Your Questions Answered: The Mysteries of Jupiter and the Sun | Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights &...

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Kind: captions
Language: en

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Hello again and thank you for joining


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us. This is a Q&A edition of Space Nuts.


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Uh my name is Andrew Dunley. Uh this is


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the episode where we answer questions


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from our audience and sometimes our


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studio audience. We've had uh people


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asking us questions live in recent


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times. Uh coming up today, we've uh we


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have actually received an email from a


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listener um Thomas in Canra asking about


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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and their


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involvement at Siding Spring. I know


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someone who might know something about


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that. [laughter]


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Anyway, we'll talk about that. Um we've


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got a a young listener who's sent in a


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question uh about the storm on Jupiter.


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Uh, we've also got a question about a


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mission to the sun


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and uh, the speed of gravitational


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waves. We'll try and tackle all of that


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on this Q&A edition of Space Nuts.


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>> 15 seconds. Guidance is internal. 10 9


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Ignition sequence start.


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>> Space Nuts.


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>> 5 [music] 4 3 2 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1


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>> Space Nuts.


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>> Astronauts report. It feels good. And


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he's back again to solve all of those


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riddles. Professor Fred Watson,


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astronomer at large. Hello, Fred.


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>> Hello, Andrew. Hello. Good to see you.


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>> Good to see you.


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>> Can I see you? Yes, I can see you. You


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can see me?


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>> Yeah, I [laughter] can't.


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>> Good to see you.


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>> I've got a bit of a box head at your end


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of things that


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>> you're you squashed him, but um you're


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looking nonetheless handsome for that.


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It's all right.


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>> Yeah, my wife wouldn't agree, but


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anyway, [laughter]


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>> she might.


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>> Different there's a different story.


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Yes.


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Uh shall we tackle some questions?


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>> Why not? Why not?


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>> All right. Our first one comes from


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Thomas in Canberra. I was down in Canra


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a couple of weeks ago. Uh and it was


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bitterly cold


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>> as always. Uh some years ago, we visited


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Australia's very own Acropolis. Um um


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Pantheon and the Temple of Fred, i.e.


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Siding Spring Observatory. Luckily for


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us, it was an open day, so we got to


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tour inside the telescope hall. Uh, the


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guide pointed out that we were standing


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on a trapdo several stories up. Suffice


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to say, we all stepped aside onto solid


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flooring. I noticed a plaque on the


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telescope hardware that read Mitsubishi


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Heavy Industries. My question is, what


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role does Mitsubishi play in


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manufacturing modern telescope hardware


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hardware, if any? And is the telescope


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mirror made in Ohio and polished in


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England? Uh, still one of the best. Um


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or he's asking if it's still one of the


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best. So now that's a good question. So


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um yeah, plenty to ply through on that,


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Fred. Uh I've been exactly there with


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you doing a doing a television show, I


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believe it was at one stage many moons


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ago, [snorts]


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>> but uh they kicked me out cuz I had a


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head for radio.


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>> But um yeah, it's a good question. Uh


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and very observant of Thomas to pick up


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on all of that except for the trapoor.


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He missed that. Um yeah, the the trap


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doors quite important because that's


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what lets you um hoist things from the


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ground floor, which is uh eight stories


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below uh up seven stories below uh up


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into the dome area. And there's an


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intermediate level, which is where we


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recoat the mirror every year. And I'm


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saying we because it used to be we when


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I was the astronomer in charge and uh


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worked there for many, many years. Uh


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it's now other people, but um I hope


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they won't mind me including myself as


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part of their team because I know them


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all pretty well. Um so uh that trapdo uh


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actually I do remember um hearing a


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story. I didn't see this happen myself,


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but the trapdo itself weighs probably


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about three tons. [snorts] Uh and it's


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on a hinge and it's got a kind of crane


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mechanism to lift it up. And I do


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remember somebody once telling me that


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it accidentally got let go and it


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slammed shut and the entire building


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shook as you'd expect. Yeah. That wasn't


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in my time there though. So um indeed


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the Anglo Australian telescope a joint


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project between the two governments the


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Australian government and the British


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government. Um really interesting story


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uh how it all started and how it


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emerged. Um it uh was uh the basically


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the first thing that happened when uh


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when they you know when the governments


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decided to spend the money on this and


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it was I think 16 million was what they


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had at the time. That would be more like


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a hundred million now to build the same


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thing. Um but back in the uh late 1960s


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actually uh they set up a project office


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and the project office looked at all the


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contractors and all the rest of it. And


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so um that uh office which for a while


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was run by a very old friend of mine


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Herman Vehner um who was in CRA. He was


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a an engineer uh in CRA. Uh so he would


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have been I think party to some of these


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decisions along with another old friend


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Ben Gascoin one of the great names in


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Australian astronomy. Um and they


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elected to accept a bid from Mitsubishi


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Heavy Industries to build the mounting


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of the telescope. And by that I mean the


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part that actually points the thing


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around. And this is it is heavy


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engineering because if I remember


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rightly the moving parts of the


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telescope are about 60 tons or


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thereabouts and yet you've got to point


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it with an accuracy of an a second of


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arc. Uh which you know when you think of


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the number of microns that means in


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terms of where the where the telescope


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structure is pointing that's quite


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significant. Uh the telescope floats on


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oil bearings. It actually floats on oil.


