Dark Sky Victory, Jupiter Redefined, and Monster Sunspot Faces Earth

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source


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for the latest space and astronomy news.


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I'm Anna.


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>> And I'm Avery. Today is Thursday,


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February 5th, 2026, and we've got a


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great lineup of stories for you today.


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>> We certainly do. We'll be covering a


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major victory for dark sky preservation,


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groundbreaking measurements of Jupiter's


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true size, a monster sunspot currently


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facing Earth, mysterious Martian


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weather, some frank talk from NASA about


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the SLS rocket, and how red giant stars


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destroy their own planetary systems.


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Quite the cosmic menu. But before we


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dive in, a quick reminder that you can


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get more space news and community


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discussion at astronomyaily.io io and


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you can find us on social media @


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astroailyaily pod across all platforms.


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>> All right, let's start with some good


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news for astronomy. Avery, what's


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happening with Earth's darkest skies?


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>> This is a story that really highlights


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how fragile our connection to the night


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sky has become. Anna, astronomers around


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the world are breathing a collective


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sigh of relief after plans for a major


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industrial plant near one of Earth's


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darkest sky locations have been


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cancelled.


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>> Oh, that's wonderful news. Where was


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this proposed plant going to be built?


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>> The development was planned near the Ro


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de los Moshashos Observatory in the


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Canary Islands, which hosts some of the


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most important telescopes in the


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northern hemisphere. This site is


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renowned for having some of the darkest,


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clearest skies accessible to modern


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astronomy, and the proposed industrial


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facility would have introduced


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significant light pollution to the area.


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>> I can imagine the astronomical community


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was pretty concerned. These pristine


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observation sites are becoming


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increasingly rare. Absolutely. What


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makes this particularly significant is


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that it represents a growing recognition


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of the scientific value of dark skies.


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The cancellation came after sustained


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advocacy from the astronomy community


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who emphasized not just the local impact


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but the global scientific importance of


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preserving these observation sites. With


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light pollution spreading worldwide,


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losing access to naturally dark skies


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would be devastating for groundbased


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astronomy. It's encouraging to see that


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science preservation can still win out


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over industrial development. These


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observatories represent decades of


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investment and irreplaceable viewing


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conditions.


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>> Exactly. And it sets an important


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precedent for protecting other


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astronomical sites around the world. The


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International Dark Sky Association has


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noted that this decision could


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strengthen arguments for dark sky


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preservation elsewhere.


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>> Great to hear some positive


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environmental news for a change. Now,


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speaking of observations from those


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pristine sites, let's talk about what


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we've learned about Jupiter. NASA's Juno


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mission has completely redefined our


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understanding of the gas giant size and


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shape, hasn't it?


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>> It really has, Anna. This is one of


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those discoveries that makes you realize


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how much we still don't know about even


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our most familiar planetary neighbors.


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Juno's precise measurements have


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revealed that Jupiter is both larger and


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more oblate than we previously thought.


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When you say oblate, you mean it's


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flattened at the poles, right?


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>> Exactly. All rotating bodies experience


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this to some degree. Even Earth bulges


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slightly at the equator. But Jupiter's


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rapid rotation makes this effect much


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more pronounced. What's new is just how


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pronounced it actually is. Juno's


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gravity measurements have shown that


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Jupiter's equatorial diameter is


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slightly larger than our previous


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estimates, while the distance between


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the poles is actually smaller. The


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planet is basically wider and flatter


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than we realized.


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>> So, what caused this miscalculation? I


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mean, we've been observing Jupiter for


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centuries.


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>> Well, measuring the size of a gas giant


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with no solid surface is trickier than


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it sounds. Earlier measurements relied


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primarily on optical observations,


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essentially looking at where Jupiter's


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atmosphere becomes opaque. But Juno uses


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extremely precise gravity measurements


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as it orbits the planet. By measuring


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tiny variations in how Jupiter's gravity


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affects the spacecraft's trajectory,


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scientists can determine the planet's


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mass distribution with unprecedented


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accuracy.


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>> And I assume Jupiter's rotation plays a


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big role in this shape.


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>> Absolutely. Jupiter rotates once every


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10 hours. That's incredibly fast for


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something so massive. This rapid spin


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creates enormous centrifugal forces that


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push material outward at the equator.


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What Juno has revealed is that this


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effect penetrates much deeper into the


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planet than we thought. The measurements


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suggest that Jupiter's interior


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structure, including how its metallic


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hydrogen layer behaves, is more complex


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than our models predicted.


