Cosmic Revelations: 27 New Worlds and Saturn’s Mysterious Decagonal Jet

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Kind: captions
Language: en

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This is Spaceime Series 29, episode 111


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for broadcast on the 16th of September


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2026.


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Coming up on Spaceime, 27 new trans


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neptunian objects discovered in the


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outer regions of our solar system, a


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decagong discovered at Saturn's south


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pole, and the Link spacecraft catches up


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to the target it was unable to save. All


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that and more coming up on Spaceime.


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Welcome to Spaceime with Stuart Garry.


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The first ever joint observation of


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trans neptunian objects by NASA's Hubble


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and Web Space Telescopes has discovered


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27 new worlds in the dark outer reaches


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of our solar system.


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The findings reported in the


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astronomical journal represent the


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deepest search for trans neptunian


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objects ever undertaken and included


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some of the smallest and faintest


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celestial bodies ever seen, including


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one object just 5 km wide. It's the


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first time astronomers have combined the


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power of Hubble and web to search for


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these far-flung solar system bodies.


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Hubble looked invisible light and web


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searched infrared wavelengths.


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Surprisingly, the authors found fewer


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small trans neptunian objects than


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expected, and the colors of these bodies


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follow the same relationships as those


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of their larger family members. Trans


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Neptunian objects are typically small,


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faint, icy worlds orbiting the sun


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around and beyond the orbit of Neptune.


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Most are more than 100 million times


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dimmer than objects visible to the


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unaded eye.


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As part of the study, the authors


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analyzed the color, composition, and


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size distribution of the 27 newly


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discovered tiny, dim trans neptunian


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objects. This class of small bodies


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offers the best view yet of the early


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stage of planetary building. A time more


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than 4.6 6 billion years ago when a


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protolanetary disc of dust and pebbles


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in orbit around the sun coalesed into


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city-sized planet decimals. The solid


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building blocks that clump and accrete


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together to eventually form planets.


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Beyond Neptune, this second stage has


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never happened, leaving behind a frozen


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population of planet decimals. The


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authors measure the objects colors,


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which are sort of like fingerprints of


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surface composition, as well as their


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sizes and the determination of their


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orbits. They studied two different types


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of trans neptunian objects. The first


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known as dynamically cold trans


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neptunian objects are on their original


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relatively circular orbits around the


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sun in the plane of the solar system,


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what we call the ecliptic. The second


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type, dynamically hot trans neptunian


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objects formed between the current


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locations of Uranus and Neptune, but


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were then pushed outwards to their


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current locations when the gas giants


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migrated to their current orbits early


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in the solar systems history. And today


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these reside in highly elliptical orbits


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which move in and out of the plane of


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our solar system.


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Before these observations, astronomers


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thought that small trans neptunian


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objects from both hot and cold


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populations would have undergone many


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collisions changing their surface


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compositions compared to larger trans


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neptunian objects. But that's not what


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their observations showed. Instead, the


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smaller bodies look just like their


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larger counterparts. Now this implies


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that collisions are not changing the


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surfaces of these bodies significantly.


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Perhaps because there are fewer


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collisions than expected or possibly


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because trans neptunian objects somehow


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retain their primordial pre-colision


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compositions. The authors are still


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trying to unravel this mystery. And one


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of those authors, Anastasia Morgan from


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Northern Arizona University says it was


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fascinating to see that these smaller


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objects are somehow remembering and


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preserving the history of how they were


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formed. She says these dynamically hot


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trans neptunian objects retained a


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signature of where they were born, even


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though they've been orbitly scrambled


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since then. Both hot and cold


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populations seem to keep the same colors


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as when they were formed, with little


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change since the birth of the solar


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system. The web data also allowed


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researchers to measure the number of


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objects of each size. They found that


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the overall size distribution for birth


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populations was surprisingly similar


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despite forming in different regions of


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the early solar system. Morgan says the


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process seems to be insensitive to disc


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conditions, producing similar


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planetessimal sizes whether the disc is


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hot or cold and dense or fluffy. She


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also found there were far fewer of these


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small bodies than expected based on some


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well understood and accepted planetary


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formation models. This report from NASA


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TV. The outer solar system is home to


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some of the oldest objects in existence.


