Spacetime With Stuart Gary

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *Most powerful Fast Radio Burst ever detected Astronomers using the Parkes radio telescope (Australia) have detected the most powerful fast radio burst ever seen. The research team have now used the mysterious radio eruption to study the large scale structure of the universe in unprecedented detail. *AXIONS could be dark matter particle A hypothetical elementary particle called the AXION could be the mysterious dark matter particle which scientists have been searching for, for decades. New supercomputer modeling has pinned down the likely mass of the AXION particle – if it exists -- finding it’s within the same range as the hypothetical cold dark matter particle. *New experimental X-ray pulsar navigation satellite launched China has carried out the second launch of its Long March 11 rocket taking a new experimental X-ray pulsar navigation satellite into orbit. The spacecraft is part of a ten-year program t

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *New clues about mysterious Fast Radio Bursts Astronomers have detected a powerful blast of gamma ray energy coming from a mysterious event known as a Fast Radio Burst. The gamma-ray event delivered over a billion times more energy in gamma-rays than in radio waves – there by rivaling the supernovae death of stars in their explosive power. *The power of the force appears the same across the cosmos A new study indicates that the strength of the electromagnetic force appears to be the same across the cosmos after all. The new findings contradict earlier studies which appeared to show a difference in the strength of the electromagnetic force in different parts of the universe. *A funnel on Mars could be a place to look for life A strangely shaped depression on Mars could be a new place to look for signs of life on the Red Planet. A report in the journal Icarus claims the depression was probably formed by a vol

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com and www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Rosetta’s Comet 67P is much younger than previously thought Rosetta’s comet 67P Churyumov–Gerasimenko may be only a billion years old – billions of years younger than previously thought. The new findings are based on simulations of how the two lobes which form the comet -- came together and remained connected. *Solving one of the mysteries of globular clusters A new study has finally resolved where the material needed to make new generations of stars in globular clusters comes from. Because the stars were all originally formed from the same material – mystery has surrounded exactly how new generations of globular cluster stars are made. *Have scientists found a way to bypass the Second Law of Thermodynamics? Scientists have found a way to circumvent the Second Law of Thermodynamics – one of the bedrocks on which modern theoretical physics is based. It is one of a handful of laws about which physicists fee

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com and www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *New gravity hypothesis could explain dark matter and dark energy A new hypothesis of gravity might explain dark matter and dark energy – the two biggest mysteries in science today. The new idea – called Emergent gravity -- appears to explain the exact same deviation in the motions of stars in galaxies that are usually explained by inserting dark matter in the theory. *Novae are the main source of Lithium in the universe A new study has discovered that most of the lithium in the universe is made in exploding stars called novae. The findings are based on observations of an unusually long and bright nova Sagittarii 2015 N.2 which occurred last year. *A new more detailed map of the galaxy Scientists have created one of the most detailed maps ever of our Milky Way Galaxy. The survey known as HI4PI -- examined neutral atomic hydrogen—the most abundant element in the universe and the main component of stars and

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com and www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *A crack in Earth's magnetic shield A crack has been detected in Earth’s magnetosphere. The event -- which lasted over two hours -- was caused by a powerful blast from the Sun known as a Coronal Mass Ejection. *Over 15 thousand potentially deadly near Earth asteroids discovered Over 15 thousand potentially deadly near Earth asteroids have now been discovered by astronomers. Scientists are now detecting about 30 new asteroids in near Earth orbit’s – so called NEOs -- each week. *NASA opens new deep space communications dish near Canberra NASA has formally commissioned its latest dish at the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex near Tidbinbilla. The new 34 metre antenna -- DSS36 – is part of a 120 million dollar upgrade by NASA to increase capacity at the Canberra facility by building two new dishes. *Japan launches new weather satellite Japan has launched its new Himawari 9 weather satellite aboard an

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Proxima Centauri is more Sun like than previously thought A new study claims Proxima Centauri is more Sun like than previously thought. The new findings indicate our nearest stellar neighbour other than the Sun undergoes similar magnetic cycles to the Sun which however are far more dramatic. *New Horizons completes its epic data transfer from last year’s close encounter with Pluto NASA’s New Horizons mission has reached a major milestone with the last bits of science data from the July 2015 Pluto flyby finally transmitted to Earth. The valuable information had been stored on the spacecraft’s digital recorders since last year’s historic close encounter – mission managers being forced to drip feed the data back to Earth because of the huge distances involved. *New Pluto revelations continue to surprize scientists Meanwhile, data from earlier New Horizons Pluto downloads are continuing to provide surprising d

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com and www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). \*Recently active lava flows detected on Venus A new analysis of data from the European Space Agency's Venus Express mission has found evidence of volcanic activity on Earth’s sister planet. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that Venus may still be geologically active. The origin of Rosetta’s comet A new study claims Rosetta’s comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko most likely originated in the Kuiper Belt. This distant origin for 67P implies it would be made from primordial material, that existed in their current form since before Earth was born. Soyuz trio return safely to Earth Three expedition 49 crew members have returned safely to Earth following their 115 day mission aboard the International Space Station. The successful landing was also the first atmospheric re-entry of the new Russian Soyuz MS-01 capsule which had been on its maiden flight. China ready to fly its new Long March 5. There’s g