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>> This probably has implications for


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understanding other gas giants too, both


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in our solar system and around other


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stars. Definitely understanding


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Jupiter's interior helps us refine our


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models of how gas giants form and


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evolve. And since we can't exactly drill


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into Jupiter to see what's inside, these


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gravity measurements are the next best


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thing. Every new piece of data from Juno


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helps us understand not just Jupiter,


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but the entire class of giant planets.


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>> Fascinating stuff. It's amazing that


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after all this time studying Jupiter,


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we're still discovering fundamental


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things about its basic structure. Now,


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let's shift from distant Jupiter to our


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very own sun, which is putting on quite


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a show right now. Avery, there's a


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massive sunspot facing Earth at the


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moment.


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>> There certainly is, Anna, and it's a


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monster. The sunspot currently facing


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Earth spans about 15 Earth diameters


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across. That's roughly 120,000 m. To put


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that in perspective, you could fit 15


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Earths side by side across a single


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sunspot.


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>> That's genuinely hard to wrap your head


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around. And I understand people can


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actually see this with the right


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equipment.


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>> Yes, but this comes with a crucial


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safety warning. Never look directly at


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the sun without proper solar filters.


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This can cause premanent eye damage or


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blindness. However, with proper eclipse


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glasses or solar filters designed


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specifically for solar observation,


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amateur astronomers can spot this


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sunspot fairly easily. It's large enough


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to be visible even with modest


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magnification.


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>> What exactly is a sunspot for our


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listeners who might not know?


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>> Sunspots are regions on the sun's


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surface where powerful magnetic fields


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break through, temporarily suppressing


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the hot convective currents that


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normally transport heat from the sun's


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interior. This makes these regions


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cooler than their surroundings, around


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6,500°


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F, compared to the normal surface


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temperature of about 10,000°.


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That temperature difference is why they


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appear dark against the brighter


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background.


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>> And these magnetic fields, they're what


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solar flares and coronal mass ejections.


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Right.


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>> Exactly. Large complex sunspot groups


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like this one have tangled magnetic


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field lines that can suddenly reconnect


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and release enormous amounts of energy.


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This particular sunspot is being closely


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monitored because of its size and


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complexity. When these magnetic


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structures become unstable, they can


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unleash powerful solar flares and


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potentially hurl billions of tons of


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charged particles toward Earth and


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what's called a coronal mass ejection or


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CME.


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>> Should we be concerned about potential


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impacts on Earth?


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>> Space weather forecasters are definitely


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keeping a close eye on it. A large CME


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directed at Earth could affect


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satellites, power grids, and radio


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communications and could produce aurora


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displays at lower latitudes than usual.


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However, our sun monitoring satellites


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like SOHO and SDO give us advanced


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warning, typically several days before


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CME arrives. So, while this sunspot


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certainly has the potential to be


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active, we have the monitoring


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infrastructure in place to track any


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eruptions and issue warnings if


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necessary. It's one of those reminders


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that we live inside the sun's atmosphere


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in a sense. We're constantly bathed in


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the solar wind.


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>> That's a great way to think about it.


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Earth's magnetic field shields us from


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most of the effects, but we're


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definitely connected to our stars


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activity. And for amateur astronomers,


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it's a rare chance to see solar activity


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on this scale with safe solar viewing


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equipment. All right, from solar weather


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to Martian weather, Avery, there's been


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an unusual storm on Mars that's


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revealing something new about the red


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planet. Yes, and this is a particularly


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intriguing discovery because it


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challenges some of our assumptions about


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Martian meteorology. Researchers have


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observed an unusual storm system on Mars


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that's providing new insights into the


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planet's atmospheric dynamics and what


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lies beneath its dusty surface.


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>> What made this storm unusual? I mean,


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Mars is famous for its dust storms.


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>> True. But this storm exhibited behavior


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that didn't fit our standard models of


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Martian weather patterns. The storm's


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movement and structure suggested it was


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being influenced by subsurface features.


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Essentially, the topology and


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composition beneath Mars' surface was


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affecting how the storm developed and


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moved across the planet.


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>> So, the ground itself is influencing the


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weather. How does that work? It's


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similar to how mountains on Earth affect


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weather patterns. But Mars has some


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unique factors. The thin Martian


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atmosphere, less than 1% of Earth's


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atmospheric pressure, means that surface


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features have a proportionately larger


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impact on atmospheric circulation.


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Additionally, variations in surface


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temperature due to different rock and


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soil composition can create localized


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heating patterns that drive atmospheric


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motion.


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>> And what did the storm reveal about


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what's underground? The storm's behavior


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suggested there are variations in


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subsurface composition that weren't


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previously mapped. By tracking how the


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storm responded to these hidden


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features, scientists could essentially


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use the storm as a probe to detect


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what's below the surface. It's a bit


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like how doctors use ultrasound. You're


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using one thing to indirectly sense


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another.


