Galactic Collision Reconsidered

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Language: en

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Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily,


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your source for the latest developments


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in space science and astronomy. I'm your


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host, Anna, and today we've got a


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fascinating lineup of cosmic news to


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share with you. We'll start with a


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surprising revelation about our galactic


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neighborhood. Then we'll look at how


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robots could revolutionize space-based


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solar power with breakthrough technology


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that might soon beam constant clean


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energy back to Earth. We'll also examine


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why June's upcoming full moon will be


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sitting unusually low in the northern


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sky, a rare celestial event. And


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finally, we'll catch up on the latest


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launches from SpaceX and Rocket Lab,


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including historic milestones for human


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space flight. So stay with us as we


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journey through today's cosmic headlines


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on Astronomy


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Daily. Let's kick things off today with


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a story that might help you sleep easier


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at night. For what seems like billions


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of years, astronomers have been telling


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us that our Milky Way galaxy is on an


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inevitable collision course with our


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nearest large galactic neighbor,


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Andromeda. This cosmic crash was thought


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to be about 4 to 5 billion years in our


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future, with the merger eventually


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creating what scientists had already


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named Milomeda. But now, this long-held


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belief is being challenged by new


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research. A paper published in Nature


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Astronomy suggests that this galactic


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collision might not be as certain as we


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once thought. Scientists have analyzed


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the latest and most accurate


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observations from both the Gaia and


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Hubble Space Telescopes, combined with


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recent mass estimates to recalculate the


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possible future scenarios for our local


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group of galaxies over the next 10


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billion


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years. The Milky Way's path through the


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universe isn't just influenced by


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Andromeda. It's actually affected by the


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gravitational pull of several objects in


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our cosmic neighborhood, including the


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smaller triangulum galaxy, also known as


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Messier 33, along with the large and


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small melanic clouds and various


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superclusters. What's particularly


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interesting is how these other cosmic


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bodies play a significant role in


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determining whether the Milky Way and


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Andromeda will actually collide. The


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research shows that while the triangulum


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galaxy increases the merger probability,


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the large melanic clouds orbit runs


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perpendicular to the Milky Way Andromeda


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path, which actually makes their merger


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less likely. The most striking finding


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from these new simulations is that


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there's nearly a 50% chance that the


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Milky Way and Andromeda won't collide at


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all within the next 10 billion years.


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That's a dramatic shift from what was


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previously considered almost inevitable.


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The researchers do acknowledge some


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uncertainties in their model. They


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assumed, for example, that the mass


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distributions within the galaxies remain


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constant over the next 10 billion years,


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which may not be entirely accurate. But


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their updated simulations using the


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latest observational data and physics


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cast considerable doubt on whether this


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cosmic collision will ever occur.


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Interestingly, the study suggests


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there's a higher chance that the Milky


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Way will actually collide with the large


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melanic cloud in about 2 billion years.


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Of course, none of us will be around to


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witness any of these potential cosmic


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crashes, but it's fascinating how our


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understanding of even the largest scale


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events in our cosmic neighborhood


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continues to evolve.


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Next today, and I assure this is real


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and not some fancy sci-fi dream. In a


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breakthrough that could revolutionize


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clean energy production, the UK Atomic


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Energy Agency has demonstrated that


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remotely operated robots can


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successfully build gigawatt scale solar


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power satellites without human


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intervention. This development, part of


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the Albatross project in collaboration


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with clean techch firm Space Solar,


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marks a significant step toward


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achieving round-the-clock renewable


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energy from space. The project based at


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the UK AEA's Cullum campus in


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Oxfordshire utilized dual arm robotic


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manipulators to construct satellite


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components designed to be several kilome


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long and about 20 m wide. This robotic


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approach offers both cost advantages and


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safety benefits by reducing the need for


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astronaut involvement in the assembly,


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maintenance, and eventual


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decommissioning of these massive


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structures.


