12:44.279 --> 00:12:47.269
arrangement. Instead, researchers used


00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:49.110
what's called the radial velocity


00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:51.269
method, measuring subtle shifts in the


00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:53.670
brown dwarf's light spectrum caused by


00:12:53.680 --> 00:12:56.110
the gravitational pole of the orbiting


00:12:56.120 --> 00:12:59.030
planet. More specifically, they detected


00:12:59.040 --> 00:13:01.590
how the planet subtly alters the 21-day


00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.470
mutual orbit of the brown dwarf pair.


00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:06.710
After extensive analysis, the research


00:13:06.720 --> 00:13:08.550
team concluded that only a polar


00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:10.069
orbiting planet could explain these


00:13:10.079 --> 00:13:12.389
perturbations. This discovery is


00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:13.910
significant because circumbinary


00:13:13.920 --> 00:13:16.230
planets, those orbiting two stars at


00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:19.110
once, are already quite rare. Of the


00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:22.150
more than 5,800 confirmed exoplanets,


00:13:22.160 --> 00:13:24.310
only 16 are known to orbit binary


00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:26.470
systems, with most discovered by NASA's


00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:29.190
now retired Kepler Space Telescope. A


00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:31.110
circumbinary planet in a polar orbit


00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:32.629
takes this rarity to another level


00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:34.790
entirely. Scientists have previously


00:13:34.800 --> 00:13:36.949
observed debris discs and protolanetary


00:13:36.959 --> 00:13:39.350
discs in polar orbits which led to


00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.269
speculation that polar orbiting planets


00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:43.949
might exist.


00:13:43.959 --> 00:13:46.470
2M510 appears to be the first confirmed


00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:48.629
case validating these theoretical


00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:50.310
predictions.


00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:52.230
The international research team led by


00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:54.310
Thomas A. Brooft from the University of


00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:56.470
Birmingham published their findings in


00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:58.710
the journal Science Advances in April


00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:00.710
with the planet officially entered into


00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:03.670
NASA's exoplanet archive on May 1st of


00:14:03.680 --> 00:14:05.910
this year. This bizarre system


00:14:05.920 --> 00:14:07.509
challenges our understanding of


00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:09.590
planetary formation and orbital


00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:11.829
dynamics, suggesting that the universe


00:14:11.839 --> 00:14:14.389
has many more surprises in store as we


00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:17.030
continue to explore the cosmos. It


00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:19.030
reminds us that nature often finds ways


00:14:19.040 --> 00:14:21.030
to create arrangements far more exotic


00:14:21.040 --> 00:14:22.829
than what we might


00:14:22.839 --> 00:14:25.829
imagine. Finally, today, this news will


00:14:25.839 --> 00:14:28.389
horrify some and delight others. In the


00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.030
realm of space exploration, one unlikely


00:14:31.040 --> 00:14:32.790
pioneer may soon make the transition


00:14:32.800 --> 00:14:35.670
from movie star to actual astronaut. Tom


00:14:35.680 --> 00:14:37.430
Cruz, known for performing his own


00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:39.590
deathdeying stunts in the mission


00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.150
Impossible franchise, appears to be


00:14:42.160 --> 00:14:43.990
inching closer to perhaps his most


00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:46.870
ambitious project yet. filming a movie


00:14:46.880 --> 00:14:49.590
in actual outer space. According to


00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:53.110
Cruz's IMDb page, an untitled Tom Cruz


00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:55.870
SpaceX project is currently listed in


00:14:55.880 --> 00:14:57.829
pre-production. The tantalizing


00:14:57.839 --> 00:14:59.509
description states that Cruz and


00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.990
director Doug Lyman planned to travel


00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:04.629
far beyond Earth to film the first ever


00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:07.829
Hollywood motion picture in outer space.


00:15:07.839 --> 00:15:09.590
While no official launch date has been


00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:11.670
announced, this development suggests the


00:15:11.680 --> 00:15:13.750
long rumored space movie may indeed be


00:15:13.760 --> 00:15:16.629
moving forward. The concept first gained


00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:19.670
traction back in 2020 and 2021 following


00:15:19.680 --> 00:15:21.990
a successful SpaceX NASA rocket launch


00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.790
from Cape Canaveral. NASA confirmed at


00:15:24.800 --> 00:15:26.230
the time that they were in discussions


00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:28.230
with crews about filming a movie aboard


00:15:28.240 --> 00:15:30.310
the International Space Station, though


00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:31.670
updates about this potential


00:15:31.680 --> 00:15:33.670
collaboration have been scarce since


00:15:33.680 --> 00:15:36.629
then. Interestingly, during SpaceX's


00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:39.750
Inspiration 4 mission in September 2021,


00:15:39.760 --> 00:15:41.829
the fourperson civilian crew, which


00:15:41.839 --> 00:15:44.150
included Jared Isaac man, who would


00:15:44.160 --> 00:15:46.069
later become President Trump's pick to


00:15:46.079 --> 00:15:48.870
lead NASA, actually spoke with Cruz via


00:15:48.880 --> 00:15:51.910
a Zoom call during their orbital flight.