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Wow. Um and so all of that has to come


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together and a company like Mitsubishi


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were very very well placed to to deliver


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that. Now uh um Thomas's question is to


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an extent Mitsubishi is still involved


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with this sort of thing. Uh I think they


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would um with having that expertise I


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think they would um sort of tender for


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contracts uh whenever there was an


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opportunity. Now, um I'm if I'd had a


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bit more time and forethought and I


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could still check it, but uh the biggest


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telescope operated by Japanese


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astronomers is called Subaru. Uh it is


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and Subaru is of course the Japanese


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word for the Plyudes. That's why you've


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got six stars on your Subaru car badge.


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Uh Subaru is on the big island of


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Hawaii. It's an 8 mass telescope. It is


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one of the finest 8 meter telescopes in


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the world. I'm not sure whether


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Mitsubishi played a part in building


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Subaru, but that might be the kind of


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thing that you might be able to tell me


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within a few minutes with Claude


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whispering into your ear or something


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like that.


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>> Were Mitsubishi involved with Subaru?


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>> Um, uh, the other side of the story


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though is the what we call the tube of


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the telescope, which isn't a tube. It's


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an open structure for anybody standing


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in front of it. It's the the white part.


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um which contains all the optics that


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was built by the company I started my


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career working for. So Howard Grub


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Parsons and Company Limited. They indeed


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polished the mirrors. My uh old friend


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and colleague David Syninden um was the


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chief optitian for that. I am privileged


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to have in this room his notebook uh


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that he had all the notes when he was


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doing that polishing. And one of the


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first things it says in the notebook uh


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when the mirror blank was delivered


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indeed from Ohio as as Thomas said um


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this is a uh it was then a 20tonon block


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of material uh 4 meters in diameter.


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There's a comment in the notebook that


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says this thing is bloody big.


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[laughter]


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Um that's David Tinden. So he was the


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optician and made a fantastic job


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working with his colleague David Brown.


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first boss, David Brown. Uh, and I


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worked a little bit on the mirror um


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actually preparing the um the hardware


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for the mirror to be supported while it


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was being ground and polished uh in the


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works in Newcastle on time in England.


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That I I did that just before I left uh


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Grub Parsons to go back to university to


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to further my career in astronomy.


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>> Did you did you know at the time or you


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wouldn't have probably known at the time


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you were working on it in the UK that


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you'd end up using it? Um, no, that's


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right. Not only did I end up using it, I


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ended up as its astronomer in charge.


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>> Yeah.


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>> Uh, which I was for 20 years. Um, I I I


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it's a really good question. Um,


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thinking back to that time, I was a bit


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fixated on getting back to university


00:09:01.040 --> 00:09:02.790
because I wasn't happy with my degree


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and I wanted to do a a research degree


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in astronomy, which I did. That's


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another story. Um, and so I, um, you


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know, this making this these supports


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for the telescope mirror was, uh, was


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something that I, I quite keen to get


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out of the way. Uh, and I probably just


00:09:19.680 --> 00:09:21.110
never gave it a thought that maybe one


00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:22.790
day I would use this telescope. I


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certainly would never have given it a


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thought that one day I'd be responsible


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for it scientific output, which I was


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for 20 years.


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>> Yeah. And in answer to your query, the


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Subaru telescope in Hawaii was


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manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric


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Company.


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>> There you go.


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>> Yeah.


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>> Yeah, that was a that was a guess, but


00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:46.070
um it's obviously a reasonably informed


00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:46.710
guess.


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>> Yeah, indeed. Uh thanks for the


00:09:48.880 --> 00:09:51.430
question, Thomas. But uh yeah um it's


00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:54.949
it's amazing facility and I I uh up at


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Siding Spring and I don't think people


00:09:56.640 --> 00:09:59.829
realize how massive that building is.


00:09:59.839 --> 00:10:00.310
>> Yeah.


00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:02.630
>> Until they sort of get up the top of the


00:10:02.640 --> 00:10:04.949
mountain and take a a look. You can see


00:10:04.959 --> 00:10:06.550
it from just about everywhere. Uh you


00:10:06.560 --> 00:10:09.670
can still see it quite clearly um in the


00:10:09.680 --> 00:10:11.750
aftermath of those tragic fires so many


00:10:11.760 --> 00:10:13.190
years ago.


00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:17.190
>> Um but uh yeah, it's it's sort of like a


00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:20.069
big pimple on the top of a hill. It is.


00:10:20.079 --> 00:10:22.310
It's amazing. Thanks, Thomas. Uh, we've


00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:24.790
got a few live viewers, Fred. We've got,


00:10:24.800 --> 00:10:27.269
uh, Ollie in Jalong. Good day, Ollie.


00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:29.110
Uh, Danny says he's added Outback


00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:32.389
astronomer to his audible wish list. Uh,


00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:34.710
we've got Turk listening from Sunnyvale


00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:37.190
in California, and he's 35 miles from


00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:39.030
the Lick Observatory. I can see it from


00:10:39.040 --> 00:10:40.310
his bedroom.


00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:42.630
>> Um, and Moose is back again. He's found


00:10:42.640 --> 00:10:44.389
us again. Hi, Moose. you've uh you've


00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:47.430
missed pretty much half the whole deal


00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.150
today, but we were on a bit earlier.


00:10:50.160 --> 00:10:54.150
>> And uh Tommy has messaged us um uh in


00:10:54.160 --> 00:10:56.630
the evening in Frederick's dad in


00:10:56.640 --> 00:11:00.310
Norway. So um welcome everybody.


