Dark Energy, Cosmic Selfies & Baby Moons

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for

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the latest and most exciting news in space

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exploration and astronomy. I'm your host

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Anna, and today we're diving into several

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fascinating developments from across the

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cosmos. We've got a packed episode ahead

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covering everything from the Space Force's

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certification of a new rocket for national

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security launches to an upcoming partial

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solar eclipse that will grace our skies this

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week. We'll also explore a mysterious

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galaxy that's challenging what we thought we

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knew about the early universe. We check in on

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China's expanding satellite network and learn

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how NASA's Europa Clipper will scout

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potential landing sites on one of the most

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promising worlds for finding extraterrestrial

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life. So settle in as we journey through

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these captivating stories that remind us just

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how dynamic and ever changing our

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understanding of space truly is.

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The US Space Force has officially certified

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United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur

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rocket for national security missions

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after analyzing data from the vehicle's two

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certification launches that took place in

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January and October of 2024.

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This milestone announcement came on March 26

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from the Space Force's Space Systems Command,

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marking the completion of a long awaited

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certification process. Space Force

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Brigadier General Kristen Panzenhagen, who

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serves as the Program Executive Officer for

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Assured Access to Space, emphasized the

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significance of this development, noting that

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assured access to space is a core function of

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the Space Force and a critical element of

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national security. She added that the Vulcan

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certification adds launch capacity,

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resiliency and flexibility needed for the

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nation's most critical space based systems.

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This certification is particularly notable as

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UH ula now joins SpaceX as only

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the second provider certified to carry out

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launches under the National Security Space

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Launch Program, enhancing America's launch

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capabilities for sensitive military and

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intelligence payloads. The path to

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certification wasn't without challenges. The

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second Vulcan certification flight

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experienced an incident when the nozzle of

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one of its two solid rocket boosters fell off

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approximately half a minute after liftoff.

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Remarkably, the vehicle compensated for the

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diminished thrust and still completed its

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mission successfully. ULA's President

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and CEO Tory Bruno later explained that

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a manufacturing defect in an internal

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insulator part caused the nozzle separation

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and appropriate corrective actions were

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implemented and verified through static fire

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testing. Looking ahead,

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ULA has ambitious plans for their launch

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cadence. Bruno has indicated that the

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company is projecting a dozen launches this

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year split roughly evenly between their Atlas

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and Vulcan rockets, serving both national

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security and commercial missions.

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The first National Security space launch

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mission on Vulcan is planned for this summer

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in North America. ULA aims to establish a

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baseline tempo of two launches per month by

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the end of this year and perform 20 launches

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in 2025. Bruno noted that the company

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has been strategically stockpiling critical

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components such as B4 engines and

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solid rocket boosters to support this

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accelerated launch schedule. This

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certification represents a, uh, significant

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advancement for America's space launch

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capabilities, ensuring redundancy and

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resilience in the nation's ability to deploy

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critical national security assets to orbit.

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As Bruno remarked, we're all staged up

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and ready, and as spacecraft show up, we'll

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be able to fly them. What a

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difference a year makes. Just a year after

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millions across North America witnessed the

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spectacular total solar eclipse on April

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8, 2024, we're already

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preparing for another celestial event. Mark

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your calendars for this Saturday, March

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29, 2025, when a partial

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solar eclipse will grace our skies, though

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with a notably different viewing audience.

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This upcoming eclipse results from the Moon's

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shadow falling primarily on the north polar

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regions of Earth. It's actually the second

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eclipse in less than a month, coming just two

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weeks after the total lunar eclipse that

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occurred on 3-13-14.

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This pattern is what astronomers call an

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eclipse season, a roughly 37 day

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period when the alignment of the sun and Moon

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can allow for eclipses to occur at both full

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and new Moon phases. For this March

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29 event, the Moon will pass through the

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opposite node of its orbit. Compared to the

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lunar eclipse, however, the Moon passes this

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node almost too early. By the time it reaches

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new phase, about 19 hours after crossing the

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ecliptic, the axis of its shadow will pass

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well to the north of Earth. The dark shadow

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cone, or umbra, will completely miss our

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planet, passing about 180 miles above the

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North Pole. This means no location on Earth

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will experience totality, but instead the

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Moon's outer shadow, the penumbra, will

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create a partial eclipse visible in varying

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degrees. The eclipse will be visible across

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northwest Africa, much of Europe, excluding

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some eastern sections northwest Russia,

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Iceland, and Greenland. Parts of South

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America, including Suriname, French Guiana,

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and Amada in Brazil will see a small dent in

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the sun at sunrise. For North Americans,

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visibility depends entirely on location.