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What makes this concept particularly


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promising is the intensity of solar


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energy available in space. According to


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the European Space Agency, sunlight at


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the top of Earth's atmosphere is more


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than 10 times stronger than at ground


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level. These orbital solar collectors


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would capture this uninterrupted energy


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source and beam it back to Earth as


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microwaves, which could then be


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converted into electricity by


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groundbased antennas. The robotic


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technology being developed at UKA's


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remote applications in challenging


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environment center isn't just for space


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applications. These same innovations


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support fusion energy production on


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Earth, highlighting the synergy between


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terrestrial and space-based energy


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solutions. Space Solar is moving quickly


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with this technology, expecting to


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commission its first 30 megawatt


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demonstrator system by 2029 and reach


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full gigawatt scale capacity within the


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following decade. potentially providing


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a continuous stream of clean energy from


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the limitless solar resources available


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in


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orbit. If you've been watching the night


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sky, you might notice something unusual


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happening this June. The full moon on


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June 11th, 2025 will appear remarkably


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low in the sky for northern hemisphere


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observers. In fact, it will be the


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lowest full moon we've seen in decades.


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This isn't random chance or an


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astronomical anomaly. It's actually part


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of a fascinating 18.6-year cycle that


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affects how we see our lunar companion.


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Unlike what many people assume, the


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moon's orbit isn't aligned with Earth's


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equator or even with Earth's path around


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the Sun. The Moon's orbit is actually


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tilted by about


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5.15° relative to the ecliptic. That's


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the plane of Earth's orbit around the


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Sun. This tilt combined with Earth's own


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23.5° axial tilt creates some


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interesting effects that play out over


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long time periods. Because of these


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combined tilts, the moon can appear


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anywhere from


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28.65° south to 28.65° north in our sky.


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This means that over time, the moon


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seems to wander north and south against


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the background stars. Astronomers call


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the extreme points in this cycle lunar


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standstills.


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The last major lunar standstill occurred


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in 2006, and now we're approaching


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another one. During this period, the


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moon's path swings to its maximum


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extremes, making it appear exceptionally


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high in winter and exceptionally low in


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summer for northern hemisphere


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observers. That's why this June's full


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moon will barely skim the treetops for


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many North American and European


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viewers. And if you're in places like


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Alaska or Iceland, the moon might not


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rise at all.


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Meanwhile, observers in the southern


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hemisphere will experience the opposite


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effect. They'll see what's essentially


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their own long night's moon, riding


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remarkably high in their June skies.


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This gradual shifting of the moon's path


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happens because the moon's orbital plane


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is slowly being dragged around once


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every 18.6 years, primarily due to the


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gravitational pull of the sun.


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Astronomers call this the nodal


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procession. What's particularly


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fascinating is that ancient peoples


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recognized and tracked these lunar


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cycles. At the Kalanish stones in


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Scotland, erected during the Bronze Age


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over 4,000 years ago, archo astronomers


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have discovered alignments that mark the


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rising and setting positions of the moon


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at its extreme


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standstills. These ancient stone circles


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served as astronomical calendars,


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helping people track longer periods of


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time than the regular monthly lunar


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cycle. So, when you look at this


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unusually low full moon in June,


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remember you're witnessing the same


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celestial mechanics that our ancestors


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observed and celebrated thousands of


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years ago. A living connection to


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humanity's earliest attempts to


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understand the rhythms of the


00:08:02.919 --> 00:08:05.189
cosmos. Let's switch gears now and look


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at what's happening in space launches


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this week. SpaceX continues to dominate


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the launch schedule with an impressive


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five missions packed into just one week.