00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:03.110
>> Uh let's go to an audio question, Fred.


00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.389
Uh this is Sandy, but it's not Sandy's


00:11:06.399 --> 00:11:09.110
question. Well, this will become


00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:10.150
self-obvious.


00:11:10.160 --> 00:11:11.910
>> Good day, Fred and Andrew. It's Sandy


00:11:11.920 --> 00:11:14.389
here again from Melbourne. Um, this time


00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:17.030
my little listening buddy, um, Emily, my


00:11:17.040 --> 00:11:19.269
daughter, would like to ask a question.


00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:21.430
Um, she she quite enjoys listening in


00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:24.069
the car, um, to your show with me. So,


00:11:24.079 --> 00:11:25.750
I'm going to hand the the microphone


00:11:25.760 --> 00:11:27.670
over to my daughter.


00:11:27.680 --> 00:11:31.829
>> Why does Jupiter have a storm on it?


00:11:31.839 --> 00:11:33.829
>> Excellent question. Thank you. Um, thank


00:11:33.839 --> 00:11:35.269
you, friend Andrew. I hope you get a


00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:37.509
chance to answer this question and we're


00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:39.990
looking forward to the answer.


00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:41.670
>> Thank you, Sandy. Thank you, Emily. Hi,


00:11:41.680 --> 00:11:45.509
Emily. Um, that's a great question and I


00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:47.190
uh we've we've talked about the storm on


00:11:47.200 --> 00:11:50.230
Jupiter uh many times in the past and in


00:11:50.240 --> 00:11:52.470
fact I think there's more than one storm


00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:54.470
on Jupiter, but there's there's one big


00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:58.150
one that um that that's famously known


00:11:58.160 --> 00:12:00.710
as the red spot.


00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:03.750
It is um in fact because it's big, it's


00:12:03.760 --> 00:12:08.230
called the Great Red Spot. Um and um I


00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:09.430
think there's another one called


00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.110
sometimes called Little Red as well,


00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:13.990
which is uh not it's not far away from


00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:15.269
the the big one.


00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:18.069
>> Yeah. Um Emily, your question's a great


00:12:18.079 --> 00:12:21.750
one. Uh and so last in the last episode


00:12:21.760 --> 00:12:23.670
we were talking about some of the


00:12:23.680 --> 00:12:27.030
patterns that we get in the cloud belts


00:12:27.040 --> 00:12:30.550
of Saturn and this hexagon pattern and


00:12:30.560 --> 00:12:33.670
the decagon pattern and they are caused


00:12:33.680 --> 00:12:37.910
by um the way atmospheres behave. So


00:12:37.920 --> 00:12:40.150
this is movements of air basically. It's


00:12:40.160 --> 00:12:42.069
not air like we breathe here on earth


00:12:42.079 --> 00:12:44.710
but it's it's it's wind uh that give


00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:47.509
rise to these various patterns. And the


00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:49.750
same thing happens on Jupiter. Jupiter's


00:12:49.760 --> 00:12:53.350
got um what we call the cloud belts. A


00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.670
lot of um you know I don't know how many


00:12:55.680 --> 00:12:57.110
there are altogether how many are


00:12:57.120 --> 00:12:58.550
recognized. It used to be eight or nine


00:12:58.560 --> 00:13:00.949
when I was a youngster. Uh these are


00:13:00.959 --> 00:13:03.269
different belts of cloud on the planet.


00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:06.230
all of which are moving east to west or


00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:09.350
west to east but at different speeds.


00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:14.150
And it's those th those um winds if you


00:13:14.160 --> 00:13:17.350
like these these mass movements of of


00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:20.870
atmospheric gas that cause what we call


00:13:20.880 --> 00:13:24.150
turbulence on the edge. It's where uh


00:13:24.160 --> 00:13:28.310
you find um um air swirling around in a


00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:31.110
circle. Um, we're many of us know about


00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:33.590
turbulence if we fly on airplanes


00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:35.910
because you run into it and it shakes


00:13:35.920 --> 00:13:37.670
the aircraft. And what you what you're


00:13:37.680 --> 00:13:39.190
talking about there is the same sort of


00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:42.150
thing. It's swirls of air that are not


00:13:42.160 --> 00:13:45.269
behaving in a nice smooth uh manner. And


00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:47.269
so uh that's what happens at the


00:13:47.279 --> 00:13:50.230
boundaries of these cloud belts. And at


00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.870
some time in the past, and it's


00:13:52.880 --> 00:13:55.509
certainly more than 300 years ago, uh


00:13:55.519 --> 00:13:59.110
that was enough to form a storm. uh


00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:01.350
between two of these cloud belts. Uh and


00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:03.910
we still see that as the great red spot.


00:14:03.920 --> 00:14:06.470
Uh you might know, Emily, and maybe


00:14:06.480 --> 00:14:11.030
Sandy will too, your dad. Um that uh the


00:14:11.040 --> 00:14:12.710
great red spot seems to be changing.


00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:14.870
It's sort of grown and shrunk a bit a


00:14:14.880 --> 00:14:16.069
few times recently.


00:14:16.079 --> 00:14:16.389
>> Yeah.