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These tiny frozen worlds have spent


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billions of years orbiting in darkness,


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largely untouched since the planets


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first formed. Now, by combining the


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power of NASA's Hubble and James Web


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Space Telescopes, scientists are


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uncovering new clues about the earliest


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days of our solar system. By studying


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these frozen worlds called trans


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neptunian objects or TNOs,


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TNOs's orbit the sun beyond Neptune,


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they are surviving relics from the solar


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systems formation more than 4 1/2


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billion years ago. As dust, rock, and


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ice collided, they gradually grew into


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larger bodies known as planetessimals.


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Closer to the sun, this process produced


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the planets. But far beyond Neptune,


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countless small icy bodies remained. To


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study them, astronomers combined


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Hubble's observations in visible light


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with Web's observations in infrared,


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providing a more complete picture of


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their sizes, orbits, and surface


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compositions.


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With 27 previously unknown objects


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discovered, including some of the


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smallest directly observed, the survey


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became the deepest search for trans


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neptunian objects ever conducted.


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Scientists expected these tiny worlds to


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look very different from larger TNOs.


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Over billions of years, collisions


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should have broken many apart and


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altered their surfaces. Instead, the


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smallest objects closely resemble their


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much larger neighbors. Their colors,


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which provide information about their


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surface composition, follow the same


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pattern seen among larger TNOs. That


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suggests these tiny worlds have


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preserved much of their original surface


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composition for billions of years, and


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that collisions may have been less


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destructive or less common than


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expected. Researchers also found fewer


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very small TNOs than some models


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predict, providing another clue about


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how the earliest building blocks of


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planets formed. Together, Hubble and Web


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are giving scientists a new look at some


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of our solar systems oldest survivors,


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helping them uncover how the planets,


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including Earth, first began to form.


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This is spaceime still to come. A


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decagong discovered at Saturn's south


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pole and the link spacecraft which was


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meant to rescue NASA's doom swift


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gammaray space telescope has now reached


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its target but is unable to save it. All


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that and more coming up on Spaceime.


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New observations by NASA's Hubble Space


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Telescope have revealed a giant evolving


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10-sided decagong atmospheric structure


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encircling Saturn's south pole. The


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discovery reported in the journal


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Science Advances marks the first time a


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large regularsided jetream pattern has


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been observed in the planet's southern


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hemisphere.


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Generally speaking, the feature appears


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remarkably similar to Saturn's famous


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north pole hexagon, but it's also


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distinctly different from its six-sided


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counterpart, suggesting scientists may


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be witnessing a new atmospheric


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phenomenon developing on the iconic


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ringed world.


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The observations were taken as part of


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OPEL, Hubble's outer planet atmosphere's


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legacy program, which has been imaging


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the planets annually for more than a


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decade. By piecing together several


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years of Hubble observations, the


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authors found subtle hints of the


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structure beginning to emerge around


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2023, long before it became a clearly


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defined pattern. One of the studies


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authors, Amy Simon from NASA's Godard


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Space Flight Center in Green Belt,


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Maryland, says no one's ever seen


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anything quite like this in Saturn's


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southern hemisphere before. The northern


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hexagon's been there every time


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scientists looked at it over more than


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40 years. But according to Simon, the


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southern features very different, and it


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appears to be strengthening, giving


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scientists a rare opportunity to watch


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as this giant atmospheric pattern


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evolves and develops.


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The discovery was made possible because


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of Saturn's changing axial tilt,


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consequently its seasons, which are


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gradually bringing the planet's south


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pole back into view from Earth. That's


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where astronomers who collectively


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analyze images of Saturn from


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groundbased observatories first


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identified the feature. They first


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noticed a subtle undulating band along


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the South Pole in groundbased telescope


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observations in 2024.