00:15:51.920 --> 00:15:54.470
At that time, reports suggested Cruz was


00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:56.470
set to fly on a different Crew Dragon


00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:58.470
mission to film scenes for an upcoming


00:15:58.480 --> 00:15:59.749
movie.


00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:01.430
While Cruz would be the first Hollywood


00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:03.590
actor to film in space, he wouldn't be


00:16:03.600 --> 00:16:06.069
the first to shoot a feature film there.


00:16:06.079 --> 00:16:07.749
That distinction belongs to Russian


00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:10.389
actress Julia Parasild and director Clim


00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:12.230
Shopeno, who traveled to the


00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:14.189
International Space Station in October


00:16:14.199 --> 00:16:17.509
2021 to film scenes for The Challenge, a


00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:19.430
drama about a surgeon sent to space to


00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:21.269
save a cosminaut suffering from a heart


00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:24.870
attack. Released in 2023, it became the


00:16:24.880 --> 00:16:26.310
first featurelength film with


00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:28.949
professional actors shot in space. For


00:16:28.959 --> 00:16:31.430
Cruz, who turned 63 this year and is


00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:33.670
fresh off the success of Mission


00:16:33.680 --> 00:16:36.069
Impossible: The Final Reckoning, A


00:16:36.079 --> 00:16:37.749
Journey to Space would represent the


00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:39.590
ultimate frontier in his career of


00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:42.230
pushing physical boundaries. The actor


00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:44.629
has already hung from airplanes, scaled


00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:46.629
the world's tallest building, and


00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:48.710
performed halo jumps from extreme


00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:51.269
altitudes. Space would certainly be the


00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:53.670
next logical, if extraordinarily


00:16:53.680 --> 00:16:56.629
ambitious, step. Whether this project


00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:58.949
ultimately launches remains to be seen,


00:16:58.959 --> 00:17:01.189
but one thing seems certain. If anyone


00:17:01.199 --> 00:17:03.189
in Hollywood has the determination and


00:17:03.199 --> 00:17:05.110
influence to make filming in space a


00:17:05.120 --> 00:17:07.949
reality, it's Tom


00:17:07.959 --> 00:17:10.230
Cruz. And that wraps up another


00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.470
incredible journey through the cosmos on


00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:15.270
today's episode of Astronomy Daily. From


00:17:15.280 --> 00:17:17.350
those two galaxies engaged in a cosmic


00:17:17.360 --> 00:17:20.069
joust billions of years ago to Jupiter's


00:17:20.079 --> 00:17:22.870
surprisingly massive past to the complex


00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:24.870
microbial challenges of interstellar


00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:27.510
travel. The universe continues to amaze


00:17:27.520 --> 00:17:30.470
and humble us with its mysteries. We


00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:32.070
also explored that fascinating


00:17:32.080 --> 00:17:34.590
perpendicular planetary orbit in the 2


00:17:34.600 --> 00:17:37.430
M1510 system, a configuration


00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:39.510
astronomers had only theorized until


00:17:39.520 --> 00:17:42.789
now. And of course, Tom Cruz's potential


00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:44.549
journey to become the first Hollywood


00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:47.029
actor to film in actual space certainly


00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:49.110
pushes the boundaries of what's possible


00:17:49.120 --> 00:17:51.789
when human ingenuity meets cosmic


00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:54.549
ambition. The universe is vast,


00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:56.630
mysterious, and full of stories waiting


00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:59.110
to be told. If you want to stay on top


00:17:59.120 --> 00:18:00.710
of all the latest developments in space


00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:02.390
and astronomy, I encourage you to visit


00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:03.950
our website at


00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:05.909
astronomydaily.io, where you can sign up


00:18:05.919 --> 00:18:08.549
for our free daily newsletter. Our site


00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:10.789
features a constantly updating news feed


00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:12.230
with the latest discoveries and


00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:14.630
breakthroughs in cosmic exploration.


00:18:14.640 --> 00:18:16.470
Don't forget to subscribe to Astronomy


00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:19.669
Daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,


00:18:19.679 --> 00:18:21.590
YouTube, or wherever you get your


00:18:21.600 --> 00:18:24.470
podcasts to ensure you never miss an


00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:26.950
episode. This has been Anna, your guide


00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:29.110
to the cosmos, and I'll be back tomorrow


00:18:29.120 --> 00:18:30.870
with more fascinating stories from the


00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:33.669
final frontier. Until then, keep looking


00:18:33.679 --> 00:18:37.190
up.


00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:41.000
Stories been told.