00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:19.910
>> Uh so it's it's like


00:14:19.920 --> 00:14:21.829
because this is, you know, the when we


00:14:21.839 --> 00:14:23.189
look at Jupiter, we're seeing the top of


00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:24.550
the cloud melts. We're not seeing a


00:14:24.560 --> 00:14:26.150
surface that doesn't change. We're


00:14:26.160 --> 00:14:28.389
seeing something that's very dynamic and


00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.910
active u always in motion and so maybe


00:14:31.920 --> 00:14:34.389
one day the great red spot will just


00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:37.030
fizzle out and we won't have that beauty


00:14:37.040 --> 00:14:38.870
spot on the on the face of Jupiter


00:14:38.880 --> 00:14:41.590
anymore. No, we we've uh you know when


00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.350
you talk about storms on Earth, they


00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:46.310
come and go in minutes, hours, sometimes


00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:48.230
occasionally days.


00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:51.430
>> This one has been active for at least


00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:55.910
190 years. was first tracked in 1831 I


00:14:55.920 --> 00:14:56.870
think.


00:14:56.880 --> 00:14:58.230
>> Yeah, it may have been spotted before


00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:01.590
that as well. Some people think it um


00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:04.150
possibly even Cassini or Huygens, one of


00:15:04.160 --> 00:15:06.470
these great astron observers of Saturn


00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:09.269
might have seen it


00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:11.990
maybe so or he was just having a


00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.750
migraine but uh it's [laughter]


00:15:15.760 --> 00:15:18.470
you just never know but um it it's a


00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:20.870
fascinating thing that is displayed on


00:15:20.880 --> 00:15:23.189
that planet. Uh it's not the only gas


00:15:23.199 --> 00:15:25.189
giant that has a storm like that. Does


00:15:25.199 --> 00:15:26.870
Saturn have something similar?


00:15:26.880 --> 00:15:29.189
>> Well, Saturn's had does have storms, but


00:15:29.199 --> 00:15:30.790
they seem they tend to be much more


00:15:30.800 --> 00:15:31.590
short-lived.


00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:31.910
>> Yeah.


00:15:31.920 --> 00:15:34.069
>> And that's where young Trevor Barry that


00:15:34.079 --> 00:15:36.389
we were talking about last last episode,


00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:39.269
he he monitored those storms so that the


00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:41.350
Cassini mission could home in on them


00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:44.150
when uh you know when when they were at


00:15:44.160 --> 00:15:45.990
their most active. So yeah,


00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:48.790
>> in fact, it was it was Giovani Cassini


00:15:48.800 --> 00:15:51.030
who suggested that there was a permanent


00:15:51.040 --> 00:15:52.790
spot on Jupiter and that was back in


00:15:52.800 --> 00:15:53.749
1665.


00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:54.550
>> There you go. Yeah.


00:15:54.560 --> 00:15:56.230
>> So yeah, they've known about it for a


00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:57.910
long. It's been around for a very long


00:15:57.920 --> 00:16:01.110
time, Emily. This this particular storm.


00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:03.910
>> Um and uh yeah, Fred started his career


00:16:03.920 --> 00:16:06.781
before the storm began


00:16:06.791 --> 00:16:08.790
[laughter] and


00:16:08.800 --> 00:16:11.366
when it was just a a whisp of wind. Yes,


00:16:11.376 --> 00:16:11.590
[laughter]


00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.710
>> indeed. Uh thanks Emily. Lovely to hear


00:16:14.720 --> 00:16:16.949
from you. This is Space Nuts. Andrew


00:16:16.959 --> 00:16:21.749
Dunley here with Professor Fred Watson.


00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:23.509
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00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:11.830
>> Okay, we checked all four systems and go


00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:12.789
>> Space Nuts.


00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:17.270
>> Our next question uh comes from Butch, I


00:18:17.280 --> 00:18:19.669
think. Yes, in Suffach in the UK. Hey,


00:18:19.679 --> 00:18:21.430
Andrew, Professor Fred, possibly Jonty


00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:23.590
and Hugh in the studio. Not Hugh in the


00:18:23.600 --> 00:18:25.190
studio, I can tell you that now. Uh,


00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:28.070
love the show. been with you for over


00:18:28.080 --> 00:18:30.710
two years now. I went to a planetarium


00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:33.190
show in Greenwich in the UK 6 years ago


00:18:33.200 --> 00:18:36.230
for my 46th birthday. Uh this was hosted


00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:39.350
by impressionist John Kulshaw. He was


00:18:39.360 --> 00:18:41.350
amazing and one of the scientists with


00:18:41.360 --> 00:18:44.310
him was working on the mission satellite


00:18:44.320 --> 00:18:47.350
to the sun and explained how they can


00:18:47.360 --> 00:18:51.029
film and track and circle the sun uh and


00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:53.350
the heat involved. Just wondering if you


00:18:53.360 --> 00:18:56.390
aware of this uh or had more information


00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:58.390
or opinions on it. Quite an incredible


00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:00.630
mission really. There was also a quiz


00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:04.470
after prizes were astronaut food. I won


00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:07.350
nothing. He says, "Uh, thanks for the


00:19:07.360 --> 00:19:09.669
excellent podcast. Love listening to you


00:19:09.679 --> 00:19:11.830
and the and the listener questions.


00:19:11.840 --> 00:19:14.070
Thanks, Butch. Uh, I I bought some


00:19:14.080 --> 00:19:17.590
astronaut food when I was in um NASA in


00:19:17.600 --> 00:19:22.150
Florida. Um, it's not all that palatable


00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:24.310
in my opinion. [laughter]


00:19:24.320 --> 00:19:26.710
Probably more designed for sustaining


00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:30.310
life than enjoying food. Would that be


00:19:30.320 --> 00:19:31.350
that'd be fair amount?


