Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 81, where we delve into the latest discoveries and advancements in space exploration.First, new observations from NASA's Juno spacecraft reveal that Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is covered in lakes of molten lava. These findings, published in Communications Earth and Environments, provide a fuller picture of Io's extensive volcanic activity and offer new insights into the volcanic processes at work on this ancient, violent world. Io, slightly larger than Ear...
Jul 05, 2024•42 min•Season 27Ep. 81
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 80, where we uncover the latest cosmic events and advancements in space exploration. First, the European Space Agency reports a rare occurrence of two large asteroids swooping past Earth within 42 hours. One of these, 2024 MK, was only discovered two weeks before its close encounter, highlighting the need for improved detection of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs). We delve into the details of these celestial visitors and their implications f...
Jul 03, 2024•27 min•Season 27Ep. 80
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 79, where we uncover the latest groundbreaking developments in space exploration and astronomy. First, astronomers have discovered ancient star clusters in a galaxy dating back to near the dawn of time. These clusters, detected using gravitational lensing and the powerful near-infrared camera aboard the Webb Space Telescope, represent the earliest evidence of how the first stars and galaxies formed. The findings, published in Nature, suggest these clusters...
Jul 01, 2024•33 min•Season 27Ep. 79
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 78, where we delve into the latest discoveries and missions in the vast expanse of space. First, the European Space Agency's Euclid Space Telescope has discovered seven more rogue planets in the darkness of interstellar space. These gas giants, each with at least four times the mass of Jupiter, were detected in the direction of the Orion Nebula. The study also confirmed the existence of dozens of other previously detected rogue planets, including four bina...
Jun 28, 2024•28 min•Season 27Ep. 78
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 77, where we explore the latest cosmic discoveries and advancements in space exploration. First, astronomers have discovered the earliest known pair of quasars in the process of merging. Reported in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, this discovery represents the earliest known merger of supermassive black holes, occurring just 900 million years after the Big Bang. This period, known as the cosmic dawn, is crucial for understanding the formation of the fir...
Jun 26, 2024•25 min•Season 27Ep. 77
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 76, where we delve into the latest groundbreaking discoveries in planetary science and astronomy. First, scientists have uncovered evidence that fresh water existed on Earth about 4 billion years ago, pushing back the timeframe for the potential emergence of life by 500 million years. This discovery, based on zircon crystal analysis from the Jack Hills formation in Western Australia, challenges the long-held belief that Earth was entirely covered by oceans...
Jun 24, 2024•30 min•Season 27Ep. 76
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 75, where we explore the latest cosmic events and scientific advancements shaping our understanding of the universe. First, we delve into how Mars lit up during last month's spectacular solar storm. These solar events provided astronomers with unprecedented data, revealing the impact of solar flares and coronal mass ejections on the Red Planet. We discuss the implications for future human missions to Mars and the potential radiation exposure astronauts mig...
Jun 21, 2024•25 min•Season 27Ep. 75
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 74, where we explore the latest cosmic discoveries and advancements in space exploration. First, astronomers have discovered water frost on the solar system's tallest volcanoes, including Olympus Mons on Mars. This groundbreaking find challenges existing ideas about the red planet's climate dynamics and suggests the presence of water frost near the Martian equator for the first time. The study, led by Domus Valentinus, reveals that this frost is incredibly...
Jun 19, 2024•28 min•Season 27Ep. 74
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 73, where we delve into the latest cosmic discoveries and advancements shaping our understanding of the universe. First, astronomers have developed a new theory of dark matter to explain the mysterious dwarf galaxy Crater 2. Despite its proximity at 383,000 light-years from Earth and its large size—making it the fourth largest satellite galaxy orbiting the Milky Way—Crater 2 has a surprisingly low surface brightness and velocity dispersion. This has led sc...
Jun 17, 2024•34 min•Season 27Ep. 73
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 72, where we uncover the latest cosmic discoveries and scientific advancements. First, astronomers have discovered that a tiny moonlet orbiting the main belt asteroid Dinkinesh is actually two little moons melded together. Known as contact binaries, these moonlets could provide fresh insights into the complex processes behind planetary formation and evolution. We delve into the details of this fascinating discovery made by NASA's Lucy spacecraft. Next, we ...
