FRB Enigma, Supersonic Exoplanet Winds, and China’s Space Tech Breakthroughs: S04E19

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Kind: captions
Language: en

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welcome to astronomy daily your daily


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dose of the most exciting developments


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in space science and exploration I'm


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your host Anna and today we've got an


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absolutely packed show with stories from


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across the cosmos we'll be diving into a


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mysterious fast radio burst that's


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challenging everything we thought we


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knew about these enigmatic signals and


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we'll explore record-breaking supersonic


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winds on a distant exoplanet that would


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make earth strongest hurricanes look


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like a gentle breeze we'll also look at


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some groundbreaking achievements in


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space technolog ology including a


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remarkable breakthrough in oxygen


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production aboard China space station


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and a historic first for European space


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launches plus we've got fascinating new


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discoveries about rapidly spinning black


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holes and Innovative plans for powering


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future lunar missions so strap in as we


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embark on this Cosmic Journey Through


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the latest and most captivating space


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news of the day scientists have made a


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fascinating Discovery that's challenging


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our understanding of one of space's most


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mysterious phenomena fast radio burst


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or FBS a newly detected burst designated


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fb22


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4209a has been found in a place we


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wouldn't expect on the outskirts of an


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ancient dead elliptical galaxy these FBS


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are incredibly energetic pulses of radio


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light that flash Across the Universe for


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just milliseconds since their first


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discovery in 2007 we've detected over


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1,000 of them but this one is special


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until now we've only found FBS in young


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active galaxies where stars are still


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being born what makes this discovery


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particularly intriguing is that this F


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frb was detected in a galaxy that's 11.3


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billion years old practically a cosmic


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senior citizen not only that but it's


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located in an unusual spot about 130,000


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light years from the Galaxy Center in a


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region where very few Stars exist the


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leading theory has been that FBS come


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from magnetars highly magnetized neutron


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stars formed when massive stars die in


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spectacular Supernova explosions but


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this new discovery doesn't fit that


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explanation the Galaxy where this FB was


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found is simply too old and inactive to


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support the formation of new magnetars


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through this process the burst was first


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picked up in February 2024 by the


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Canadian hydrogen intensity mapping


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experiment and it wasn't just a one-time


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event between February and July it


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pulsed 21 more times giving scientists


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plenty of opportunities to study Its


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Behavior this discovery suggests we


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might need to rethink our theories about


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frbs as Northwestern universities wfi


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Fong puts it just when we think we


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understand an astrophysical phenomenon


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the universe throws us a curveball it's


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possible there could be a whole subclass


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of FBS associated with older systems


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that we're only now beginning to


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understand at just two billion light


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years from Earth this FB is giving us a


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front row seat to what might be an


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entirely new category of cosmic


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phenomena reminding us once again that


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the Universe still has plenty of


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surprises in store for


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us and here's another surprising


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discovery for you hold on to your


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telescopes because astronomers have just


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discovered something extraordinary on


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the distant exoplanet wasp


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127b using the European Southern


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observatory's very large telescope in


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Chile they've detected the fastest


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planetary winds ever measured and we're


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talking about speeds that make earth 's


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most violent storms look like gentle


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breezes these incredible winds are


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whipping around wasp 127 B's equator at


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a mindboggling 33,000 km hour to put


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that in perspective that's nearly six


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times faster than the planet's rotation


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speed even Neptune which held the


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previous Record for fastest winds in our


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solar system only manages speeds of


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about 1,800


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kmph wasp 127b itself is quite the


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fascinating world


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located about 500 light years away it's


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slightly larger than Jupiter but much


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less dense earning it the nickname puffy


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Planet what makes these observations


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even more remarkable is that scientists


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have detected a clear pattern in these


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supersonic winds one side of the


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atmosphere is racing toward us while the


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other side is moving away at the same


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incredible speed the research team's


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observations have revealed more than


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just wind speeds they've confirmed the


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presence of water vapor and carbon


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monoxide in the planet's atmosphere and


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discovered that its poles are cooler


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than the rest of the planet there's even


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a slight temperature difference between


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its morning and evening sides showing


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that this distant world has complex


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weather patterns similar to what we see


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in our own solar system this discovery


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is particularly significant because


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until recently astronomers could only


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measure basic characteristics of


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exoplanets like their mass and radius


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now thanks to Advanced instruments like


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those on the very large telescope we can


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actually map the weather on these


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Distant Worlds and analyze their


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atmospheres in detail this is helping us