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Additional groundbased imagery taken


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last year hinted more strongly at this


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decagon structure and that's when the


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Hubble archive of observations came into


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play.


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Given Saturn's symmetry in its north


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pole jetream system, astronomers have


00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:45.910
been searching for a counterpart to


00:09:45.920 --> 00:09:47.670
Saturn's northern hexagon at the south


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pole in Hubble images since 1990. and


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images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft


00:09:52.880 --> 00:09:55.269
which orbited Saturn between 2004 and


00:09:55.279 --> 00:09:57.829
2017 showed no inkling of any sort of


00:09:57.839 --> 00:10:00.630
longived formation there. But it was a


00:10:00.640 --> 00:10:01.990
review of the Hubble data which


00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:04.870
confirmed the features presence in 2023,


00:10:04.880 --> 00:10:08.230
the earliest recording of its existence.


00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:10.070
So what are we talking about here? Well,


00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:12.070
the wave sits within one of Saturn's


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powerful jet streams and extends through


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multiple layers of the planet's


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atmosphere, indicating it's not just a


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cloud level feature, but a vertically


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extended atmospheric structure. Now, the


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Decagong's apparent position shifts


00:10:24.560 --> 00:10:26.389
slightly because Hubble captures images


00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:28.630
in different wavelengths, and those


00:10:28.640 --> 00:10:30.230
different wavelengths are probing


00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:31.750
different altitudes in Saturn's


00:10:31.760 --> 00:10:33.670
atmosphere.


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According to Simon, the most intriguing


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part is that this seems to have only


00:10:37.279 --> 00:10:39.829
occurred recently. So the question is


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why has it suddenly appeared? The


00:10:42.160 --> 00:10:44.150
authors say further study using both


00:10:44.160 --> 00:10:46.310
Hubble and NASA's web space telescopes


00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:48.310
as well as new analyses of computer


00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:50.150
models will need to be undertaken to


00:10:50.160 --> 00:10:52.150
better understand how this decagong


00:10:52.160 --> 00:10:54.470
formed, how long it may last, and how it


00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:56.710
compares with the long lived hexagon in


00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:58.389
the north.


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Hubble's long operational lifespan has


00:11:00.959 --> 00:11:02.870
allowed astronomers to track changes


00:11:02.880 --> 00:11:04.870
over time throughout the solar systems


00:11:04.880 --> 00:11:06.870
planets as well as other astronomical


00:11:06.880 --> 00:11:09.509
objects. Rather than providing just a


00:11:09.519 --> 00:11:11.829
single snapshot, the Opal program allows


00:11:11.839 --> 00:11:14.470
astronomers to follow seasonal changes,


00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:16.790
track short-lived storms, and identify


00:11:16.800 --> 00:11:18.790
other atmospheric features that evolve


00:11:18.800 --> 00:11:23.190
slowly over time. This is spaceime.


00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:25.269
Still to come, Link's failed rescue


00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:27.190
mission scopes its target, but can't


00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:29.190
save it. And later in the science


00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:31.110
report, the artificial intelligence


00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:34.550
chatbot Claude cracks ferment theorem.


00:11:34.560 --> 00:11:36.870
All that and more still to come on


00:11:36.880 --> 00:11:53.509
Spaceime.


00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:55.750
The Link spacecraft, which was meant to


00:11:55.760 --> 00:11:57.910
rescue NASA's doomed Swift Gammaray


00:11:57.920 --> 00:12:00.069
Space Telescope, has now reached within


00:12:00.079 --> 00:12:02.230
15 kilometers of Swift and has even


00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:03.910
managed to snap some images of the


00:12:03.920 --> 00:12:06.629
stricken observatory. The rescue attempt


00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:08.710
to save Swift was abandoned two weeks


00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:10.629
ago following systems failures aboard


00:12:10.639 --> 00:12:12.470
Link, which sent the vehicle into an


00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:15.750
uncontrolled wild multiaxial spin.


