Spacetime With Stuart Gary

Help support SpaceTime, become a patron for as little as $3 per month. And we have rewards. Check out the details at https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary * Farewell Cassini After an historic mission lasting 20 years -- including 13 years of ground breaking scientific observations of the majestic ringed world of Saturn and its many moons –Cassini’s journey of exploration has come to an end. On September 15 at 9:53 in the evening Australian Eastern Standard Time – after a five minute roll manoeuvre -- Cassini began its suicidal death plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere -- triggering the ultimate demise of the spacecraft. *New Horizons wakes up from hibernation NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has successfully woken from hibernation as it continues its marathon mission to the distant Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69. Mission managers at the Johns Hopkins University in Laurel, Maryland say the 480 kilogram probe woke up from its five month hibernation period in good health and operating normally, with all system

Help support SpaceTime, become a patron for as little as $3 per month. And we have rewards. Check out the details at https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary * NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft about to swoop over Australia Australian stargazers will have a chance to get a close up look at NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft when the three metre wide probe sweeps over the country during the early morning hours of September 23rd. The spacecraft is undertaking a gravity assist slingshot manoeuvre, designed to build up speed and modify its trajectory to eventually intercept the half kilometre wide asteroid 101955 Bennu, which has a 1-in-2700 chance of hitting the Earth in the next 200 years. *Jupiter's auroras present a powerful mystery Scientists on NASA's Juno mission have observed massive amounts of energy swirling over Jupiter's polar regions which are contributing to the gas giant’s powerful aurorae - only not in ways the researchers expected. Juno observed signatures from powerful electric potentials, aligned w

Help support SpaceTime, become a patron for as little as $3 per month. And we have rewards. Check out the details at https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary * New theories on the formation of primordial black holes Mysterious long hypothesized objects known as primordial black holes may have made the universe the way it is today. The claims speculates that these enigmatic black holes from the beginning of time formed before the first stars, and later helped create many of the heavier elements found in nature including gold, platinum, and uranium. *Tabby’s star probably just dusty rather than an alien megastructure A new analysis of a strange looking star which experiences wild fluctuations in brightness indicates massive amounts of dust could be causing the phenomenon. The spectral type F main white sequence star KIC-8462852 first sprung to attention in 2015 when citizen scientists looking through data from NASA’s planet hunting Kepler Space Telescope noticed abnormal cycles of dimming and brightening

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) * Cassini mission end countdown On September 15 NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will finally end its historic mission to the ringed world of Saturn and its many moons. During its 13 years of groundbreaking observations -- Cassini has changed sciences understanding of the Saturnian system. *NASA's next Mars mission to investigate the red planet’s interior Preparation of NASA's next mission to the red planet Mars is ramping up on course for launch in May. NASA’s InSight lander will launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California – the first ever interplanetary mission to fly from the America's West Coast space port. *September Skywatch The September Equinox takes place in the early hours of September 23rd Australian Time, and late on September 22nd in Europe and the Americas. September’s skies also provides two meteor showers for backyard astronomers. *First launch of Minotaur rocket A Minotaur rocket has successfully carried out its first launch

Help support SpaceTime, become a patron for as little as $3 per month. And we have rewards includinga commercial free version of the show. Check out the details at https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary * Bizarre looking white dwarf star Astronomers have identified an unusual white dwarf star that may be the leftover remains of a recently discovered new type of “sub-luminous” supernova. The findings also point to more than one process for generating these powerful cataclysmic stellar explosions. *First X-rays detected from thermonuclear supernovae Astronomers have for the first time detected x-rays coming from exploding stars known as thermonuclear or type 1a supernovae. Type 1a supernovae has helped scientists develop their current understanding of the universe, but researchers are still in the dark about many of their features. *A new look at how the Earth was formed New geochemical research indicates that existing theories of the formation of the Earth could be wrong. The claims are based on exper