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If you draw a line from Oakville, Ontario,

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down to Virginia Beach, Virginia, areas west

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of this line won't see any part of the

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eclipse. Those to the east, however, will

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catch at least a glimpse near sunrise, though

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maximum eclipse will have already occurred

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before the sun appears above the horizon.

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The farther north and east you go in North

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America, the more impressive the view

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becomes. In Baltimore, the Sun will rise with

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7.8% of its diameter already

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eclipsed, with the event ending just four

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minutes later. But residents of northern New

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England and Atlantic Canada are in for a

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spectacular treatment. The town of Madawaska

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in far northern Maine will experience maximum

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eclipse almost precisely at sunrise, with

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88.2% of the Sun's diameter

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covered. This will create the stunning visual

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effect of the sun appearing as a delicate

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crescent with its points aimed nearly

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straight up, resembling two lobster claws

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emerging from beyond the eastern horizon.

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Similar impressive views await Atlantic

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Canada, with Halifax seeing

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85.6% coverage and at

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7:17am Fredericton experiencing

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87% at 7:19am and St.

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John's reaching 85.4% at

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7:52am as always with solar

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eclipses, proper eye protection is essential.

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Unlike, um, a total eclipse with its brief

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moments of totality, a partial eclipse can be

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observed more leisurely, but only through

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specially designed solar filters or eclipse

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glasses. Remember that looking at the sun

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without proper protection is extremely

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dangerous.

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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made

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another groundbreaking discovery that's

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challenging our understanding of the early

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universe. An international team of

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astronomers has identified bright hydrogen

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emission from an incredibly distant galaxy

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observed just 330 million years after the

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Big Bang, a mere fraction of our universe's

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current 13.8 billion year age.

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The galaxy, designated Jades

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GSZ13.1, was first spotted in

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images taken by Webb's Near Infrared Camera

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as part of the James Webb Space Telescope

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Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey.

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Researchers initially estimated its redshift,

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a measure of how far the galaxy's light has

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traveled and been stretched by the expansion

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of space, at around 12.9 to

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confirm this extreme distance. They then

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observed it using Webb's Near Infrared

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Spectrograph instrument. The resulting

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spectrum not only confirmed the redshift at

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13.0, placing it firmly in the very

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early universe, but also revealed something

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completely unexpected a distinctly bright

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wavelength of light known as Lyman alpha

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emission radiating from hydrogen

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atoms. This emission was far stronger

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than scientists thought possible during this

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ancient epoch. What makes this

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finding so perplexing is that the early

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universe was filled with a thick fog of

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neutral hydrogen gas. This fog should

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have completely blocked such emissions until

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a process called reionization cleared it away

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a process that wasn't completed until about 1

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billion years after the Big Bang. Yet here

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was JDGS Z13.1

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shining through this cosmic fog more than 600

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million years earlier than should be

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possible. Roberto Maialino from the

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University of Cambridge and University

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College London explains why this is so

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significant. GSZ13.1

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is seen when the universe was only 330

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million years old, yet it shows a

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surprisingly clear telltale signature of

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Lyman alpha emission that can only be seen

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once the surrounding fog has fully lifted.

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This result was totally unexpected by

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theories of early galaxy formation and has

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caught astronomers by surprise. Before

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and during the reionization era, the neutral

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hydrogen surrounding galaxies should have

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blocked any energetic ultraviolet light they

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emitted, much like colored glass filters

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light. Until enough stars had formed to

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ionize this hydrogen gas, no such light,

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including Lyman Alpha emission, should have

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been able to escape and reach Earth. We

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really shouldn't have found a galaxy like

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this, given our understanding of the way the

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universe has evolved, says Kevin Hainlein

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from the University of Arizona. We could

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think of the early universe as, uh, shrouded

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with a thick fog that would make it

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exceedingly difficult to find even powerful

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lighthouses peeking through. Yet here we see

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the beam of light from this galaxy piercing

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the veil. Scientists aren't yet certain what

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caused this unexpected emission, but they

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have theories. One possibility is that

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the galaxy contains some of the universe's

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first generation of stars, much more

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massive, hotter, and more luminous than

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stars formed later. Another

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explanation could be a powerful active

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galactic nucleus driven by one of the first

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supermassive black holes. Whatever the

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explanation, this discovery opens exciting

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new questions about the earliest chapters of

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our cosmic history and how the first stars

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and galaxies formed. The

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research was published in the journal Nature,

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marking another remarkable achievement for

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the Webb Telescope as it continues to

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transform our understanding of the universe's

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origins.