00:12:15.760 --> 00:12:17.430
Link's operators, Catalyst Space


00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:19.590
Technologies, were able to restore some


00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:21.590
limited attitude control over the


00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:23.910
three-armed robotic salvage vehicle, but


00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:26.470
by then fuel reserves were too low to


00:12:26.480 --> 00:12:28.710
proceed with a rescue attempt.


00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:30.470
Nevertheless, Catalyst was able to use


00:12:30.480 --> 00:12:32.710
its sensors gathered data on the doomed


00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:35.670
telescope for NASA. Now making the best


00:12:35.680 --> 00:12:37.590
out of a bad deal, the company's using


00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:39.910
the failed mission as a practice run for


00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:43.350
future satellite servicing operations.


00:12:43.360 --> 00:12:46.629
Launched in 2004, Swift was designed as


00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:48.710
an orbital early warning system, giving


00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:50.550
astronomers a heads up for short period


00:12:50.560 --> 00:12:53.030
events like gammaray bursts, the biggest


00:12:53.040 --> 00:12:55.110
explosions in the universe since the big


00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:57.269
bang, thereby allowing them the time


00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:59.110
they need to swing their telescopes


00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:02.470
towards the unprecedented blasts.


00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:04.550
But Swift was only ever designed to last


00:13:04.560 --> 00:13:06.790
a few years. And so it wasn't equipped


00:13:06.800 --> 00:13:08.550
with boosters to allow it to maintain


00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:10.710
its orbital altitude against the effects


00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:13.590
of atmospheric drag. And as the latest


00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:15.430
solar storm hit the Earth, causing the


00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:17.030
planet's atmosphere to expand and


00:13:17.040 --> 00:13:19.110
contract, that atmospheric drag has


00:13:19.120 --> 00:13:21.350
caused orbital decay, gradually dropping


00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:23.590
Swift from its original 600 km high


00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:27.829
orbit to just 335 km today. And it's


00:13:27.839 --> 00:13:29.990
continuing to drop. In fact, NASA now


00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.590
anticipates Swift will plunge through


00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:33.829
the atmosphere sometime between October


00:13:33.839 --> 00:13:36.150
and the end of the year. And of course,


00:13:36.160 --> 00:13:38.389
just like Swift, NASA's Hubble Space


00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:40.710
Telescope's also in a low Earth orbit.


00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:42.629
And it too isn't fitted with any


00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:45.190
boosters. See, NASA was always able to


00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.990
keep Hubble in its 500 to 550 km high


00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:50.069
orbit using space shuttles on servicing


00:13:50.079 --> 00:13:52.069
missions to boost the observatory back


00:13:52.079 --> 00:13:54.790
up. But with the premature mothballing


00:13:54.800 --> 00:13:57.189
of the shuttle fleet in 2011, Hubble is


00:13:57.199 --> 00:14:00.069
also slowly losing altitude. And so


00:14:00.079 --> 00:14:01.910
Catalyst is now developing a next


00:14:01.920 --> 00:14:03.829
generation link spacecraft, hopefully


00:14:03.839 --> 00:14:05.430
one that will be more reliable, which


00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:07.430
could be used to boost Hubble back up


00:14:07.440 --> 00:14:09.509
into a higher orbit, consequently


00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:11.750
extending its life.


00:14:11.760 --> 00:14:28.389
This is spacetime.