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better understand not just how these


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planets formed but potentially giving us


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insights into the origins of our own


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solar system what's particularly


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interesting is that this kind of


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detailed observation can currently only


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be done from ground-based


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observatories even our most advanced


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space telescopes don't yet have the


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Velocity Precision needed for these


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measurements but with new facilities


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like the extremely large tele scope


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under construction we're looking forward


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to exploring even finer details of these


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alien weather patterns and maybe even


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studying the atmospheres of smaller


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rocky


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planets meanwhile a bit closer to Earth


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the science goes on in a groundbreaking


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development aboard China's tiangong


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space station the shenzo 19 crew has


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successfully demonstrated the world's


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first inorbit artificial photosynthesis


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technology this remarkable achievement


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isn't just about growing plants in space


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it's about creating oxygen and Rocket


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Fuel components right there in orbit


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marking a significant Leap Forward in


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our ability to sustain long-term space


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missions the experiments took place in a


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relatively simple drawer shaped device


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where semiconductor catalysts work their


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magic by converting carbon dioxide and


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water into oxygen and ethylene a


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hydrocarbon that can be used to create


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spacecraft propellants what makes this


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particularly impressive is that unlike


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conventional methods that require high


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temperatures and pressure this process


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works efficiently at room temperature


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and standard atmospheric pressure this


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Innovation could be a GameChanger for


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space exploration currently the


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International Space Station relies on


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electrolysis for its oxygen needs a


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process that consumes about onethird of


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the station's total life support energy


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while effective this method simply


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wouldn't be practical for long duration


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missions to the moon or Mars the new


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Chinese technology offers a more energy


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efficient alternative that could help


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solve one of the big challenges in space


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exploration how to keep astronauts


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breathing without constantly resupplying


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from Earth the implications go beyond


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just producing oxygen the system is


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cleverly designed to be upgraded while


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in orbit allowing scientists to test


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different catalysts and reactions by


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adjusting the Catalyst they can produce


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various useful products including


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methane for propulsion or formic acid


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that could be used to synthesized sugars


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this flexibility could prove invaluable


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for future space missions where


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resources need to be carefully managed


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and recycled this development positions


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China at the Forefront of sustainable


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space Technologies demonstrating a


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crucial capability that will be


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essential for Humanity's long-term


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presence in space as we look toward


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establishing permanent bases on the moon


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and eventual missions to Mars the


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ability to generate essential resources


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Like Oxygen and fuel in situ could be


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the key to making these ambitious goals


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achievable and some news for our


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European listeners Europe has just


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marked a historic milestone in its space


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exploration Journey with German startup


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rocket Factory Augsburg securing the


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first ever license for vertical rocket


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launches from Mainland Europe This


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groundbreaking authorization from the UK


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civil aviation Authority allows them to


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conduct launches from the sax oford


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Spaceport located on the remote Shetland


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Islands off Scotland's Coast the license


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permits up to 10 launches per calendar


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year with a maximum of two launches


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within any given month this careful


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regulation emphasizes both Public Safety


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and environmental impact considerations


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for RFA this isn't just a regulatory win


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it's a powerful endorsement of their


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technical capabilities and represents a


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significant shift in European space


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Innovation the company has already made


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significant progress in their launch


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preparations though they faced a setback


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last August when a static fire test of


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their RFA 1 Rockets first stage ended in


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an explosion however they're now back on


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on track focusing on building a new


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first stage equipped with nine Helix


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staged combustion engines the good news


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is that other crucial components


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including the second stage third stage


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orbital transfer vehicle and the fairing


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are already flight


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qualified this development is part of a


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broader emergence of European launch


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startups with companies from Germany


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Spain and the United Kingdom all working


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to develop their own orbital Rockets the


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sax oford Spaceport isn't alone either


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similar facilities in Norway and Sweden


00:09:31.640 --> 00:09:33.949
are also preparing to host launches


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signaling a new era of European space


00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:38.350
capability what we're witnessing is


00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:39.910
nothing less than the dawn of a new


00:09:39.920 --> 00:09:42.389
commercial space age in Europe after


00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:43.990
Decades of relying on launches from


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French Guana Europe is finally


00:09:46.160 --> 00:09:47.630
developing the infrastructure and


00:09:47.640 --> 00:09:49.790
capability to send Rockets into orbit


00:09:49.800 --> 00:09:52.230
from its own soil marking a significant


00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.750
step toward independent access to


