SpaceX’s Starship Reusability, Ancient Galaxies’ Secrets, and the Cosmic Dawn Unveiled

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Language: en

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source


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for the latest developments in space


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exploration and astronomical


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discoveries. I'm your host, Anna, and we


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have a packed show for you today with


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some truly fascinating stories from


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across the cosmos. We'll be diving into


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SpaceX's upcoming 9inth Starship test


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flight, which represents a major


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milestone for the program as they


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attempt the first reuse of a super heavy


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booster. Then, we'll explore a


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surprising discovery about galaxy


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evolution. Astronomers have found a


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massive galaxy that mysteriously stopped


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forming stars when the universe was just


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a cosmic toddler, challenging everything


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we thought we knew about how galaxies


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develop. We'll also examine a potential


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threat that may be hiding in plain


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sight. Then from the International Space


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Station, we'll look at the scientific


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treasures that just returned aboard


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SpaceX's Dragon capsule. And finally,


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we'll shed light on what literally


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turned on the lights in our early


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universe as new data reveals the


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surprising cosmic powerhouses


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responsible for illuminating the


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darkness after the Big Bang. So, let's


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get started with today's


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news. SpaceX is gearing up for what


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could be a pivotal moment in the


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Starship development program with its


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9th test flight scheduled for Tuesday,


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May 27th. Liftoff is targeted for 6:30


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p.m. Central time from SpaceX's Starbase


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facility in Texas with the launch window


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extending to 8:00 p.m. This mission


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carries extra significance as it marks


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the first time SpaceX will reuse a


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superheavy booster, booster 14, which


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previously flew during flight 7 and was


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successfully caught by the launch tower,


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will make its second journey to space, a


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crucial step toward SpaceX's ultimate


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goal of full reusability.


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The previous two Starship test flights


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ended in disappointment with both ships


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failing just before reaching second


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stage engine cutoff. Flight 7's ship 33


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experienced fires in the attic above the


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engine bay due to a harmonic response


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issue during ascent, while flight 8's


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ship 34 suffered a hardware failure in


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one of its sea level Raptor engines


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leading to a fire in the engine bay.


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Despite these setbacks, both missions


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saw successful booster recoveries,


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providing valuable data and hardware


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experience for the program. SpaceX has


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confirmed that the harmonic resonance


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problem from flight 7 has been fixed,


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and they've implemented additional


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improvements for flight 9. Ship 35 will


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be attempting to fly past the point


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where its predecessors failed, aiming to


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complete its full mission profile. If


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successful, it would represent a major


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breakthrough for the Starship program.


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The mission objectives remain similar to


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previous flights with the ship expected


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to perform a splashdown in the Indian


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Ocean after completing several


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experiments. These experiments include


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deploying eight Starlink satellite


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simulators, relighting a Raptor engine


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in flight, and testing various areas of


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the heat shield. The heat shield will


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feature metallic tiles, an actively


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cooled tile, missing tiles to test


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durability during re-entry, and tapered


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edge tiles between the aft flaps and


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catch points. While the ship's


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trajectory remains largely unchanged


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from previous flights, booster 14 will


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follow a different path this time.


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Unlike Flight 7, SP X will not attempt


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to catch the booster, instead directing


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it to perform an experimental re-entry


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before splashing down in the Gulf of


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Mexico. The stakes couldn't be higher


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for SpaceX as they work to demonstrate


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that Starship can reliably reach orbit,


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a capability essential for NASA's Aremis


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program and SpaceX's own ambitious plans


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for Mars. After nearly 6 months since


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the last test flight, all eyes will be


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on whether the third times the charm for


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getting a ship past the critical engine


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cutoff


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milestone. Next, today, a deep space


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mystery. In an unexpected discovery


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that's reshaping our understanding of


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cosmic evolution, astronomers have


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identified a massive galaxy that stopped


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forming stars when the universe was


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nearly 700 million years old, long


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before Earth even existed. This ancient


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galaxy with the technical designation


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Ruby's


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UDSQGZ7 now holds the record as the most


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distant dead or quiescent galaxy ever


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confirmed. What makes this finding so


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remarkable is that galaxies typically


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need billions of years to grow large and


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then shut down their star formation. Yet


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here was this massive celestial


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structure that had already completed its


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life cycle in the universe's infancy.