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) Help support SpaceTime, become a patron for as little as $3 per month. And we have rewards. Check out the details at https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary * Diamonds rain on Neptune and Uranus Scientists have created diamond rain during experiments mimicking the conditions deep inside the giant ice planets Uranus and Neptune. The findings represent the first time diamond rain was created in the laboratory under the sorts of extreme pressures and conditions likely to occur inside the solar systems ice giants. *Large, distant comets more common than previously thought A new study has warned that there are far more long period comets out there than previously thought. The findings are based on observations by NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer or WISE spacecraft. *Impact winter from the dinosaur killing asteroid could have thrust Earth into two years of darkness A new study claims the tremendous amounts of soot lofted into the air

* Moon's magnetic field lasted far longer than once believed New evidence indicates that the Moon's magnetic field lasted up to 2.5 billion years longer than previously thought. The findings have major implications for life and habitability on other moons and planetary bodies. *Is the universe’s dark matter disappearing? A new dark energy study suggests the amount of dark matter in the universe may be decreasing. The new findings are based on data showing a discrepancy between data on the early universe and what we see in the local cosmos today *Strange new type of supernovae Astronomers have identified a white dwarf that may be the leftover remains of a recently discovered type of supernova. The findings indicate that the properties of this unusual white dwarf, known as LP 40-365, may help scientists determine how such unusual supernovae are created. *New deep double white dwarf binaries discovered Astronomers have discovered two detached, eclipsing double white dwarf binaries – which could one day merge to

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) * Counting Down to the Great American Solar Eclipse The United States is now in final countdown mode for the August 21st total eclipse of the Sun which will see the Moon block out the solar disk along a 113 kilometre wide path of totality stretching from the North West Pacific coast of Oregon to the Atlantic coast of South Carolina. The spectacle actually begins in the North Pacific Ocean -- south of the Aleutian Islands before reaching the continental United States at Lincoln Beach Oregon at 9:06 in the morning Pacific daylight time with totality occurring at 10:19. *Precursors of life discovered on Titan Scientists have discovered molecules that could form precursors for life on Saturn’s giant moon Titan. Researcher’s detected significant quantities of vinyl cyanide which can naturally coalesce into microscopic spheres resembling cell membranes. Subscribe to the Space Nuts podcast at Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/space-nuts

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) * Galaxies at the cosmic dawn Astronomers have peered back to the dawn of time -- discovering 23 young galaxies, seen as they were just 800 million years after the Big Bang. The findings reported in the Astrophysical Journal represent one of the deepest ever observations into the 13.8 billion year old universe. *Cassini begins its final orbits around Saturn NASA's Cassini spacecraft has entered new territory in its final mission phase, the grand finale, as embarks on a set of ultra-close passes through Saturn's upper atmosphere with its final five orbits around the ringed world. Cassini completed the first of these five passes over Saturn on Monday. *The ancient Earth was a water world A new analysis of mineral grains indicates that the ancient Earth was most likely a water world -- barren, flat, and almost entirely under water with only a few small islands sticking out above the surface. The findings are based on a study of 4.4 billion year old

Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) * An Earth-like atmosphere may not survive Proxima b's orbit Proxima B -- the nearest known exoplanet to our solar system is probably a dead world despite being in the habitable zone of its host star Proxima Centauri. Any Earth-sized world would most likely be unable to hold onto an atmosphere -- leaving its surface exposed to harmful stellar radiation and reducing its potential for habitability. *New clues in determining the size of a black hole Astronomers have discovered what could be an easy way to determine the size of a spiral galaxy’s supermassive black hole. They’ve found a direct relationship between the geometry of some types of spiral galaxies and the hidden supermassive black hole at their centres. *Calm seas on Titan could mean smooth landing for future space probes Astronomers have determined that the lakes and season the Saturnian moon Titan have few waves higher than a centimetre. The findings mean the giant moon probably has litt

