S03E165: Rocky Exoplanet Discovery, ISS Crew Rotations, and Hubble's Jet Surprise

Astronomy Daily - The Podcast

Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E165
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest space and Astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and in today's episode, we'll be covering several exciting stories from across the cosmos.
Highlights:
- First Rocky Planet Orbiting a White Dwarf: Astronomers have discovered the first rocky planet orbiting a white dwarf star, located about 4200 light years away. This frozen world, nearly twice the mass of Earth, survived the death and expansion of its host star, raising intriguing questions about Earth's future as our sun ages.
- ISS Crew Changes: Two Russian cosmonauts, Oleg Konenenko and Nigel Chubb, returned to Earth after a record-breaking 374 Daily in space, providing valuable data on long-duration spaceflight effects. NASA is gearing up for more crew rotations, with the SpaceX Crew-9 mission set to launch soon.
- Potential Resumption of Spacewalks: NASA is working to resolve technical issues with spacesuits, aiming to resume spacewalks from the US segment of the ISS. These extravehicular activities are crucial for maintenance and upgrades.
- SpaceX Crew-9 Mission: Scheduled to launch on Saturday, September 28, at 1:17 PM Eastern from Cape Canaveral, this mission will carry NASA astronaut Nick Haig and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov to the ISS. Register as a virtual guest for exclusive resources and updates. To register as an invited guest, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-spacex-crew-9-launch-registration-881980135327?aff=feature
- Hubble's Unexpected Discovery: The Hubble Space Telescope revealed that a supermassive black hole's jet is causing nearby stars to erupt more frequently. This finding challenges our understanding of black hole jets and their interactions with surrounding stars.
- First Discovery from the NEID Earth Twin Survey: Astronomers announced the discovery of HD 86728 b, a planet nine times the mass of Earth, orbiting a star 49 light years away. This showcases the precision of new instruments and brings us closer to finding Earth-like planets.
- Dark Matter Interactions: A new study suggests that dark matter may interact with regular matter in ways beyond gravity. Observations of ultra-faint dwarf galaxies hint at a more complex relationship, potentially opening new avenues for detecting dark matter.
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Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
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