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The powerful James Webb Space Telescope


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made this discovery possible, allowing


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astronomers to peer deeper into cosmic


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history than ever before. The galaxy


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managed to form an astonishing amount of


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stars in its brief active period with


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stellar mass equivalent to more than 10


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billion suns. Then, for reasons


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astronomers are still trying to


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understand, it simply stopped. All star


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formation ceased completely, leaving


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behind what scientists call a quenched


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galaxy. Data from Web's near infrared


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spectrograph confirmed this quiet state


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during observations conducted as part of


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the Ruby's survey that stands for red


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unknowns bright infrared extragalactic


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survey. The spectrum revealed no signs


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of ongoing star formation instead


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showing strong Balmer and calcium


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absorption features characteristic of


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older stellar


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populations. When astronomers determined


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its red shift of 7.29, 29. They realized


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they were looking at a galaxy as it


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appeared just a few hundred million


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years after the Big Bang. Further


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analysis suggests it had already stopped


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forming stars around 50 to 100 million


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years before the light we're now


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detecting left the galaxy. This means it


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likely completed its entire star forming


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phase even before Redshift 8, pushing


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our timeline of galaxy evolution into


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uncharted territory. The discovery


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challenges fundamental assumptions about


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how quickly galaxies can form and evolve


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in the early universe. Current


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theoretical models simply don't account


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for galaxies growing so large and then


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shutting down so rapidly in the cosmic


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dawn era. This finding suggests we may


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need to substantially revise our


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understanding of the processes driving


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galaxy formation and evolution in the


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universe's earliest epics. What makes


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this discovery particularly remarkable


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is the galaxy's extremely compact


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nature. Despite its massive stellar


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content, Ruby's UDS QGZ7 measures just


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650 lightyears across. To put that in


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perspective, our Milky Way galaxy spans


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approximately 100,000 lightyear. This


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incredible density makes it one of the


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most tightly packed galaxies ever


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observed.


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Scientists believe this ancient compact


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galaxy likely represents the core of


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what would eventually become the giant


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elliptical galaxies we see in today's


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universe. These modern ellipticals are


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among the largest and oldest galaxies we


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observe, often found at the centers of


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galaxy clusters. The structure of Ruby's


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Udis QGZ7 closely resembles what we see


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in the central regions of these massive


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ellipticals in our cosmic neighborhood.


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As Anna Degraphth, lead investigator of


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the Rubies program at the Maxplank


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Institute for Astronomy


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explains, "The discovery provides the


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first strong evidence that the centers


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of some nearby massive ellipticals may


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have already been in place since the


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first few hundred million years of the


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universe. The James Web Space Telescope


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has been absolutely crucial in


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confirming this discovery.


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Previous telescopes like Hubble and


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groundbased instruments simply couldn't


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see deep enough into the infrared


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spectrum to detect features like the


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Balmer break at such high red shifts.


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While the Spitzer Space Telescope


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offered some infrared capability, it


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lacked the resolution and sensitivity


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needed for definitive observations.


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Web's revolutionary infrared


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capabilities have completely transformed


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our ability to study the early universe.


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Next up, a subject we keep returning to


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and with good reason. While NASA has


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been diligently tracking near-Earth


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asteroids that could threaten our planet


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for the past two decades, recent


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research suggests we may have a


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significant blind spot in our planetary


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defense strategy. 20 years ago, Congress


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tasked NASA with finding 90% of


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near-Earth asteroids that could pose a


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threat to Earth, and they've made


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considerable progress. However,


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astronomers are now discovering a new


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category of potentially hazardous


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objects that have largely escaped our


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attention. Asteroids co-orbiting with


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Venus. These Venus coorbital asteroids


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follow the same path around the sun as


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our neighboring planet, but with a


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concerning twist. They can cross Earth's


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orbit. Currently, scientists have


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identified 20 of these coorbital


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asteroids, but new research indicates


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this may be just the tip of the cosmic


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iceberg. What makes these objects


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particularly concerning is their


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elusiveness. Many of these asteroids


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remain hidden in the sun's glare from


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our earth-based perspective, making them


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exceptionally difficult to detect with


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conventional survey methods. When the


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Venus coorbitals are positioned between


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Earth and the Sun, they become virtually


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invisible to our telescopes, creating


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dangerous blind spots in our monitoring


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systems. Perhaps even more troubling is


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the unpredictable nature of their


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orbits. According to the research, these