00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:32.789
>> Well, I think that's right. Although I


00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:35.110
suspect um things have moved on quite a


00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:37.590
bit. I think the um the International


00:19:37.600 --> 00:19:40.150
Space Station has some quite nice


00:19:40.160 --> 00:19:42.390
gourmet meals now. Seems to be


00:19:42.400 --> 00:19:43.909
particularly when there are Italian


00:19:43.919 --> 00:19:45.590
astronauts on board. They get great


00:19:45.600 --> 00:19:47.510
coffee and [laughter] you know great


00:19:47.520 --> 00:19:48.390
great


00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:50.150
>> Why am I not surprised?


00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:52.070
>> Yes. Um because they're gearing up for


00:19:52.080 --> 00:19:53.190
the restaurant at the end of the


00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:55.750
universe. That's probably right. Yeah.


00:19:55.760 --> 00:19:56.230
>> Yeah.


00:19:56.240 --> 00:20:00.470
>> Um so I'm I'm guessing uh from what said


00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:03.270
that um I mean there are there are


00:20:03.280 --> 00:20:07.110
several solar spacecraft or spacecraft


00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:10.549
observing the sun. Um SOHO the solar


00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:12.310
heliospheric observatory was one of the


00:20:12.320 --> 00:20:14.150
first. There's a pair of spacecraft


00:20:14.160 --> 00:20:17.350
called STEREO uh that are in in orbit


00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:19.750
around the sun at slightly different


00:20:19.760 --> 00:20:21.510
positions. So they get a stereo view of


00:20:21.520 --> 00:20:23.830
the sun. Um I'm wondering if the one


00:20:23.840 --> 00:20:25.510
that he's thinking of though was the


00:20:25.520 --> 00:20:28.070
park solar probe and that's because that


00:20:28.080 --> 00:20:32.310
one of all those uh solar spacecraft is


00:20:32.320 --> 00:20:35.270
the one that goes closest to the sun. Uh


00:20:35.280 --> 00:20:38.070
and indeed as that mission has evolved I


00:20:38.080 --> 00:20:41.590
think they've um they've you know thrown


00:20:41.600 --> 00:20:43.990
caution to the winds and and got closer


00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:45.909
and closer to the sun. It's got a very


00:20:45.919 --> 00:20:48.630
very robust heat shield on it uh which


00:20:48.640 --> 00:20:51.029
they point sunwards when it's near the


00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:53.990
sun uh to protect the spacecraft from


00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:56.789
the heat. Uh its mission is all about


00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:00.630
trying to sample the solar corona, the


00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:03.270
outer atmosphere of the sun, which as


00:21:03.280 --> 00:21:05.110
many of our listeners will know is


00:21:05.120 --> 00:21:08.470
heated to very very high temperatures uh


00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:12.870
in the region of 15 million degrees C.


00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:15.909
Uh whereas it that's right the surface


00:21:15.919 --> 00:21:19.909
is at about 5 5 a half thousand Celsius


00:21:19.919 --> 00:21:22.149
and yet you've got this you know region


00:21:22.159 --> 00:21:25.590
above uh and and we we tend to think of


00:21:25.600 --> 00:21:28.630
heat rising by convection. Uh why is the


00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.029
surface so cool compared with the the


00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:33.590
heat of the of the corona and the clues


00:21:33.600 --> 00:21:35.190
that come from the Parker Solar Probe


00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:37.430
and other spacecraft seem to relate it


00:21:37.440 --> 00:21:39.510
directly to the magnetic activity of the


00:21:39.520 --> 00:21:42.710
sun. The sun is a hot bed of magnetism.


00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:45.990
um which is only really becoming uh


00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:48.070
better understood. I might just throw in


00:21:48.080 --> 00:21:50.710
a a a bit of advice though for Butch


00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:53.110
because there's just lately within the


00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:55.430
last couple of weeks we've seen some


00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:57.909
extraordinary images of the solar


00:21:57.919 --> 00:21:59.990
surface. That's the it's not really a


00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:02.390
surface. It's the the gas region that we


00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:04.149
can see. It's called the photosphere.


00:22:04.159 --> 00:22:06.950
They've come from the Daniel K Inui uh


00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:09.110
solar telescope which is on top of a


00:22:09.120 --> 00:22:12.230
mountain uh in on the island of Maui in


00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:14.950
Hawaii. It's the summit of Halakala and


00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:17.990
they that's the biggest telescope uh in


00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:20.630
the world uh able to look at the sun and


00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.190
the images the detail that's coming back


00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:28.870
is quite extraordinary. Um, and what uh


00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:31.590
has come from these latest images, and


00:22:31.600 --> 00:22:33.270
this is a little bit off the track, but


00:22:33.280 --> 00:22:35.350
it's interesting. Uh, something that's


00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:36.950
fascinated me for a long time. Things


00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:39.669
called Kelvin Hel,


00:22:39.679 --> 00:22:42.470
let me get it out. Kelvin Helmholtz


00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:44.070
instabilities,


00:22:44.080 --> 00:22:46.950
if you want to look that up, they are


00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:48.549
they're a little bit like what we were


00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:50.070
talking about with Emily's question


00:22:50.080 --> 00:22:53.190
where you've got two masses of


00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:55.830
atmosphere shearing against one another.