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>> That's a clever way to gather geological


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information. Are there implications for


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future Mars missions?


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>> Definitely. Understanding these


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subsurface features is important for


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several reasons. First, they could


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indicate locations where subsurface


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water ice might be present. Second, they


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help us understand Mars' geological


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history and how the planet evolved. And


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third, for future crude missions,


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knowing what's underground is essential


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for landing site selection and resource


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utilization. You want to land somewhere


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with access to useful materials.


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>> It's fascinating how atmospheric science


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and geology intersect like this. One


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storm can tell you so much about an


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entire planet.


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>> Exactly. And it's another example of how


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every Mars observation opens new


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questions. The more we learn, the more


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complex and interesting Mars becomes.


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>> Indeed. Now, speaking of complex and


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interesting, let's talk about NASA's


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space launch system. There's been some


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remarkably frank discussion from NASA


00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:50.069
about this rocket's future, hasn't


00:10:50.079 --> 00:10:50.870
there?


00:10:50.880 --> 00:10:53.590
>> Yes. And it's notable precisely because


00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:56.230
NASA officials are rarely this candid


00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:58.710
about program challenges. Anna, for the


00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:00.550
first time, NASA is publicly


00:11:00.560 --> 00:11:02.230
acknowledging what many industry


00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:04.790
analysts have been saying for years. The


00:11:04.800 --> 00:11:07.350
space launch system has fundamental cost


00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:09.590
and sustainability issues that need to


00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:10.630
be addressed.


00:11:10.640 --> 00:11:12.470
>> This is the rocket that's supposed to


00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:14.630
take astronauts back to the moon, part


00:11:14.640 --> 00:11:17.030
of the Aremis program, right?


00:11:17.040 --> 00:11:19.590
>> That's correct. The SLS is the most


00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:21.990
powerful rocket NASA has ever built.


00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:23.910
Designed specifically for deep space


00:11:23.920 --> 00:11:25.990
missions, it successfully launched


00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:29.350
Artemis 1 in late 2022, sending an


00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:31.350
uncrrewed Orion spacecraft around the


00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:33.269
moon. And it's scheduled to launch


00:11:33.279 --> 00:11:36.069
Artemis 2, the first crude lunar mission


00:11:36.079 --> 00:11:38.710
in over 50 years, though that timeline


00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:39.990
keeps shifting.


00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:42.949
>> So, what's the issue? The rocket works,


00:11:42.959 --> 00:11:43.829
doesn't it?


00:11:43.839 --> 00:11:46.550
>> The rocket does work. When it flies, it


00:11:46.560 --> 00:11:49.269
performs beautifully. The problem is the


00:11:49.279 --> 00:11:52.790
economics. Each SLS launch costs roughly


00:11:52.800 --> 00:11:55.750
$4 billion, and the system can only fly


00:11:55.760 --> 00:11:57.509
about once a year with current


00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:00.470
infrastructure. For comparison, SpaceX's


00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:02.389
Starship, which is also designed for


00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:04.550
deep space missions and has crater


00:12:04.560 --> 00:12:07.430
payload capacity, is projected to cost a


00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:09.590
tiny fraction of that per launch and


00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:11.590
could potentially fly dozens of times


00:12:11.600 --> 00:12:12.870
per year.


00:12:12.880 --> 00:12:15.750
>> 4 billion per launch. That's hard to


00:12:15.760 --> 00:12:18.150
justify, especially when alternatives


00:12:18.160 --> 00:12:19.110
exist.


00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:21.110
>> Exactly. And that's what makes these


00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.750
recent NASA fatements so significant.


00:12:23.760 --> 00:12:25.910
Administrators are openly discussing the


00:12:25.920 --> 00:12:28.069
elephant in the room, that maintaining


00:12:28.079 --> 00:12:30.389
SLS in its current form may not be


00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:32.550
sustainable for a long-term lunar or


00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:34.710
Mars exploration program. They're


00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:36.470
acknowledging that the program needs to


00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:39.030
either dramatically reduce costs or


00:12:39.040 --> 00:12:40.790
potentially transition to commercial


00:12:40.800 --> 00:12:43.509
alternatives. This must be a difficult


00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:46.470
position for NASA. The SLS represents


00:12:46.480 --> 00:12:48.790
decades of development and enormous


00:12:48.800 --> 00:12:49.910
investment.