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asteroids exhibit what scientists call


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highly chaotic orbital patterns with


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leaponov times of just 150 years. In


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astronomical terms, the leoponov time


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indicates how long it takes for an


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object's orbit to become unpredictable


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due to chaotic dynamics. This means that


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tracking these objects trajectories


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beyond a century and a half becomes


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extraordinarily challenging. Lead


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researcher Valerio Karuba from Sao Paulo


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University explains that coorbital


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status protects these asteroids from


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close approaches to Venus, but it does


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not protect them from encountering


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Earth. This creates a peculiar situation


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where objects that share Venus's orbit


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can potentially pose a greater threat to


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our planet than to Venus itself. The


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research team defines these objects as


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potentially hazardous if they have a


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minimum diameter of about 140 m and come


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within 0.0 05 astronomical units of


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Earth's orbit. For context, an asteroid


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of this size striking Earth could


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release energy equivalent to hundreds of


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megatons of TNT, thousands of times more


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powerful than the atomic bombs used in


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World War II. Such an impact could


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devastate an entire metropolitan area.


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As we expand our understanding of these


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celestial dynamics, it's becoming clear


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that our planetary defense strategy may


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need significant recalibration to


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address this previously underestimated


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threat lurking in the orbit of our


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nearest planetary neighbor.


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In the early hours of May 25th, SpaceX's


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Dragon capsule splashed down off the


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California coast, successfully


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completing the company's 32nd commercial


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resupply mission to the International


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Space Station. The unpiloted spacecraft


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returned with an impressive haul.


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Approximately


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6,700 lb of scientific equipment,


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supplies, and experiments that had been


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conducted in the unique microgravity


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environment of the orbiting laboratory.


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This scientific treasure trove


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represents some of the most cutting edge


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research being conducted in space today.


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The Dragon undocked from the station's


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Harmony module 2 days earlier before


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making its journey home, carrying cargo


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that could revolutionize everything from


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spacecraft design to satellite


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maintenance. Among the most fascinating


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returns was the Missy 20 experiment,


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short for multi-purpose international


00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:38.150
space station experiment. This project


00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:40.150
tested various materials by exposing


00:11:40.160 --> 00:11:42.110
them directly to the harsh conditions of


00:11:42.120 --> 00:11:44.710
space. The samples included radiation


00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.750
shielding, solar sail coatings, ceramic


00:11:47.760 --> 00:11:50.230
composits for re-entry vehicles, and


00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:51.990
specialized resins that might one day


00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:54.949
form the basis of improved heat shields.


00:11:54.959 --> 00:11:57.190
Mounted on the exterior of the station,


00:11:57.200 --> 00:11:59.030
these materials endured extreme


00:11:59.040 --> 00:12:01.030
conditions that can't be replicated on


00:12:01.040 --> 00:12:03.829
Earth. ultraviolet radiation, atomic


00:12:03.839 --> 00:12:06.389
oxygen, charged particles, and dramatic


00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:08.389
temperature swings that would destroy


00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:10.870
most conventional materials. By


00:12:10.880 --> 00:12:13.350
analyzing how these samples performed,


00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:15.350
scientists can better design spacecraft


00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:16.870
and satellites to withstand the


00:12:16.880 --> 00:12:18.829
unforgiving environment beyond our


00:12:18.839 --> 00:12:21.190
atmosphere. Perhaps the most visually


00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:22.949
striking experiment returning to Earth


00:12:22.959 --> 00:12:25.550
was


00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:27.829
AstroBacc, which stands for responsive


00:12:27.839 --> 00:12:29.350
engaging arms for captive care and


00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:31.509
handling. This innovative technology


00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:32.870
demonstrated something that sounds


00:12:32.880 --> 00:12:34.710
straight out of science fiction. Robotic


00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:37.110
tentacle-like arms capable of grasping


00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:40.230
and relocating objects in space. The


00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:42.470
system used specialized adhesive pads to


00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:44.069
capture items of different shapes and


00:12:44.079 --> 00:12:46.629
surface materials. This capability


00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:48.389
represents a major step forward in


00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:49.910
addressing one of the growing challenges


00:12:49.920 --> 00:12:52.629
in Earth orbit, safely capturing and


00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:54.230
relocating debris and defunct


00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:56.710
satellites. Such technology could


00:12:56.720 --> 00:12:58.310
eventually help extend satellite


00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:00.470
lifespans through inorbit servicing and