Jun 14, 2024•33 min•Season 27Ep. 72
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 71, where we delve into the latest cosmic events and technological advancements reshaping our understanding of the universe. First, we discuss NASA's announcement that the Hubble Space Telescope will begin winding back its science programme due to ongoing issues with its gyroscopes. This decision marks a significant transition for the historic observatory, which has revolutionised astronomical discovery since its launch in 1990. Next, we cover the long-awa...
Jun 12, 2024•32 min•Season 27Ep. 71
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 70, where we delve into the latest cosmic events and groundbreaking discoveries shaping our understanding of the universe. First, we explore SpaceX's Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, which has successfully completed its fourth test flight. This historic mission is a significant step towards developing a colonial transport ship capable of carrying 100 people or 150 tonnes of supplies to the moon, Mars, and beyond. We dive into the det...
Jun 10, 2024•45 min•Season 27Ep. 70
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 69, where we uncover the latest cosmic revelations and scientific advancements. First, we delve into a groundbreaking discovery by the Webb Space Telescope, which has identified the most distant galaxy ever observed. Located a staggering 290 million years after the Big Bang, this galaxy offers unprecedented insights into the universe's infancy and the formation of its earliest stars and galaxies. We explore the methods and implications of this discovery, i...
Jun 07, 2024•25 min•Season 27Ep. 69
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 68, where we explore the latest cosmic discoveries and technological advancements shaping our understanding of the universe. First, we uncover new evidence suggesting that Venus is volcanically active. By analysing data from NASA's Magellan radar, scientists have identified two volcanoes on Venus that erupted in the early 1990s. This discovery adds to the growing body of evidence that Venus may be far more volcanically active than previously thought. Next,...
Jun 05, 2024•33 min•Season 27Ep. 68
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 67, where we delve into the latest cosmic events and groundbreaking discoveries shaping our understanding of the universe. First, we discuss the return of last month's powerful solar storms. The active sunspot region AR 364, now renumbered as AR 3697, has reappeared, bringing with it more geomagnetic storms and spectacular solar flares. We explore the intricate dynamics of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, and their profound impacts on Earth's techn...
Jun 03, 2024•36 min•Season 27Ep. 67
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 66, where we delve into the latest cosmic discoveries and technological challenges shaping our understanding of the universe. First, we explore a glitch aboard the BepiColombo spacecraft bound for Mercury. The joint ESA-JAXA mission faced a sudden issue with its thrusters, impacting its journey towards the innermost planet. Despite the setback, mission control has restored 90% of the spacecraft's thrust capabilities, ensuring BepiColombo's arrival at Mercu...
May 31, 2024•42 min•Season 27Ep. 65
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 65, where we uncover the latest cosmic revelations and scientific advancements. First, we delve into the intriguing new features discovered in high-resolution images of Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft, these images reveal signs of plume activity and ice shell disruption, providing clues about the moon's subsurface ocean and its potential to support life. Next, we explore a groundbreaking model explaining the formation of free-...
May 29, 2024•30 min•Season 27Ep. 65
Join us for SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 64, where we delve into the latest cosmic discoveries and technological advancements shaping our understanding of the universe. First, we explore new research uncovering the origins of sunspots and their formation closer to the Sun's surface than previously thought. Scientists are now examining the complex interactions of magnetic fields and plasma within the Sun, providing fresh insights into the solar dynamo that drives these phenomena. Next, we turn our...
May 27, 2024•28 min•Season 27Ep. 64
Venture into the cosmic depths with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 63, where we unearth some of the universe's most ancient stars hiding in the halo of our very own Milky Way. These celestial elders, dubbed SAS stars, are remnants from a time when galaxies were just beginning to coalesce, offering a unique window into the universe's formative years. With their discovery, we edge closer to unraveling the mysteries of galaxy formation and the evolution of the cosmos. Next, we embark on a journey alon...
May 24, 2024•19 min•Season 27Ep. 63
Set sail through the cosmic seas with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 62, as we chart a course to a newly discovered Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star just a stone's throw away in the galactic neighborhood. The discovery of Speculos-3b, a mere 55 light-years from Earth, stirs intrigue with its eternal days and nights due to likely tidal locking, offering a unique glimpse into the conditions of potentially habitable worlds around the most common stellar inhabitants of our ga...
May 22, 2024•25 min•Season 27Ep. 62
Embark on a celestial odyssey with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 61, where we witness the Sun unleash its most powerful solar flare in nearly two decades, sparking a series of geomagnetic storms that dazzled the skies with extraordinary auroras. The flare, an enormous X8.7 class eruption, marked the pinnacle of a week of solar ferocity, with the Earth enduring a bombardment that produced northern and southern lights visible far beyond their usual latitudes. We then delve into the mysteries of Eart...