00:12:49.920 --> 00:12:52.470
>> It absolutely is. There are also


00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.870
political considerations. The SLS


00:12:54.880 --> 00:12:57.110
program supports jobs across multiple


00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:59.190
states and has strong congressional


00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:01.829
backing, but NASA is facing budgetary


00:13:01.839 --> 00:13:04.069
pressure and needs to make realistic


00:13:04.079 --> 00:13:06.629
plans for sustainable exploration. The


00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:08.710
acknowledgement that SLS's costs are


00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.710
problematic is a significant shift


00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:12.710
towards having honest conversations


00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:14.230
about the future of deep space


00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:15.430
exploration.


00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:17.670
>> What are the alternatives? Would NASA


00:13:17.680 --> 00:13:19.509
switch to something like Starship


00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:20.710
entirely?


00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:22.710
>> That's one option being discussed,


00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:25.190
though it's complicated. NASA has


00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:27.030
already contracted with SpaceX to


00:13:27.040 --> 00:13:28.629
provide a lunar lander version of


00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:30.790
Starship for Artemis missions. So,


00:13:30.800 --> 00:13:32.389
there's already commercial partnership


00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:35.110
in place. Some proposals suggest using


00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.430
commercial heavy lift rockets for cargo


00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:40.150
and potentially even crew, while others


00:13:40.160 --> 00:13:42.470
advocate for a hybrid approach. The


00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:44.710
challenge is that any major change would


00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:46.949
require congressional approval and


00:13:46.959 --> 00:13:48.790
significant replanning of Artemis


00:13:48.800 --> 00:13:49.750
architecture.


00:13:49.760 --> 00:13:51.829
>> It sounds like we're at an inflection


00:13:51.839 --> 00:13:54.710
point for NASA's deep space ambitions.


00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:57.030
>> We really are. This is one of those


00:13:57.040 --> 00:13:59.110
moments where honesty about challenges


00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.790
is the first step towards finding


00:14:00.800 --> 00:14:03.269
solutions. The fact that NASA is willing


00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:05.590
to have this conversation publicly,


00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:07.750
suggests they're serious about finding a


00:14:07.760 --> 00:14:10.150
sustainable path forward, even if it


00:14:10.160 --> 00:14:12.150
means difficult decisions about programs


00:14:12.160 --> 00:14:13.829
that have tremendous legacy and


00:14:13.839 --> 00:14:14.870
political support.


00:14:14.880 --> 00:14:16.629
>> Well, we'll certainly be watching how


00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:19.590
this develops. Now, for our final story,


00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:21.829
let's venture into the realm of stellar


00:14:21.839 --> 00:14:24.790
evolution. Avery, red giant stars are


00:14:24.800 --> 00:14:26.710
apparently destroying their own


00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:29.430
planetary systems. They are Anna and


00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:31.189
this research gives us a rather


00:14:31.199 --> 00:14:33.030
apocalyptic preview of what will happen


00:14:33.040 --> 00:14:35.269
to our own solar system in about 5


00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:37.990
billion years. Astronomers have observed


00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:40.710
how red giant stars, stars in their late


00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:43.189
evolutionary stages, systematically


00:14:43.199 --> 00:14:45.750
destroy gas giant planets that orbit too


00:14:45.760 --> 00:14:46.790
close to them.


00:14:46.800 --> 00:14:48.629
>> This is what our sun will eventually


00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:50.949
become, right? A red giant.


00:14:50.959 --> 00:14:53.670
>> Exactly. When stars like our sun exhaust


00:14:53.680 --> 00:14:55.990
the hydrogen fuel in their cores, they


00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:57.910
begin fusing helium and expand


00:14:57.920 --> 00:15:00.310
dramatically. Our sun will eventually


00:15:00.320 --> 00:15:02.790
swell to perhaps 100 times its current


00:15:02.800 --> 00:15:05.430
diameter, likely engulfing Mercury,


00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:08.230
Venus, and possibly Earth. But this


00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:10.069
research focuses on what happens to


00:15:10.079 --> 00:15:11.750
planets that survive the initial


00:15:11.760 --> 00:15:14.550
expansion, particularly gas giants at


00:15:14.560 --> 00:15:16.389
distances similar to Jupiter and


00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:19.030
Saturn's current orbits. Though these


00:15:19.040 --> 00:15:21.590
planets survive the stars expansion, but


00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:23.269
not what comes after.


00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.910
>> Precisely. As the star becomes a red


00:15:25.920 --> 00:15:28.310
giant, several destructive processes


00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:31.430
occur. First, the star becomes much more


00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:33.910
luminous. Our sun will eventually be


00:15:33.920 --> 00:15:36.470
about 2,000 times brighter than it is


00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:39.590
now. This intense radiation heats the


00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.069
atmospheres of gas giant planets,


00:15:42.079 --> 00:15:44.629
causing them to expand and potentially


00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:48.389
evaporate. Second, red giant stars have


00:15:48.399 --> 00:15:50.710
powerful stellar winds that can strip


00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:53.670
away planetary atmospheres. And third,


00:15:53.680 --> 00:15:56.629
the stars expansion causes tidal forces


00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:58.949
that can alter planetary orbits.