00:22:55.840 --> 00:22:57.990
They're moving at different speeds and


00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:00.549
you uh sometimes get these regular


00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:02.950
patterns which are called Kelvin


00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:05.350
Helmholtz instabilities. They're quite


00:23:05.360 --> 00:23:09.430
striking. Um, we saw some in Japan last


00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:11.909
year, uh, which I took a photograph of.


00:23:11.919 --> 00:23:14.070
Uh, this was with clouds because clouds


00:23:14.080 --> 00:23:15.590
kind of reveal where they're taking


00:23:15.600 --> 00:23:17.909
place. But these have now been seen in


00:23:17.919 --> 00:23:19.990
the atmosphere of the sun. Uh, people


00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.590
have thought they would find them, but


00:23:21.600 --> 00:23:23.909
yes, they have now been revealed.


00:23:23.919 --> 00:23:26.070
>> Wow. That's exciting, isn't it?


00:23:26.080 --> 00:23:28.470
>> Yeah. Um and [snorts] you mentioned the


00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:30.710
Parker Solar Probe which may well be the


00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:33.190
mission that Butcher is referring to but


00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:37.510
um it it's become famous because of uh


00:23:37.520 --> 00:23:39.830
the the speeds that it's achieved.


00:23:39.840 --> 00:23:40.870
>> Yeah, that's right.


00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:44.310
>> In fact, it's the fastest object ever


00:23:44.320 --> 00:23:47.190
made by human beings. It reached a top


00:23:47.200 --> 00:23:50.470
speed on the 24th of December 2024 of


00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:52.230
692,000


00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:55.430
kilometers per hour. That's 430,000 m an


00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:58.789
hour, skimming about 3.8 million miles


00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:01.110
above the solar surface.


00:24:01.120 --> 00:24:03.110
>> It's extraordinary. Extraordinary.


00:24:03.120 --> 00:24:07.350
Fastest object ever made by humans.


00:24:07.360 --> 00:24:08.870
Uh although we, you know, you turn a


00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:10.831
torch on and you're making light. That I


00:24:10.841 --> 00:24:12.710
[laughter] think that that should count.


00:24:12.720 --> 00:24:15.669
We've all achieved light speed.


00:24:15.679 --> 00:24:17.669
Um but yeah, that's uh that's pretty


00:24:17.679 --> 00:24:19.430
impressive stuff. And while we're


00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:21.190
talking about missions to the sun,


00:24:21.200 --> 00:24:23.669
they've um they've got a few coming up.


00:24:23.679 --> 00:24:27.590
Uh the sun coronal ejection tracker,


00:24:27.600 --> 00:24:30.950
>> uh which is supposedly


00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:32.710
about to happen, designed to track


00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:34.950
coronal mass ejections and improve space


00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:36.950
weather forecasting. There's the


00:24:36.960 --> 00:24:39.830
multi-slit solar explorer, which is due


00:24:39.840 --> 00:24:43.350
to launch in 2027. That's a uh a NASA


00:24:43.360 --> 00:24:45.350
mission targeting fine detail of the


00:24:45.360 --> 00:24:49.190
solar atmosphere. Um I don't know how to


00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:52.470
pronounce this. TIS 2 uh is set to


00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:57.029
launch in 2027 and um they'll measure


00:24:57.039 --> 00:24:59.909
spectral solar energy input into Earth's


00:24:59.919 --> 00:25:04.549
atmosphere and this one uh is already up


00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:06.950
there was uh 2025 the interstellar


00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:10.070
mapping and acceleration probe IMAP


00:25:10.080 --> 00:25:12.230
um which uh is looking at the boundary


00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:14.470
where the heliosphere meets interstellar


00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:15.909
space. So,


00:25:15.919 --> 00:25:17.669
>> uh, lots and lots of work going on


00:25:17.679 --> 00:25:20.230
around the sun, and I don't think


00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:21.909
they'll stop there. They'll they'll keep


00:25:21.919 --> 00:25:23.830
going back to to figure out more about


00:25:23.840 --> 00:25:26.390
it. Um, I mean, it's the easiest star


00:25:26.400 --> 00:25:29.669
for us to study really. Um,


00:25:29.679 --> 00:25:32.310
>> you you it's just over there all the


00:25:32.320 --> 00:25:34.470
time. It's shining very brightly today.


00:25:34.480 --> 00:25:36.230
I'm actually going to go outside later


00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:38.230
because we're at the beginning of the


00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:39.669
pollen season


00:25:39.679 --> 00:25:42.149
>> and see if I can get myself another um


00:25:42.159 --> 00:25:44.710
photo of the um the the pollen


00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:45.990
>> pollen pollen corona


00:25:46.000 --> 00:25:47.350
>> pollen corona which is


00:25:47.360 --> 00:25:48.149
>> that would be great.


00:25:48.159 --> 00:25:48.470
>> Yeah.




00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:50.950
>> I took one many years ago, but I haven't


00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:53.590
been able to get one six since. So, I


00:25:53.600 --> 00:25:55.350
must have got lucky that day.


00:25:55.360 --> 00:25:57.830
>> But, uh I I I think those photos work


00:25:57.840 --> 00:26:00.470
out better with an iPhone than they do a


00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:03.190
camera uh or or a telescope for that


00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:04.950
matter. But um yeah, anyway, [snorts]


00:26:04.960 --> 00:26:07.350
I'll give it a go later. Uh thanks Butch


00:26:07.360 --> 00:26:10.870
for your question.