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China has taken another significant step

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forward in its space infrastructure with the

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successful launch of a new data tracking and

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relay communications satellite. The Tianlian

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two zero four lifted off on March

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26th at 11:55am M. Eastern Time

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from the Xichang Satellite Launch center in

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southwest China aboard a long March 3rd B

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rocket. The China Aerospace Science and

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Technology Corporation, or KSC, announced the

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mission's success about an hour after

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liftoff. While the launch was anticipated due

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to airspace closure notices, the exact

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payload wasn't revealed until after the

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successful deployment.

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Tianlian2:04 is now in

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geosynchronous transfer orbit and will

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eventually maneuver to take up its final

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position along the geostationary belt.

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Approximately 35,000 sets 786

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kilometers above Earth's equator. From this

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vantage point, it will join China's second

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generation geostationary orbit data relay

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satellite, Constellation. These satellites

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serve a critical function for China's space

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program, providing data relay and telemetry,

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tracking and command services for the

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nation's crewed spacecraft. This includes

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supporting the Tiangong Space Station and

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Shenzhou spacecraft, as well as assisting

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medium and low Earth orbit satellites and

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launch operations. The Tianlian Network

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performs a role similar to NASA's Tracking

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and Data relay satellite system, with

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satellites strategically positioned around

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geostationary orbit to provide nearly

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continuous coverage. According to casc,

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this newest addition to the fleet features

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several technical upgrades compared to its

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predecessor Tianlian2:03,

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which was launched in July 2022. These

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improvements include enhanced transmission

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capacity and faster response speed speeds

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aimed at meeting China's growing needs for

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data relay and tracking services, while

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also strengthening the autonomy and security

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of their second generation relay system.

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The Tianlian program has a long history,

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beginning with China's first Tianlian

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00:12:32.452 --> 00:12:35.236
satellite launched in 2008. The earlier

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Tianlian 1 series satellites have now been

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moved to graveyard orbits above the

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geostationary belt, while the newer

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generation continues active service like

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earlier satellites in the series,

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Tianlian2:04 was developed by the

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China Academy of Space Technology, a UM major

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spacecraft making Institute under CASC.

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This launch marks China's 15th orbital

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mission of 2025, demonstrating the country's

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increasingly ambitious space program. With

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expanded spaceport capabilities, ongoing mega

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Constellation projects, and new launch

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vehicles set to debut, China could

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potentially target around 100 or more

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launches this year, far exceeding their

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previous national record of 68 launches set

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last year. The country's space agenda remains

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packed with other major upcoming missions,

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including the Shenzhou 20 and 21

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crewed flights to the Tiangong Space Station

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00:13:27.606 --> 00:13:30.246
and the Tianwen 2 near Earth asteroid Sample

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Return mission, expected to launch around

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May.

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Let's move a bit further out into space now,

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looking ahead to one of NASA's most

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anticipated deep space missions. New research

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presented at the 2025 Lunar and Planetary

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Science Conference has revealed how the

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Europa Clipper will help identify potential

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landing sites for a future mission to

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Jupiter's icy moon. This strategic

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reconnaissance capability could prove crucial

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for the next phase of exploring this ocean

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world. The Europa Clipper, scheduled to

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00:14:01.056 --> 00:14:03.796
reach the Jovian system in April 2030,

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00:14:03.968 --> 00:14:06.220
will follow a complex orbital pattern around

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Jupiter, performing 49 close flybys of

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Europa. Unlike Mars orbiters that

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follow relatively simple circular paths, the

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Clipper can't orbit Europa directly due to

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Jupiter's intense radiation environment,

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which would damage the spacecraft. Instead,

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it will follow carefully designed looping

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00:14:24.508 --> 00:14:27.148
orbits that minimize radiation exposure while

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00:14:27.204 --> 00:14:29.440
still allowing close study of the moon.

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Planetary geologist Jennifer Scully and her

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team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have

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00:14:34.510 --> 00:14:36.406
carefully assessed which of these flybys

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00:14:36.438 --> 00:14:38.358
would be most suitable for identifying future

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landing sites. They determined that any

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reconnable flyby must meet three key

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00:14:44.030 --> 00:14:45.766
proper lighting conditions with the surface

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and sunlight, specific incidence angles

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00:14:47.942 --> 00:14:50.662
between 30 and 60 degrees, and an altitude of

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00:14:50.686 --> 00:14:53.286
approximately 50 to 100 kilometers to ensure

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00:14:53.358 --> 00:14:54.918
appropriate image resolution without

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00:14:54.974 --> 00:14:57.964
blurring. Based on these criteria,