00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:30.230
And time out to take another brief look


00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:31.750
at some of the other stories making news


00:14:31.760 --> 00:14:33.590
in science this week with a science


00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:36.790
report. The latest data on HIV and


00:14:36.800 --> 00:14:38.389
sexually transmitted diseases in


00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:39.990
Australia has just been released and


00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:41.910
it's painting a mixed picture of


00:14:41.920 --> 00:14:44.790
progress and ongoing challenges. The


00:14:44.800 --> 00:14:46.629
report by the University of New South


00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:48.870
Wales Kirby Institute shows HIV


00:14:48.880 --> 00:14:51.030
diagnosis have fallen significantly over


00:14:51.040 --> 00:14:52.870
the past decade with the nation


00:14:52.880 --> 00:14:55.269
achieving the UN AIDS targets. That's


00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:58.069
where 95% of people living with HIV are


00:14:58.079 --> 00:15:01.030
diagnosed. 95% of those diagnosed are on


00:15:01.040 --> 00:15:03.509
treatment and 95% of those on treatment


00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.710
have HIV that's virally suppressed.


00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:08.310
However, the study shows progress


00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:10.870
remains uneven across communities.


00:15:10.880 --> 00:15:12.550
Meanwhile, syphilis and gorrhea


00:15:12.560 --> 00:15:14.949
diagnoses remain high with concerning


00:15:14.959 --> 00:15:16.629
increases among females and


00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.230
disproportionately high sexually


00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:20.150
transmitted disease rates among First


00:15:20.160 --> 00:15:22.790
Nations people.


00:15:22.800 --> 00:15:24.710
A new study has warned that climate


00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:26.870
change is forcing a decline in global


00:15:26.880 --> 00:15:28.870
seaweed forests, which is drastically


00:15:28.880 --> 00:15:31.990
outpacing restoration efforts. Seaweed


00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.310
forests soak up carbon dioxide from the


00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:36.069
atmosphere. They're also important


00:15:36.079 --> 00:15:37.990
habitats for marine life, and there have


00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:39.670
been concerted efforts to plant more


00:15:39.680 --> 00:15:41.750
seaweed in the battle against rising


00:15:41.760 --> 00:15:44.470
carbon levels. But now a report in the


00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:47.509
general plus biology estimates that 25


00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:49.670
million hectares of wild kelp forest


00:15:49.680 --> 00:15:51.910
will be lost due to climate change by


00:15:51.920 --> 00:15:55.749
2050. That's 6,000 times the area which


00:15:55.759 --> 00:16:00.230
has been restored since 1958.


00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:01.990
Scientists have discovered that Asian


00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:04.389
elephants can resist impulse behavior in


00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:06.550
favor of a more rational and effective


00:16:06.560 --> 00:16:09.430
course of problem solving. The findings


00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:10.870
reported in the journal papers in


00:16:10.880 --> 00:16:13.749
paleontology involved 16 Asian elephants


00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:15.670
who were presented with a transparent


00:16:15.680 --> 00:16:18.150
box with small holes through which they


00:16:18.160 --> 00:16:21.030
could see and smell the fruit inside.


00:16:21.040 --> 00:16:22.710
They consistently resisted the


00:16:22.720 --> 00:16:24.710
temptation to try and reach directly for


00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:27.189
the food and instead used an opening on


00:16:27.199 --> 00:16:28.629
the side of the box that they had been


00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:31.030
shown earlier. When the box was later


00:16:31.040 --> 00:16:33.430
rotated, elephants at first succumbed to


00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:35.110
the impulse to reach for the previous


00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.189
position of the opening, but they


00:16:37.199 --> 00:16:39.829
quickly corrected their behavior. The


00:16:39.839 --> 00:16:42.230
authors say that this inhibitory control


00:16:42.240 --> 00:16:44.550
might be a key part of elephant's fame


00:16:44.560 --> 00:16:48.629
problem solving and socializing skills.