00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:13.190
>> The crew of Artemis 2 now bound for the


00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:15.750
moon. Humanity's next great voyage


00:26:15.760 --> 00:26:17.110
begins.


00:26:17.120 --> 00:26:18.630
>> Space nuts.


00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:20.549
>> Our final question and audio question


00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:22.549
comes from


00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:25.269
somebody else who I've lost. I've found


00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:27.029
him again. It's Trent.


00:26:27.039 --> 00:26:30.390
>> Hello, Andrew and Dr. Fred. This is


00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:34.710
Trent from North Georgia, USA.


00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:37.190
I had a question. I know that


00:26:37.200 --> 00:26:40.149
gravitational waves move at the


00:26:40.159 --> 00:26:43.110
universal speed limit, the same as light


00:26:43.120 --> 00:26:47.669
in a vacuum, but are gravitational waves


00:26:47.679 --> 00:26:50.710
slowed down as they pass through


00:26:50.720 --> 00:26:54.230
atmosphere and planets and


00:26:54.240 --> 00:26:56.390
water and things like that like light


00:26:56.400 --> 00:26:58.470
waves are.


00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:02.230
just curious. Love your show.


00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:04.470
Been a long time listener and thoroughly


00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:06.789
enjoy asking questions here. Y'all have


00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:09.110
a wonderful day and I look forward to


00:27:09.120 --> 00:27:10.789
hearing my answer.


00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:12.549
>> Thank you, Trent. Um really good


00:27:12.559 --> 00:27:15.110
question. Gravitational waves have been


00:27:15.120 --> 00:27:18.549
um a very popular topic of late uh not


00:27:18.559 --> 00:27:20.149
only with Space Nuts and listeners but


00:27:20.159 --> 00:27:22.070
scientists around the world trying to


00:27:22.080 --> 00:27:23.590
detect them and figure them out and


00:27:23.600 --> 00:27:26.230
learn from them because they can tell us


00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:27.590
about things that have happened that we


00:27:27.600 --> 00:27:30.230
have not witnessed but uh we know what


00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:32.390
they are and why


00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:35.909
um because they vary according to the


00:27:35.919 --> 00:27:39.990
source. Um, so, um, yeah. How fast do


00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:41.750
they go? And can something slow them


00:27:41.760 --> 00:27:43.350
down, Fred?


00:27:43.360 --> 00:27:44.789
>> Yes, they go at the speed of light.


00:27:44.799 --> 00:27:47.830
Exactly as Trent says, but, uh, they


00:27:47.840 --> 00:27:48.870
don't slow down.


00:27:48.880 --> 00:27:49.669
>> Oh,


00:27:49.679 --> 00:27:52.470
>> yeah. So, they're not like light. Um,


00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:54.389
they're not like photons of light, which


00:27:54.399 --> 00:27:57.750
are subatomic particles that interact


00:27:57.760 --> 00:28:00.870
with, you know, the electrons and atoms


00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:04.070
um of, uh, of a medium that they're pl


00:28:04.080 --> 00:28:05.269
that they're passing through, and that's


00:28:05.279 --> 00:28:07.350
what slows them down. But gravitational


00:28:07.360 --> 00:28:11.750
waves are actually in well we sometimes


00:28:11.760 --> 00:28:13.830
call it the fabric of spacetime. They're


00:28:13.840 --> 00:28:17.590
basically they're waves in space. Um and


00:28:17.600 --> 00:28:21.269
so um matter the kind of stuff that I


00:28:21.279 --> 00:28:23.190
think Trent's thinking of doesn't block


00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:25.110
them, doesn't absorb them, doesn't


00:28:25.120 --> 00:28:27.190
impede them, doesn't slow them down.


00:28:27.200 --> 00:28:29.909
They just go right through it. Uh uh


00:28:29.919 --> 00:28:32.310
they go through planets,


00:28:32.320 --> 00:28:35.750
>> stars, humans, anything as though they


00:28:35.760 --> 00:28:37.669
were just empty space.


00:28:37.679 --> 00:28:39.430
>> Uh so they don't


00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:41.350
>> they don't. All right, that was easy.


00:28:41.360 --> 00:28:42.310
That was quick.


00:28:42.320 --> 00:28:43.190
>> It was, wasn't it?


00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:44.470
>> Yeah. So I'm going to give you a


00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:45.990
question without notice that's come from


00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.669
our live audience. This comes from


00:28:47.679 --> 00:28:50.310
Tommy. He says, "Atificial intelligence


00:28:50.320 --> 00:28:52.389
is a great uh is great for pattern


00:28:52.399 --> 00:28:54.149
recognition. Any comments about the


00:28:54.159 --> 00:28:57.110
advancements in computer science?"


00:28:57.120 --> 00:29:00.149
Um certainly AI is used a lot in um in


00:29:00.159 --> 00:29:01.669
astrophysics


00:29:01.679 --> 00:29:05.350
u because a lot of what we study in


00:29:05.360 --> 00:29:07.750
astronomy and astrophysics relies on


00:29:07.760 --> 00:29:12.070
very complex statistical methodologies.