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00:14:58.092 --> 00:15:01.020
the researchers identified 12 flybys as

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00:15:01.060 --> 00:15:04.044
fully reconnable and another 13 as

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00:15:04.132 --> 00:15:06.764
supporting. Most notably, a flyby

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00:15:06.812 --> 00:15:09.404
designated E19 stands out as particularly

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00:15:09.452 --> 00:15:11.852
valuable for landing site selection. Its

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00:15:11.876 --> 00:15:14.828
ground Track extends over 700km and

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00:15:14.884 --> 00:15:16.796
covers a fascinating transition between

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Europa's ridged plains and a region called

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Pao Regio, one of the Moon's mysterious

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00:15:22.870 --> 00:15:25.414
chaos terrains where the surface appears

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00:15:25.462 --> 00:15:27.974
jumbled and disrupted, potentially offering

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00:15:28.022 --> 00:15:30.918
clues about the ocean beneath. The Europa

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00:15:30.934 --> 00:15:32.806
Clipper's sophisticated Europa Imaging

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System, with its narrow and wide angle

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00:15:35.078 --> 00:15:37.638
cameras, will collect crucial data for what's

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00:15:37.654 --> 00:15:39.690
known as terrain relative navigation.

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00:15:40.430 --> 00:15:42.486
This is the same guidance system that allowed

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00:15:42.518 --> 00:15:45.286
NASA's Perseverance rover to safely navigate

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00:15:45.318 --> 00:15:48.038
to its landing site on Mars. A future

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00:15:48.094 --> 00:15:50.406
Europa lander would use these detailed

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00:15:50.438 --> 00:15:53.094
surface images combined with real time camera

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00:15:53.142 --> 00:15:55.850
data to guide itself safely to the surface.

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00:15:56.190 --> 00:15:57.958
The researchers note that their current

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00:15:58.014 --> 00:16:00.390
assessments are based on older data from the

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Galileo mission, and rankings will likely

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00:16:03.182 --> 00:16:05.526
change once the Europa Clipper begins

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returning high resolution images.

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00:16:08.350 --> 00:16:10.422
Some potential landing areas haven't even

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00:16:10.446 --> 00:16:12.604
been photographed at high resolution yet,

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00:16:12.742 --> 00:16:14.512
highlighting just how much we still have to

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00:16:14.536 --> 00:16:17.360
discover about this intriguing world. This

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00:16:17.400 --> 00:16:19.760
research provides a critical roadmap for

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00:16:19.800 --> 00:16:22.240
mission planners as they prepare for the

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00:16:22.280 --> 00:16:24.352
Europa Clipper's operations in the

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2000-30s and lay groundwork for

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00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:29.600
what could eventually become humanity's first

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landing on an ocean world beyond Earth.

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00:16:33.640 --> 00:16:35.600
And that wraps up today's episode of

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00:16:35.640 --> 00:16:38.032
Astronomy Daily. From the space force

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00:16:38.096 --> 00:16:40.224
certifying ULA's Vulcan rocket to the

401
00:16:40.232 --> 00:16:42.746
upcoming partial solar solar eclipse, Webb's

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00:16:42.778 --> 00:16:44.810
surprising discovery of ancient light,

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00:16:44.930 --> 00:16:47.242
China's new data relay satellite, and the

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00:16:47.266 --> 00:16:49.354
Europa Clipper's mission to scout landing

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00:16:49.402 --> 00:16:51.370
sites on Jupiter's Ocean Moon.

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00:16:51.530 --> 00:16:53.530
We've journeyed across the solar system and

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00:16:53.570 --> 00:16:56.282
beyond. I'm Anna, and it's been my

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00:16:56.306 --> 00:16:57.962
pleasure to bring you these fascinating

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00:16:58.026 --> 00:17:00.730
stories from across the cosmos. Whether

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00:17:00.770 --> 00:17:02.906
you're a seasoned astronomer or just curious

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00:17:02.938 --> 00:17:05.482
about what lies beyond our atmosphere, I hope

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00:17:05.506 --> 00:17:07.630
you've enjoyed today's cosmic update.

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Visit our website at astronomydaily IO where

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00:17:11.036 --> 00:17:13.156
you can sign up for our free daily newsletter

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00:17:13.188 --> 00:17:15.860
and listen to all our episodes. You can also

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00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:18.052
find us on social media. Just search for

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00:17:18.076 --> 00:17:20.564
Astro Daily pod on X, YouTubeMusic,

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Facebook, Tumblr, and TikTok. Until

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00:17:23.612 --> 00:17:25.280
next time, keep looking up