00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:50.949
An advanced prototype of the artificial


00:16:50.959 --> 00:16:53.189
intelligence chatbot Claude has produced


00:16:53.199 --> 00:16:55.910
a 13 million line computer check proof


00:16:55.920 --> 00:16:58.470
of ferment's last theorem in just 11


00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:00.949
days. The company behind the project,


00:17:00.959 --> 00:17:02.870
Anthropic, says the same projects


00:17:02.880 --> 00:17:04.789
expected to take humans around a decade


00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:07.909
to solve. The results show that AI will


00:17:07.919 --> 00:17:09.909
play an increasingly important part in


00:17:09.919 --> 00:17:11.590
creating algorithmically checkable


00:17:11.600 --> 00:17:14.230
versions of mathematicians work. And it


00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:16.390
hints that such technology could soon


00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:18.150
scrutinize the entire library of


00:17:18.160 --> 00:17:20.549
mathematical knowledge. By the way,


00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:22.789
Fermont's last theorem states that no


00:17:22.799 --> 00:17:25.029
three positive integers a, b, and c


00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:27.669
satisfy the equation a to the^ of n plus


00:17:27.679 --> 00:17:30.390
b ^ of n equals c to the power of n for


00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:33.350
any integer value of n greater than 2.


00:17:33.360 --> 00:17:36.789
For over 350 years, mathematicians have


00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:39.110
tried and failed to prove or disprove


00:17:39.120 --> 00:17:41.750
the 1637 claim, turning it into one of


00:17:41.760 --> 00:17:43.510
the most famous challenges in the


00:17:43.520 --> 00:17:46.470
history of mathematics.


00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:48.310
Well, weren't we the fools? Forget


00:17:48.320 --> 00:17:50.070
calling it the Fold. Apple have just


00:17:50.080 --> 00:17:51.909
done a flip on us, calling their new


00:17:51.919 --> 00:17:55.029
iPhone the Duo instead. So, how good is


00:17:55.039 --> 00:17:56.789
it? With the details, we're joined by


00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.270
technology editor Alex Sahara from Tech


00:17:59.280 --> 00:18:00.470
Advice Start Life.


00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:02.870
>> So, yeah, it's called the iPhone Duo.


00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:04.710
Now, it always did seem a bit unusual to


00:18:04.720 --> 00:18:06.950
me that Apple would copy the name of


00:18:06.960 --> 00:18:09.350
what Samsung was doing with the Fold or


00:18:09.360 --> 00:18:11.510
even with Ultra, which is the name of


00:18:11.520 --> 00:18:14.390
Samsung's uh premium device. I mean, the


00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:17.190
Duo doesn't have the telephoto camera.


00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:18.630
It's got a few things that are missing,


00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:19.909
but it's got plenty that people thought


00:18:19.919 --> 00:18:22.070
wouldn't be there. The interface wasn't


00:18:22.080 --> 00:18:24.150
just the standard interface slapped onto


00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:26.310
a slightly wider screen where Samsung


00:18:26.320 --> 00:18:28.310
just has the normal, you know, telephone


00:18:28.320 --> 00:18:30.310
and messaging and camera and whatever


00:18:30.320 --> 00:18:32.070
other icons on the bottom. Apple really


00:18:32.080 --> 00:18:33.669
thought it out. You've got this thumb


00:18:33.679 --> 00:18:35.909
width worth of space compared to a


00:18:35.919 --> 00:18:37.990
normal, say, iPhone mini or even just a


00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:39.669
normal iPhone on the right hand side.


00:18:39.679 --> 00:18:41.270
And when you've got a screen that's only


00:18:41.280 --> 00:18:44.390
5.4 or 5.5 in diagonally, it's obviously


00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:46.310
squatter. It's not as tall as a normal


00:18:46.320 --> 00:18:47.909
phone. So, you want to preserve as much


00:18:47.919 --> 00:18:49.590
of that vertical viewing space as


00:18:49.600 --> 00:18:51.190
possible. That means you don't put the


00:18:51.200 --> 00:18:52.789
time at the very top. You don't put the


00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:55.029
little icons for your Wi-Fi and signal


00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:56.470
strength and all that other sort of


00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:58.070
stuff. And at the bottom, you don't put


00:18:58.080 --> 00:19:00.230
the four icons for the phone and the


00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:01.750
messaging on the bottom. Apple shoved


00:19:01.760 --> 00:19:03.430
all that to the right where your thumb


00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:05.750
is when the phone is closed. Even the


00:19:05.760 --> 00:19:07.990
icon for the battery, signal strength,


00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:09.510
and the time, I think it is, that is now


00:19:09.520 --> 00:19:10.549
in a little circle.