00:29:12.080 --> 00:29:14.630
Um you know basian statistics and all


00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:16.789
kinds of stuff that I never [snorts]


00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:19.990
knew about when I was a student. uh and


00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:22.230
AI is great at dealing with that kind of


00:29:22.240 --> 00:29:24.549
thing and teasing out uh some of the


00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:27.990
nuances from uh from you know from the


00:29:28.000 --> 00:29:32.549
work that's going on. Uh so um it's it's


00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:34.310
um and that's just one example of the


00:29:34.320 --> 00:29:36.470
way that perhaps AI is being used in in


00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:38.950
astronomy and astrophysics. Yes.


00:29:38.960 --> 00:29:41.590
>> Yeah. It's it's um it's making inroads


00:29:41.600 --> 00:29:43.669
into just about every facet of of life


00:29:43.679 --> 00:29:45.990
and business, isn't it Fred? It's um


00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:47.990
>> Yep. And and there's a lot of debate


00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.590
over whether or not this is a good


00:29:49.600 --> 00:29:50.310
thing.


00:29:50.320 --> 00:29:50.870
>> Mhm.


00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:54.389
>> Uh I actually read a report today uh not


00:29:54.399 --> 00:29:56.630
that it's suggesting AI is the problem,


00:29:56.640 --> 00:29:58.789
but uh it's suggesting that screen time


00:29:58.799 --> 00:30:02.630
is the problem, but um the the um


00:30:02.640 --> 00:30:07.590
academic decline in in school students


00:30:07.600 --> 00:30:09.990
um that they're witnessing now. uh the


00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:13.190
the exam results uh globally


00:30:13.200 --> 00:30:16.230
uh on on standard tests is showing that


00:30:16.240 --> 00:30:19.029
um there's there's a you know the curve


00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:21.350
is falling. We're we're um we're seeing


00:30:21.360 --> 00:30:24.470
a decline in scholastic ability and


00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:25.909
they're blaming screen time. They're


00:30:25.919 --> 00:30:28.950
blaming access to easy data without


00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:31.510
using your brain to figure it out. Um


00:30:31.520 --> 00:30:34.870
it's uh something that governments and


00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:36.389
institutions around the world are going


00:30:36.399 --> 00:30:38.230
to have to tackle if they haven't


00:30:38.240 --> 00:30:39.830
started already. and I'm sure they have.


00:30:39.840 --> 00:30:41.590
But, uh, yeah, it's it's a growing it's


00:30:41.600 --> 00:30:43.750
a growing problem. But, um,


00:30:43.760 --> 00:30:45.750
>> I don't think we're going to, um, stop


00:30:45.760 --> 00:30:48.789
using AI and computers and and tablets


00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:52.549
and and smartphones anytime soon. So, we


00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:54.950
got to find a way for everything to work


00:30:54.960 --> 00:30:58.470
together in unison to the benefit of


00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:01.510
humanity. And, uh,


00:31:01.520 --> 00:31:03.909
maybe doing what we've done in New South


00:31:03.919 --> 00:31:06.470
Wales and banning phones in classrooms


00:31:06.480 --> 00:31:09.590
uh, might be a start. Who knows? Uh,


00:31:09.600 --> 00:31:11.350
thanks Trent. Great question. Great to


00:31:11.360 --> 00:31:12.710
hear from you. Great to hear from


00:31:12.720 --> 00:31:14.630
everybody who contributed. Thank you so


00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:15.909
much. And don't forget to send your


00:31:15.919 --> 00:31:17.590
questions through to us on our website,


00:31:17.600 --> 00:31:20.149
spacen nutsodcast.com


00:31:20.159 --> 00:31:21.990
or spacenuts.io.


00:31:22.000 --> 00:31:24.070
Click on the little AMA link at the top.


00:31:24.080 --> 00:31:25.750
That means ask me anything. And don't


00:31:25.760 --> 00:31:27.190
forget to tell us who you are or where


00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:29.750
you're from uh in text or audio form.


00:31:29.760 --> 00:31:30.870
And while you're there, have a look


00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.110
around, visit our shop, sign up for the


00:31:33.120 --> 00:31:36.389
astronomy newsletter, and um yeah,


00:31:36.399 --> 00:31:37.830
whatever you like. And please leave


00:31:37.840 --> 00:31:40.870
reviews wherever you listen to us. Uh


00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:42.950
and thank you Fred as always. It's been


00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:43.909
great fun.


00:31:43.919 --> 00:31:45.269
>> It's been good, hasn't it? Yep. And


00:31:45.279 --> 00:31:46.389
we'll do it again soon.


00:31:46.399 --> 00:31:47.830
>> We will. Professor Fred Watson,


00:31:47.840 --> 00:31:49.269
astronomer at large. And thanks to Hugh


00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:50.470
in the studio. Couldn't be with us


00:31:50.480 --> 00:31:52.710
today. Did a mission to the sun. Forgot


00:31:52.720 --> 00:31:55.029
his sunscreen. Back in hospital. And


00:31:55.039 --> 00:31:56.870
from me, Andrew Dunley, thanks for your


00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:58.470
company. We'll see you in the next


00:31:58.480 --> 00:32:01.350
episode of Space Nuts. Until then,


00:32:01.360 --> 00:32:02.230
bye-bye.


00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:03.190
>> Space Nuts.


00:32:03.200 --> 00:32:05.269
>> You've been listening to the Space Nuts


00:32:05.279 --> 00:32:07.590
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00:32:07.600 --> 00:32:09.669
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00:32:09.679 --> 00:32:12.630
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00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:14.389
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00:32:19.477 --> 00:32:23.000
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