00:09:54.760 --> 00:09:57.150
space now our obligatory black hole


00:09:57.160 --> 00:09:59.710
story for the day and its a beauty in a


00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:01.509
fascinating Discovery that's reshaping


00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:03.590
our understanding of the cosmos


00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:05.069
astronomers have found that super


00:10:05.079 --> 00:10:06.829
massive black holes are spinning much


00:10:06.839 --> 00:10:09.710
faster than we previously believed this


00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:11.230
Revelation comes from an extensive


00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:13.069
survey conducted by the Sloan digital


00:10:13.079 --> 00:10:15.509
Sky survey's reverberation mapping


00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:17.550
project which looked at black holes


00:10:17.560 --> 00:10:19.910
spanning billions of years of cosmic


00:10:19.920 --> 00:10:21.910
history what makes this finding


00:10:21.920 --> 00:10:23.790
particularly intriguing is that these


00:10:23.800 --> 00:10:25.269
rapid spin rates are telling us


00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:27.470
something fundamental about how these


00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:30.150
Cosmic Giants grew over time


00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:32.030
the traditional view suggested that


00:10:32.040 --> 00:10:34.630
super massive black holes primarily got


00:10:34.640 --> 00:10:37.430
bigger through dramatic Galaxy mergers


00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:39.150
however these new measurements are


00:10:39.160 --> 00:10:41.110
painting a very different picture the


00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:42.910
research team found that black holes


00:10:42.920 --> 00:10:45.190
from about 10 billion years ago were


00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.829
spinning particularly fast faster than


00:10:47.839 --> 00:10:50.110
their more recent counterparts this


00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:51.710
suggests that rather than growing


00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:54.110
through violent mergers these ancient


00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:56.269
Cosmic monsters built up their Mass more


00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:58.990
gradually consuming nearby gas and dust


00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:01.710
in a smooth controlled manner it's like


00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:03.509
watching a graceful dancer rather than a


00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:06.190
chaotic Mosh Pit what's even more


00:11:06.200 --> 00:11:09.069
surprising is that when galaxies merge


00:11:09.079 --> 00:11:11.310
it actually tends to slow down the spin


00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:13.069
of their Central black


00:11:13.079 --> 00:11:15.670
holes this helps explain why we see a


00:11:15.680 --> 00:11:17.590
mix of different spin rates in more


00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:19.790
recent times rather than the more


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uniform rapid spins we observe in the


00:11:22.079 --> 00:11:24.269
early Universe these findings are


00:11:24.279 --> 00:11:26.310
opening up exciting new directions for


00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:28.750
Black Hole research the James web Space


00:11:28.760 --> 00:11:30.829
Telescope is continually discovering


00:11:30.839 --> 00:11:32.910
more distant super massive black holes


00:11:32.920 --> 00:11:35.230
for scientists to study and detailed


00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:37.150
follow-up observations will help us


00:11:37.160 --> 00:11:39.590
better understand how these mysterious


00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:42.350
objects grew and evolved over Cosmic


00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:45.509
time it's like doing Cosmic archaeology


00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:47.150
piecing together the history of the


00:11:47.160 --> 00:11:50.430
universe's most enigmatic objects This


00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:52.069
research challenges our previous


00:11:52.079 --> 00:11:53.829
assumptions about black hole formation


00:11:53.839 --> 00:11:56.710
and growth reminding us once again that


00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:58.750
the Universe often has surprising ways


00:11:58.760 --> 00:12:00.470
of doing things that we're only just


00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:02.069
beginning to


00:12:02.079 --> 00:12:04.629
understand in further Chinese space news


00:12:04.639 --> 00:12:07.269
today Chinese researchers have unveiled


00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:09.230
an Innovative solution to one of the


00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:11.790
biggest challenges in lunar exploration


00:12:11.800 --> 00:12:13.590
keeping spacecraft powered during the


00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:15.990
long lunar night they're exploring the


00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.110
possibility of using laser Wireless


00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:20.430
power transmission from satellites


00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:22.829
orbiting the moon to supply energy to


00:12:22.839 --> 00:12:24.829
surface vehicles and Equipment the


00:12:24.839 --> 00:12:26.790
moon's unique rotation means that any


00:12:26.800 --> 00:12:29.670
given location experiences about 14 days


00:12:29.680 --> 00:12:31.910
of complete darkness with temperatures


00:12:31.920 --> 00:12:35.750
plunging to a bone chilling minus 200°


00:12:35.760 --> 00:12:38.629
C this poses a significant challenge for


00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:41.030
solar powered spacecraft which need to