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Rocket Lab kicked things off with their


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65th Electron launch, nicknamed Full


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Stream Ahead. Just before June 3rd ended


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in New Zealand time, they successfully


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deployed a Black Sky Generation 3


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satellite into orbit. This marks Rocket


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Lab's 10th launch for Black Sky


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technology, making them the most


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frequent launch provider for this


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constellation. The Gen 3 satellites are


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quite impressive, capable of producing


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images with 50 cm resolution and


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equipped with shortwave infrared


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sensors. SpaceX has been even busier


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with multiple Starlink deployments


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across different launch sites. From Cape


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Canaveral in Florida, they launched


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Starlink Group 1219 carrying 23 Starlink


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V2 mini satellites, 13 of which feature


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the new directtoell capabilities. This


00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:02.590
mission used booster


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B1077, making its remarkable 21st


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flight. The very same day, SpaceX


00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.310
conducted another Starlink launch from


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Vandenberg Space Force Base in


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California, delivering 27 more


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satellites to a different orbital


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inclination. And if that wasn't enough,


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they scheduled yet another Starlink


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mission for June 8th from Vandenberg,


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adding 26 more satellites to their


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rapidly growing constellation. Beyond


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Starlink, SpaceX is launching the SXM10


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satellite for Sirius XM on June 7th.


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This third generation satellite weighs


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over 6,000 kg and will replace older


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satellites in the constellation that


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have been in service since 2005 and


00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.550
2006. Sirius XM currently serves over 33


00:09:44.560 --> 00:09:46.550
million subscribers, highlighting how


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space technology directly impacts


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everyday services many of us use.


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Perhaps most exciting is the Axiom 4


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crude mission launching June 9th.


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Commander Peggy Witson will lead a


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diverse international crew including


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Shbanshu Shukla from India, Slavos


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Usnansski from Poland, and Tibbor Capu


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from Hungary, each representing only the


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second astronaut from their respective


00:10:08.959 --> 00:10:11.590
countries to reach space. They'll spend


00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:13.750
up to two weeks aboard the International


00:10:13.760 --> 00:10:16.350
Space Station conducting 60 scientific


00:10:16.360 --> 00:10:18.470
experiments, setting a record for the


00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:20.630
most research activities during an Axiom


00:10:20.640 --> 00:10:23.190
mission. The Dragon capsule for this


00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:25.509
mission is brand new, making its first


00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:27.750
flight, while the Falcon 9 booster is


00:10:27.760 --> 00:10:29.910
flying for just its second time, having


00:10:29.920 --> 00:10:32.069
been used only 41 days earlier for a


00:10:32.079 --> 00:10:34.630
Starlink mission. These milestones


00:10:34.640 --> 00:10:36.310
highlight how commercial space missions


00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:37.990
are now creating opportunities for


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nations that don't have their own human


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spaceflight programs to send their


00:10:41.920 --> 00:10:44.630
citizens to orbit. It's democratizing


00:10:44.640 --> 00:10:46.790
access to space in ways we couldn't have


00:10:46.800 --> 00:10:50.389
imagined even a decade ago.


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Well, what an incredible journey through


00:10:52.399 --> 00:10:54.550
space we've taken today. From


00:10:54.560 --> 00:10:56.230
reconsidering the collision course of


00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:58.230
galaxies to robots building solar


00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:00.550
satellites in orbit. From the moon's


00:11:00.560 --> 00:11:03.030
fascinating dance across our skies to


00:11:03.040 --> 00:11:05.030
the remarkable diversity of launches


00:11:05.040 --> 00:11:07.030
carrying humans and technology beyond


00:11:07.040 --> 00:11:07.790
our


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atmosphere. I'm Anna and I want to thank


00:11:10.399 --> 00:11:11.750
you for joining me on this episode of


00:11:11.760 --> 00:11:13.910
Astronomy Daily. If you enjoyed today's


00:11:13.920 --> 00:11:15.430
cosmic update, please visit


00:11:15.440 --> 00:11:17.829
astronomydaily.io io where you can sign


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up for our free daily newsletter


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delivering the latest space news right


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support helps us continue bringing the


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wonders of the universe down to earth.


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Until next time, keep looking up.


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There's always something fascinating


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happening in our cosmic neighborhood.


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stories told.


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Stories to tell.


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[Music]