00:15:58.959 --> 00:16:01.189
>> That sounds like a recipe for planetary


00:16:01.199 --> 00:16:03.430
destruction. What exactly did the


00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:04.629
researchers observe?


00:16:04.639 --> 00:16:06.870
>> They studied multiple red giant star


00:16:06.880 --> 00:16:09.350
systems and found evidence of gas giant


00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:11.110
planets in the process of being


00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:14.069
destroyed. In some cases, they detected


00:16:14.079 --> 00:16:16.310
the spectral signatures of planetary


00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:19.030
material being stripped away and falling


00:16:19.040 --> 00:16:21.430
into their host star. In others, they


00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:23.829
found gas giants with highly eroded


00:16:23.839 --> 00:16:26.230
atmospheres, clearly showing the effects


00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:28.470
of their stars evolution. It's like


00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:30.629
watching different stages of the same


00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:32.150
destructive process.


00:16:32.160 --> 00:16:34.310
>> This presumably has implications for our


00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:36.310
understanding of how planetary systems


00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:37.590
evolve over time.


00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:40.310
>> Absolutely. One of the key findings is


00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:42.310
that the habitable zone, the region


00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:45.030
where liquid water could exist, moves


00:16:45.040 --> 00:16:48.069
outward as a star becomes a red giant.


00:16:48.079 --> 00:16:50.550
Moons of Jupiter or Saturn, currently


00:16:50.560 --> 00:16:53.350
frozen ice worlds, might temporarily


00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:56.310
become habitable as our sun swells. But


00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:58.389
this research shows that even if these


00:16:58.399 --> 00:17:01.110
worlds briefly enter the habitable zone,


00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:03.430
the gas giants they orbit are being


00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:06.069
actively destroyed by the dying star.


00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:08.789
It's a very dynamic and ultimately


00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:09.909
doomed situation.


00:17:09.919 --> 00:17:11.750
>> It really puts our solar systems


00:17:11.760 --> 00:17:13.510
long-term future in perspective.


00:17:13.520 --> 00:17:15.909
>> It does. Though I should emphasize we


00:17:15.919 --> 00:17:18.549
have about 5 billion years before any of


00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:20.710
this happens. So there's no immediate


00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:23.110
cause for concern. But it does remind us


00:17:23.120 --> 00:17:25.270
that solar systems, like everything else


00:17:25.280 --> 00:17:27.909
in the universe, have life cycles.


00:17:27.919 --> 00:17:29.830
Understanding these cycles helps us


00:17:29.840 --> 00:17:31.990
interpret what we see around other stars


00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:34.630
and appreciate that the stable longive


00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:37.350
solar system we enjoy is a temporary


00:17:37.360 --> 00:17:38.950
phase in cosmic terms.


00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:41.110
>> A sobering but fascinating look at


00:17:41.120 --> 00:17:43.190
stellar evolution. It's one thing to


00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:45.029
know intellectually that the sun will


00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:47.430
eventually die, but quite another to see


00:17:47.440 --> 00:17:49.350
the detailed process of what happens to


00:17:49.360 --> 00:17:50.310
the planets


00:17:50.320 --> 00:17:53.270
>> exactly. And who knows, in 5 billion


00:17:53.280 --> 00:17:55.510
years, humanity's descendants, if they


00:17:55.520 --> 00:17:57.990
exist, will likely have long since


00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:00.310
relocated to other star systems.


00:18:00.320 --> 00:18:02.630
Understanding how stars age and die is


00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:04.390
actually crucial for picking good


00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:05.990
long-term neighborhoods out in the


00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:06.549
galaxy.


00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.950
>> That's a nice optimistic note to end on.


00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:10.470
Well, that's all we have for you today


00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:11.830
on Astronomy Daily.


00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:13.830
>> And remember to check out our website at


00:18:13.840 --> 00:18:15.830
astronomydaily.io


00:18:15.840 --> 00:18:17.909
for more space news and to join our


00:18:17.919 --> 00:18:20.070
community discussions. You can also find


00:18:20.080 --> 00:18:22.870
us on social media at Astro Daily Pod.


00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:24.630
>> Thanks for listening and keep looking


00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:28.470
up. Astronomy day.


00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:36.470
Stories be told.


00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:40.200
Stories told.