00:12:41.040 --> 00:12:43.030
maintain some level of power just to


00:12:43.040 --> 00:12:45.949
survive these extreme conditions this


00:12:45.959 --> 00:12:47.750
laser system could be particularly


00:12:47.760 --> 00:12:49.350
valuable for exploring permanently


00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:52.350
shadowed craters near the lunar poles


00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:54.350
these craters never touched by direct


00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:56.629
sunlight are thought to contain valuable


00:12:56.639 --> 00:12:59.230
water ice a crucial resource for future


00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.790
lunar operations traditional Power


00:13:01.800 --> 00:13:03.949
Solutions like radioisotope generators


00:13:03.959 --> 00:13:06.870
have limited output and are expensive


00:13:06.880 --> 00:13:09.550
while nuclear reactors though powerful


00:13:09.560 --> 00:13:11.550
bring their own set of safety and


00:13:11.560 --> 00:13:14.430
complexity concerns the concept works by


00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:16.470
using laser beams to transmit power


00:13:16.480 --> 00:13:18.590
wirelessly from orbiting satellites to


00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:20.670
receivers on the lunar surface which


00:13:20.680 --> 00:13:23.030
then convert the light into usable


00:13:23.040 --> 00:13:25.150
electricity while promising the


00:13:25.160 --> 00:13:27.310
technology still faces several hurdles


00:13:27.320 --> 00:13:29.710
including improving efficiency managing


00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:31.990
transmission ranges and solving various


00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:33.069
operational


00:13:33.079 --> 00:13:35.150
challenges This research ties into


00:13:35.160 --> 00:13:37.230
China's ambitious International lunar


00:13:37.240 --> 00:13:39.550
research station plans with missions


00:13:39.560 --> 00:13:43.150
planned for 2026 and 2028 to explore the


00:13:43.160 --> 00:13:45.990
lunar South Pole as they work toward


00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:47.750
establishing a permanent presence on the


00:13:47.760 --> 00:13:48.949
moon in the


00:13:48.959 --> 00:13:51.389
2030s solving the energy Supply


00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:52.949
challenge will be crucial for


00:13:52.959 --> 00:13:55.990
sustainable lunar exploration and


00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.150
development while the technology is


00:13:58.160 --> 00:14:00.470
still in development it represents a


00:14:00.480 --> 00:14:02.629
potentially game-changing approach to


00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:05.069
powering lunar missions offering


00:14:05.079 --> 00:14:07.230
flexibility and scalability in the


00:14:07.240 --> 00:14:09.550
vacuum of space it's another step


00:14:09.560 --> 00:14:12.189
forward in Humanity's ongoing efforts to


00:14:12.199 --> 00:14:14.310
establish a lasting presence on our


00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:16.310
Celestial


00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.590
neighbor well that brings us to the end


00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:20.389
of another fascinating episode of


00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:23.069
astronomy daily from mysterious radio


00:14:23.079 --> 00:14:25.829
burst to supersonic planetary winds and


00:14:25.839 --> 00:14:27.629
groundbreaking developments in space


00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:29.749
technology it's been quite a journey


00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:32.470
through the cosmos today if you'd like


00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:34.189
to stay up to date with all the latest


00:14:34.199 --> 00:14:36.629
space and astronomy news head over to


00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:39.069
our website at astronomy


00:14:39.079 --> 00:14:41.509
daily. there you'll find our constantly


00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:43.430
updating Newsfeed and can catch up on


00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:45.629
all our previous episodes and don't


00:14:45.639 --> 00:14:47.790
forget to follow us across social media


00:14:47.800 --> 00:14:50.030
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00:14:50.040 --> 00:14:53.670
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00:14:53.680 --> 00:14:55.790
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00:14:55.800 --> 00:14:57.590
and questions so don't be shy about


00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:59.710
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00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:01.389
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00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:03.670
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favorite podcast platform that way


00:15:08.880 --> 00:15:10.629
you'll never miss an episode as we


00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:12.990
continue to explore the wonders of space


00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:14.949
together this has been Anna with


00:15:14.959 --> 00:15:17.389
astronomy daily until next time keep


00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:19.310
looking up there's always something


00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:23.230
amazing happening in our universe


00:15:23.240 --> 00:15:31.870
[Music]


00:15:31.880 --> 00:15:34.850
the St the


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[Music]