00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:02.389
potentially reduce the hazardous debris


00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:04.069
field that increasingly threatens


00:13:04.079 --> 00:13:05.310
spacecraft


00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:07.670
operations. The Dragon's cargo also


00:13:07.680 --> 00:13:09.670
included some more whimsical but no less


00:13:09.680 --> 00:13:11.910
important items. Books from the


00:13:11.920 --> 00:13:13.509
storytime from space project are


00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:15.990
returning after orbiting the Earth. This


00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:17.509
educational initiative featured


00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:19.030
astronauts reading science and


00:13:19.040 --> 00:13:20.629
mathematics related children's books


00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:23.590
while floating in zero gravity. The crew


00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:25.350
also recorded themselves performing


00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:27.430
science demonstrations that corresponded


00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:29.910
with the book's themes. All these videos


00:13:29.920 --> 00:13:31.910
have been made available in an online


00:13:31.920 --> 00:13:33.870
library with accompanying educational


00:13:33.880 --> 00:13:36.389
materials, inspiring the next generation


00:13:36.399 --> 00:13:39.110
of space explorers. Additionally,


00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:41.030
hardware and data from a one-year


00:13:41.040 --> 00:13:43.910
technology demonstration called Optica,


00:13:43.920 --> 00:13:46.069
onboard programmable technology for


00:13:46.079 --> 00:13:48.389
image compression and analysis made the


00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.790
journey home. This advanced imaging


00:13:50.800 --> 00:13:52.790
system was designed to revolutionize how


00:13:52.800 --> 00:13:54.790
we transmit ultra highresolution


00:13:54.800 --> 00:13:57.030
hyperspectral imagery from space to


00:13:57.040 --> 00:13:59.030
Earth in real time, potentially


00:13:59.040 --> 00:14:00.790
transforming everything from disaster


00:14:00.800 --> 00:14:03.430
response to environmental monitoring.


00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:05.750
Together, these returning experiments


00:14:05.760 --> 00:14:07.590
showcase how the International Space


00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:10.389
Station continues to serve as humanity's


00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.949
premier orbital laboratory, developing


00:14:12.959 --> 00:14:15.189
technologies that not only advance space


00:14:15.199 --> 00:14:17.590
exploration, but also deliver tangible


00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:19.870
benefits to life on


00:14:19.880 --> 00:14:23.030
Earth. To wrap up today, let's look at a


00:14:23.040 --> 00:14:24.949
solution to a great scientific mystery


00:14:24.959 --> 00:14:27.670
that's finally been sorted. We finally


00:14:27.680 --> 00:14:29.590
have an answer to one of cosmologyy's


00:14:29.600 --> 00:14:32.230
biggest mysteries. What switched on the


00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.790
lights in our early universe? For


00:14:34.800 --> 00:14:36.710
decades, astronomers have been puzzled


00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:38.790
by how our universe transitioned from a


00:14:38.800 --> 00:14:41.350
dark, opaque fog to the transparent


00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:44.069
cosmos we observe today. The answer, it


00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:46.470
turns out, is surprisingly small.


00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:48.150
According to groundbreaking new data


00:14:48.160 --> 00:14:50.110
from the Hubble and James Web space


00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:53.189
telescopes, it was tiny dwarf galaxies


00:14:53.199 --> 00:14:55.269
that cleared the primordial fog of


00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.509
neutral hydrogen filling intergalactic


00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.389
space after the big bang. In the


00:15:00.399 --> 00:15:01.829
beginning, the universe was filled with


00:15:01.839 --> 00:15:04.069
a hot, dense plasma that scattered


00:15:04.079 --> 00:15:06.069
light, effectively making everything


00:15:06.079 --> 00:15:08.710
dark. As it cooled, protons and


00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:10.629
electrons combined to form neutral


00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:13.350
hydrogen gas. While this gas allowed


00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:14.790
some wavelengths of light to pass


00:15:14.800 --> 00:15:16.310
through, there weren't many light


00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:18.949
sources around to illuminate the cosmos.