00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:11.909
>> So, you're not losing any of the


00:19:11.919 --> 00:19:13.750
picture. you're maximizing the amount of


00:19:13.760 --> 00:19:15.270
vertical space you've got because


00:19:15.280 --> 00:19:17.909
normally it's taken up by stuff and even


00:19:17.919 --> 00:19:20.390
the apps that Apple has made notes and


00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:21.830
all sorts of other things. A lot of


00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:23.430
their controls are now on the right hand


00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:24.630
side where your thumb is but then when


00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:26.950
you open it up you have this 7.6 in


00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:28.630
canvas now it's smaller than an iPad


00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:30.230
mini but it looks pretty much like an


00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.390
iPad mini. The crease it's still there


00:19:32.400 --> 00:19:33.750
if you hold it in the right light but


00:19:33.760 --> 00:19:35.350
the way that the screen has a matte


00:19:35.360 --> 00:19:37.350
coating under normal circumstances you


00:19:37.360 --> 00:19:39.430
can't see the crease. The problem is of


00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:40.789
course the price. Now, in Australian


00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.669
dollars, we're talking $3,499


00:19:43.679 --> 00:19:47.270
for the 256 gig model. And this goes all


00:19:47.280 --> 00:19:50.710
the way up to $5,899


00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:53.350
for the two TB model. I mean, even the


00:19:53.360 --> 00:19:57.590
512 gig, it's 3899, the 1 TB 4699. So,


00:19:57.600 --> 00:19:59.669
that's definitely expensive prices. And


00:19:59.679 --> 00:20:01.190
this is where people are going to go on


00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:03.110
phone plans just to afford it. But even


00:20:03.120 --> 00:20:05.590
the 256 gig model over 36 months is


00:20:05.600 --> 00:20:07.110
nearly $100 a month. And this year,


00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:09.270
because all the price rises with the RAM


00:20:09.280 --> 00:20:13.110
and SSD, a two TBTE iPhone 18 Pro Max is


00:20:13.120 --> 00:20:15.990
something like 4,699.


00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:18.310
That's like $1,000 more this year for


00:20:18.320 --> 00:20:20.710
the same two TB model, which is on the


00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:21.990
iPhone 18 Pro Max.


00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.789
>> I download all my music onto my phone,


00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:26.950
so I need the full two terabytes just to


00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:29.350
survive. That's my life. Five grand on


00:20:29.360 --> 00:20:30.710
the phone. That That's huge.


00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:32.310
>> Yeah. And if you paid it off over 3


00:20:32.320 --> 00:20:33.510
years, I mean, you've got to be paying,


00:20:33.520 --> 00:20:35.990
you know, I don't know, 150 or more per


00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:38.310
month over 3 years, not including your


00:20:38.320 --> 00:20:39.669
phone plan. So, there's going to be a


00:20:39.679 --> 00:20:41.350
lot of hard choices to be made.


00:20:41.360 --> 00:20:43.669
>> So, on the 18 Pro Max, we've now got the


00:20:43.679 --> 00:20:45.510
larger battery, a smaller dynamic


00:20:45.520 --> 00:20:48.950
island, the smaller 2nm A20 chipset. Is


00:20:48.960 --> 00:20:49.350
that right?


00:20:49.360 --> 00:20:51.430
>> Exactly right. Yeah, it's a six core CPU


00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:54.070
up to 20% faster than the A19 Pro from


00:20:54.080 --> 00:20:54.549
last year.


00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:55.830
>> And the cameras are better, too, I


00:20:55.840 --> 00:20:56.149
believe.