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *Solving the mystery of the millions of missing stars Galactic cannibalism may be the clue to finally solving the mystery of the millions missing stars in the centres of some of the biggest galaxies. The study which examined the galactic cores of two of the largest known galaxies – has opened a new window into the processes that shape the evolution of massive galaxies. *Uranus may have additional unseen moons The planet Uranus may have another two as yet undiscovered moons. A report claims unusual patterns just detected in two of Uranus’s dark rings could indicate the presence of two small moonlets between four and 14 kilometres wide. *Meteoroids hitting the Moon at least a hundred times more frequently than previously thought A new study has found that small meteoroids are hitting the Moon at least a hundred times more frequently than previously thought. The findings raise fresh concerns about future long

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *New Questions about dark energy and the ultimate fate of the universe A new study of exploding stars has raised fresh questions about the existence of Dark Energy – a mysterious force causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate at a faster and faster rate. The findings could have important implications for the ultimate fate of the universe. *The most volcanically active world in the solar system A new study of Jupiter’s moon Io has raised fresh questions about the most volcanically active world in the solar system. The findings identified some eruptions which seem to progress across the 3600-kilometre wide moon’s surface progressively triggering one eruption after another often five hundred kilometres apart. *Investigators trying to determine why the Mars lander crashed and burned Officials with the European Space Agency are continuing to sift through data to try and determine what caused last wee

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *Europe’s Schiaparelli Mars lander lost on its final decent to the red planet’s surface. Mission managers at the European space Agency are still struggling to re-establish contact with its Schiaparelli Mars lander. The 577 kilogram spacecraft lost contact with ESA mission control in Darmstadt Germany during its six minute journey to the surface of the red planet. *Juno spacecraft suddenly enters emergency safe mode NASA’s Juno spacecraft which is exploring Jupiter suddenly entered safe mode on Tuesday. Early indications are a software performance monitor induced a reboot of the spacecraft’s on board computer. The operation prevented the probe’s science instruments from working during the Jovian flyby. *More evidence for a ninth planet on the edge of our solar system The yet to be discovered Planet Nine -- which may lurk beyond Neptune on the dark outer rim of our solar system – could explain the mysterious

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *The universe has over twenty times more galaxies than previously thought There are at least two trillion galaxies -- twenty times more in the observable universe -- than previously estimated. The findings are based a new study of data from the Earth orbiting Hubble Space Telescope and other ground and space based observatories. *How Pluto paints its largest moon red Pluto’s binary partner and largest moon Charon owes its unusual reddish polar colouring to methane gas escaping Pluto’s atmosphere and becoming trapped by Charon’s gravity -- eventually freezing on to its cold, icy surface. The findings resolve a long standing mystery which began in June 2015, when the cameras on NASA’s approaching New Horizons spacecraft first spotted the strange reddish polar region on Charon. *Square Kilometre Array software tested on one of the world’s fastest super computers Prototype software designed to manage data from

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *New cosmic map solves one mystery but deepens another The most precise ever map of the large scale structure of the universe has confirmed predictions of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity. However, the findings have also deepened a long-standing cosmological mystery about an unexplained so-called cold spot covering a vast sector of the universe. *New world discovered in the outer reaches of the solar system A new world has been discovered in the outer reaches of the solar system some 13.6 billion kilometres from the Sun. The distant frozen world was originally detected in 2014 and has now been confirmed by the International Astronomical Union. *Strange double peanut shaped galaxies discovered Astronomers have discovered weird structures shaped like double peanuts in two nearby galaxies. The discovery reported in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society are thought to provide new c

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *Confirmation that Tunguska was caused by asteroid airburst Scientists have finally confirmed that an asteroid caused the Tunguska impact event in 1908. The findings reported in the journal Planetary and Space Science are based on tiny mineral samples of debris from the Tunguska impact zone that are absolutely characteristic of a meteorite. *Giant cannonballs seen shooting from star Astronomers have detected mysterious superhot balls of plasma -- each almost the size of Earth -- being ejected near a dying star. The plasma blobs are moving through space at some 770 thousand kilometres an hour -- so quickly they could fly from the Earth to the Moon in just half an hour. *Australian NBN satellite launched Sky Muster 2 the second of two new NBN telecommunications satellites has been successfully launched into orbit aboard an Ariane 5 ECA heavy lift rocket. Arianespace mission number VA231 blasted off into late