00:15:18.959 --> 00:15:21.189
That changed with the birth of the first


00:15:21.199 --> 00:15:23.509
stars. Their radiation was strong enough


00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:26.069
to strip electrons from hydrogen atoms,


00:15:26.079 --> 00:15:28.150
reionizing the gas and making the


00:15:28.160 --> 00:15:30.870
universe transparent to light. By about


00:15:30.880 --> 00:15:33.350
1 billion years after the Big Bang, the


00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:35.590
period known as cosmic dawn, the


00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:37.150
universe was fully


00:15:37.160 --> 00:15:39.350
reanized. Scientists had long assumed


00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:40.949
that the primary drivers of this


00:15:40.959 --> 00:15:42.829
reanization must have been powerful


00:15:42.839 --> 00:15:45.269
sources, super massive black holes or


00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:47.750
massive star forming galaxies. But the


00:15:47.760 --> 00:15:49.430
web telescope's unprecedented


00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:51.269
sensitivity has revealed a different


00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:54.069
story. By examining a galaxy cluster


00:15:54.079 --> 00:15:55.870
called Abel


00:15:55.880 --> 00:15:58.710
2744, which acts as a cosmic magnifying


00:15:58.720 --> 00:16:00.870
glass through gravitational lensing,


00:16:00.880 --> 00:16:02.550
researchers were able to detect


00:16:02.560 --> 00:16:04.949
extremely faint dwarf galaxies near the


00:16:04.959 --> 00:16:07.350
cosmic dawn. Their analysis revealed


00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.430
something astonishing. These dwarf


00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:11.749
galaxies outnumber larger galaxies by a


00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:14.230
ratio of 100 to1. Even more


00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:16.470
surprisingly, these tiny galaxies


00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:18.710
collectively emit four times more


00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:20.470
ionizing radiation than previously


00:16:20.480 --> 00:16:23.189
assumed from larger galaxies. Despite


00:16:23.199 --> 00:16:24.949
their dimminionive size, they were


00:16:24.959 --> 00:16:26.870
extraordinarily efficient at producing


00:16:26.880 --> 00:16:29.030
the high energy photons needed to clear


00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:32.550
the cosmic fog. As astrophysicist Hakeim


00:16:32.560 --> 00:16:34.710
Atech described them, these galaxies


00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.430
were truly cosmic powerhouses whose


00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:39.590
abundance and collective energy output


00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:41.590
was substantial enough to transform the


00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:44.150
entire state of the universe. It's a


00:16:44.160 --> 00:16:45.990
case where quantity truly overcame


00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:48.230
quality. Their sheer numbers compensated


00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:50.870
for their individual small size. This


00:16:50.880 --> 00:16:52.550
discovery fundamentally changes our


00:16:52.560 --> 00:16:53.829
understanding of how the universe


00:16:53.839 --> 00:16:56.069
evolved from darkness to light,


00:16:56.079 --> 00:16:57.749
highlighting how even the smallest


00:16:57.759 --> 00:16:59.430
cosmic structures can drive the most


00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:00.870
profound transformations in our


00:17:00.880 --> 00:17:03.910
universe's history. If confirmed across


00:17:03.920 --> 00:17:06.470
multiple observations, this discovery


00:17:06.480 --> 00:17:08.309
represents one of the most significant


00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:10.069
breakthroughs in our understanding of


00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:12.789
cosmic evolution. It suggests that the


00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:15.429
universe's most transformative processes


00:17:15.439 --> 00:17:17.270
weren't necessarily driven by the


00:17:17.280 --> 00:17:20.230
largest, most spectacular objects. but


00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:22.390
by the collective influence of countless


00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:25.350
smaller ones. A profound lesson about


00:17:25.360 --> 00:17:27.350
how even the smallest entities can


00:17:27.360 --> 00:17:29.270
collectively drive the most fundamental


00:17:29.280 --> 00:17:31.070
changes in our


00:17:31.080 --> 00:17:33.110
universe. And that's it for today's


00:17:33.120 --> 00:17:34.390
episode. Thanks for joining me on


00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.789
Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna reminding you


00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:38.270
to visit us at


00:17:38.280 --> 00:17:40.230
astronomydaily.io where you can find all


00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.390
of today's news and all things Astronomy


00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:44.150
Daily. And of course, remember to


00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:46.390
subscribe to the free podcast available


00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:48.870
on all podcast platforms. I'll see you


00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:50.230
tomorrow for more fascinating


00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:52.710
developments from the final frontier.


00:17:52.720 --> 00:17:57.710
Until then, do as I do. Keep looking up.


00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:01.220
Day stories told.


00:18:01.230 --> 00:18:15.589
[Music]