May 20, 2024•46 min•Season 27Ep. 61
Journey through the cosmic tapestry with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 60, where we unearth the echoes of creation by discovering one of the most ancient stars ever seen in another galaxy. This remarkable find could lead us to the elusive first generation of stars that illuminated the universe from darkness to the dawn of clarity. These celestial ancestors, born from the pure elements of the Big Bang, were behemoths that lived fast and died young, leaving behind the building blocks of everything w...
May 17, 2024•25 min•Season 27Ep. 60
Embark on an interplanetary journey with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 59, where we unravel the enigmatic atmosphere of Venus and its waterless environment. Discover the startling new study that suggests Venus lost its water reserves to space, leaving it with a mere fraction of Earth's water despite their similar origins. The episode dives into the complex chemical reactions in Venus's atmosphere that may have turned a once Earth-like planet into a scorching, inhospitable world. Next, we explore t...
May 15, 2024•26 min•Season 27Ep. 59
Embark on a cosmic expedition with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 58, where we delve into the mysteries of Earth’s ancient magnetic field and its role in the diversification of life. Join us as we explore a pivotal period over half a billion years ago when a weakening magnetic shield may have paved the way for a dramatic increase in atmospheric oxygen, fostering the rise of complex organisms and setting the stage for human evolution. The episode then accelerates into the realm of supermassive black...
May 13, 2024•32 min•Season 27Ep. 58
Embark on a celestial odyssey with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 57, where we unravel the rapid evolution of spiral galaxies. Our cosmic journey begins over 10 billion years ago, as new observations from the Webb Space Telescope reveal the early formation of star bars. These stellar structures, pivotal in the maturation of galaxies, were once thought to emerge in a chaotic young universe. Yet, they now appear to have developed far sooner, indicating a surprisingly orderly galactic evolution. The e...
May 10, 2024•36 min•Season 27Ep. 57
Embark on an interstellar odyssey with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 56, where we delve into the enigmatic geysers of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. Unravel the mystery behind these spectacular jets as new research draws parallels with Earth's own San Andreas Fault, suggesting a strike-slip motion akin to our tectonic shifts may be powering these icy eruptions. Discover how this celestial phenomenon could hold the keys to conditions ripe for life beneath Enceladus's frozen crust. The episode then sh...
May 08, 2024•23 min•Season 27Ep. 56
The Space, Astronomy and Science Podcast. SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 55 *New findings point to an Earth-like environment on ancient Mars A new study using data from NASA’s Mars curiosity rover suggests there was once an Earth-like environment on ancient Mars. *Could purple be the new green in search for alien life A new study suggests that life on other planets with different atmospheres and orbiting different types of stars wouldn’t display Earth like forests of green. *HyImpulse’s SR75 rocket...
May 06, 2024•23 min•Season 27Ep. 55
Dive into the cosmic depths with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 54, where we journey back 3.7 billion years to uncover the oldest evidence of Earth's magnetic field. Join us as we explore pristine ancient rocks from Greenland, revealing a magnetic strength similar to today's, and potentially extending the known age of our planet's protective shield by hundreds of millions of years. This discovery could illuminate the early conditions that fostered life on Earth and the enduring power source behind ...
May 03, 2024•24 min•Season 27Ep. 54
Embark on an interplanetary investigation with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 53, as we delve into the perplexing presence of methane on Mars. The red planet's mysterious emissions have puzzled scientists for years, with seasonal spikes and unpredictable behavior sparking debates on their origin. Could biological activity be the source, or are geological interactions to blame? Join us as we explore a new hypothesis that suggests Mars' own soil could be sealing and sporadically releasing this elusiv...
May 01, 2024•24 min•Season 27Ep. 53
Dive into the cosmos with SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 52, as we traverse the stellar seas to discover a groundbreaking revelation: stardust from a supernova, harboring secrets from a newly identified type of star. An extraordinary find in an ancient meteorite has led scientists to a hydrogen-burning supernova, a stellar phenomenon only recently recognized by astronomers. This episode sheds light on how a tiny particle, a relic from a star that perished before our solar system's birth, is providi...
Apr 29, 2024•34 min•Season 27Ep. 52