00:20:56.159 --> 00:20:57.990
>> Yes, absolutely. Now, they've got this


00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:00.310
new variable aperture. So, it's like


00:21:00.320 --> 00:21:02.630
having this hexagonal series of little


00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:04.710
shutters that can make the hole very


00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:06.390
small, like your iris goes smaller in


00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:07.430
your eye when you're looking at a bright


00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:09.110
light, or you can widen it to let more


00:21:09.120 --> 00:21:10.549
light in. So, you've got these pro


00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.870
camera controls. The app as well shows


00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:14.789
histograms and a bunch of other pro


00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:16.470
things that you'll only get on this


00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:18.149
latest model. Longer battery life as


00:21:18.159 --> 00:21:19.350
well, the biggest battery ever.


00:21:19.360 --> 00:21:21.190
>> All the features that we talked about on


00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:24.390
the 18 Pro Max, are they also on the Duo


00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:25.029
as well?


00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:27.270
>> No. So, the Duo, see the Duo only has


00:21:27.280 --> 00:21:29.110
two cameras, not three. I mean, I wish


00:21:29.120 --> 00:21:31.110
it had the third telephoto, but it's


00:21:31.120 --> 00:21:32.950
thinner than the even the iPhone Air


00:21:32.960 --> 00:21:34.470
was, but of course, when you fold it, it


00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:36.149
almost the thickest iPhone Apple's ever


00:21:36.159 --> 00:21:38.149
made. Only the 3GS was thicker, but it


00:21:38.159 --> 00:21:39.669
still fits in the hand and in your


00:21:39.679 --> 00:21:41.350
pocket nicely. But we have to wait for a


00:21:41.360 --> 00:21:42.630
future model to get all three cameras.


00:21:42.640 --> 00:21:43.830
And even the cameras, although Apple


00:21:43.840 --> 00:21:44.789
sort of said, "Oh, it's the same


00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:46.149
camera." Well, no, it's not. It doesn't


00:21:46.159 --> 00:21:47.669
have the same level of optical image


00:21:47.679 --> 00:21:49.510
stabilization. Various things are just


00:21:49.520 --> 00:21:51.110
not as good because you're limited in


00:21:51.120 --> 00:21:52.950
the amount of space that you have in


00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:55.110
such a thin device. So that's why they


00:21:55.120 --> 00:21:56.470
didn't call the Ultra because it's not.


00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:58.549
They didn't call the Fold because well


00:21:58.559 --> 00:22:00.230
that's Samsung's name and Google's name


00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:02.070
as well. Unfortunately, it has arrived


00:22:02.080 --> 00:22:04.950
in a time when memory and SSD is


00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:06.470
ridiculously expensive and that has


00:22:06.480 --> 00:22:07.990
caused prices to skyrocket.


00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:09.990
>> Well, we know that Elon Musk's building


00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:11.830
a new chip factory in the United States


00:22:11.840 --> 00:22:13.430
will be the biggest in the world. Is


00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:15.029
that going to lower prices? And if so,


00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:15.909
how long will that take?


00:22:15.919 --> 00:22:17.750
>> Well, look, these chip factories take 2,


00:22:17.760 --> 00:22:19.270
three years to build and then they've


00:22:19.280 --> 00:22:20.230
got to be ramped up.


00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:23.110
>> That's Alex Harro from techadvice.life.


00:22:23.120 --> 00:22:41.110
life. And this is space time.


00:22:41.120 --> 00:22:43.990
And that's the show for now. Spacetime


00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:45.750
is available every Monday, Wednesday,


00:22:45.760 --> 00:22:48.070
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00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:16.390
free versions of the show, as well as


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lots of bonus audio content, which


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doesn't go to air, access to our


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exclusive Facebook group, and other


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rewards. Just go to


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spaceimewithstgarry.com


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for full details.


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>> You've been listening to Spacetime with


00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:31.830
Stewartgary. This has been another


00:23:31.840 --> 00:23:33.590
quality podcast production from


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byes.com.