Stream episodes from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *A new test for cosmological inflation When the universe burst into existence in the big bang 13.8 billion years ago – something must have happened during the first nanoseconds that caused it to suddenly expand from a singularity of infinite density and virtually zero dimensions in to the universe we see today. Scientists call this mysterious event cosmological inflation -- the problem is they have no real idea what it actually is – and what physical mechanisms drove it. *More mystery surrounding an already strange star Last month we reported how astronomers think they may finally have solved the mystery surrounding a weird erratically flickering and dimming star -- whose strange behaviour -- sparked speculation that it could have been our first sign of an advanced alien civilization. However, a new study has reopened the mystery. *Saturn’s moon Dione has a subsurface ocean New data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft ha

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). *The incredible shrinking planet Mercury The planet Mercury is shrinking according to a new analysis of data gathered by a NASA spacecraft. The findings are based on a series of small previously undetected cliff-like tectonic structures on the planet’s surface known as thrust fault scarps. *Rosetta’s grand finale After a journey lasting over 12 and a half years Rosetta’s mission is finally over. Rosetta discovered over 60 molecules, 34 of which had never been found before on a comet. These include oxygen and the amino acid glycine, a basic building block of life. It also confirmed that Earth’s water probably didn’t come from comets – but rather asteroids. *Solar Minimum on its way Over the last few days AR2597 -- the last remaining sunspot group on the surface of our local star the Sun – disappeared. The blank solar face – the fourth this year -- is a sign that the Sun’s 11 year solar cycle is now heading

Stream episodes on demand from www,bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). Stuart here with the Show Notes for Series 9 Episode 68. You can find an enhanced version, including photos to accompany this episode, at http://www.bitesz.com/spacetime-show-notes *Possible Water Plumes on Jupiter's Moon Europa Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have imaged what may be water vapour plumes erupting off the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. The new findings support pervious Hubble observations suggesting the icy moon erupts with high altitude water vapour plumes. *SpaceX details its future plans for Mars SpaceX and Tesla boss Elon Musk has finally announced his long term vision for missions to Mars. The PayPal entrepreneur has unveiled plans for a fleet of massive reusable spacecraft -- each capable of carrying between 100 and 250 people and 450 tonnes of supplies to begin the process of colonizing the red planet. *Large meteor streaks across the night skies of central Queensla

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both sites mobile friendly). Hi....Stuart with the Show Notes for Series 19 Episode 67: *Rosetta’s suicide death plunge about to begin After a mission lasting more than 12 and a half years -- the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe is now on its final orbital trajectory which will send it on a suicide death plunge onto the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on September 30. *Pluto’s heart shedding light on a possible buried ocean A giant asteroid impact on the distant frozen world of Pluto -- deep in its past -- is offering new insights into the possibility of an ocean beneath the dwarf planet’s icy surface. *New study of photon radiation impacts on Earth A new study combining multiple telescopes at different wavelengths has successfully made the most precise measurements ever undertaken of the total amount of radiation hitting the Earth -- finding that the planet is bombarded by about sextillion photons per square met

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly). Hi, Stuart here with the Show Notes for Series 19 Episode 65: *Quantum entanglement and the speed of light New research indicates that quantum entanglement -- the effect Albert Einstein referred to as spooky action at a distance -- isn’t just stranger than we imagine – it’s stranger than we can imagine. *A new way to determine the age of stars Scientists have developed a new way of understanding how stars like our Sun evolve. The new research is a first attempt to build a comprehensive model for the activity and evolution of these stars. *Discovery of an impossible cloud in the atmosphere of Titan Astronomers have detected a puzzling ice cloud that’s apparently formed out of thin air in the Saturnian moon Titan. The cloud -- detected in Titan's stratosphere -- is composed of a compound of carbon and nitrogen in the chemical cocktail that colours the giant moon's hazy, brownish-orange atmosphere. You can fi

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) Hi everyone, Stuart with the Show Notes for Series 19 Episode 65: *Martian lakes around far longer than thought There’s new evidence from Mars that lakes and snowmelt-fed streams on the red planet surface may have formed as recently as 2 to 3 billion years ago -- much later than previously thought possible. The new findings show that recently discovered lakes and streams appeared on the red planet’s northern Arabia Terra region roughly a billion years after a well-documented, earlier era of wet conditions on ancient Mars. *Ceres pyramid mystery solved A mysterious pyramid structure discovered by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft on the surface of the asteroid Ceres is now believed to be a recently active cryovolcano. The findings indicate the volcano which has been named Ahuna Mons – has only a few impact craters on its flanks -- indicating it was formed fairly recently -- within the last couple of hundred million yea

Stream on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) Hi everyone...Stuart with the Show Notes for Series 19 Episode 64: *The most detailed ever map of the universe The largest ever all sky celestial survey has published its first catalogue – pinning down the exact three dimensional positions and brightness of over a billion stars. The data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft will form part of the most detailed map of the Milky Way galaxy ever created. *New gravitational wave research centre Astronomers are still coming to terms with the scientific implications arising from the historic first ever detections of gravitational waves. Now the Australian Research Council has provided 31.3 million dollars in federal funding for a new centre of excellence at Swinburne University to study gravitational waves to better understand the extreme physics of black holes and warped space-time. *X-rays detected streaming from Pluto Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra space t