Help support SpaceTime by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary *New evidence supporting supernova shock wave theory of solar system's origins Astronomers have found more evidence supporting the longstanding theory that our solar system’s formation 4.6 billion years ago -- was triggered by a shock wave from an exploding supernova. The study based on evidence of the iron 60 isotopes in meteorites indicate that a supernova shock wave is still the most-plausible origin story for explaining the short lived radioactive isotopes in our Solar System *A new window in the hunt for molecular signatures in deep space Astronomers have begun using one of the precursor radio telescopes for the Square Kilometre Array project to study molecular signatures which could lead to the detection of complex molecules that are precursors to life. The team are using the Murchison Widefield Array to und

Help support SpaceTime by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Join our growing family who are helping keep Stuart fed and housed...:) Details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) *The Sun’s core rotates nearly four times faster than its surface Astronomers have discovered that the Sun’s core rotates four times faster than its surface. The findings open a new window into solar physics – providing new insights into the Sun’s internal structure and composition. *Weighing a distant black hole Astronomers have used to rotational speed cold gas clouds in a distant galaxy to make the most precise measurements ever of the mass of the supermassive black hole at its centre. The team found that the supermassive black hole which resides in the heart of the galaxy NGC1332 has about 660 million times the mass of the Sun. *Titans lakes fizz like soda pop New data indicates the hydrocarbon lakes and seas on the surf

Help support SpaceTime by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) *Planet Earth’s close asteroid encounter On October 12 an asteroid known as 2012 TC4 will fly just 6800 kilometres above the surface of the Earth - far below the orbits of many satellites. The 40 metre wide asteroid won’t hit the Earth this time – but it will be about as close as possible while still passing safely. *The mystery of the cosmic cold spot deepens Astronomers are still at a loss to explain a giant cosmic cold spot in their large-scale maps of the universe. A new study has ruled out the most likely suspect – a gigantic supervoid – leaving the door open for more exotic explanations like a collision between universes. *Evidence the Higgs turns into quarks There’s new evidence that the Higgs Boson decays into smaller elemental quark particles

Thank you to our growing Patreon group. Your support is very much appreciated. You can help support SpaceTime too, by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) *Lunar water more common than thought There could be a lot more water on the Moon than previously thought. New Satellite readings indicate that numerous volcanic deposits spread across the lunar surface contain unusually high amounts of water compared with surrounding terrains. The findings mean there could be as much water in the lunar mantle was what there is in mantle basalts on Earth. *Dark Matter more likely to be cold rather than fuzzy Scientists trying understand dark matter now believe it’s far more likely to be big and cold rather than light and fuzzy. The new findings are based on a study of the intergalactic medium – the stuff that fills the vast, la

Thank you to our growing Patreon group. Your support is very much appreciated. You can help support SpaceTime too, by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary *Surprising results from new galaxy evolution study Scientists have been shocked by some surprising results showing the early universe went through a period of galactic recession shortly after the first galaxies began forming. The unexpected findings contradict prevailing opinions that the very early universe would have been undergoing a period of rapid growth turning huge clouds of pristine molecular gas into stars and galaxies at rates thousands of times greater than what we see in the local universe today.*New particle that’s its own antimatter particle After an 80 year long quest, scientists have finally discovered the Majorana fermion, a particle that’s its own antiparticle. The discovery was made during a series of la

Thank you to our growing Patreon group. Your support is very much appreciated. You can help support SpaceTime too, by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) *The smallest star ever discovered Astronomers have identified what could be the smallest star ever discovered. The star -- called EBLM J0555-57Ab -- was detected in a triple star system located some 600 light years away in the Southern Hemisphere constellation Pictor the painter. *New brown dwarf discovered Citizen scientists have helped NASA identify a never before seen Brown Dwarf. The discovery is the first was made as part of NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project. *Why black holes only come two sizes A new study may have finally answered a question which has been puzzling astronomers and physicists for half a century – namely why black h

Thank you to our growing Patreon group. Your support is very much appreciated. You can help support SpaceTime too, by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary *Jupiter’s mysterious great red spot as never seen before The closest ever images taken of Jupiter’s majestic Great Red Spot are revealing the giant storm to be a tangle of dark, vein like clouds weaving their way through a massive crimson oval. The imager aboard NASA’s Juno mission snapped pictures of the most iconic feature of the solar system’s largest planetary inhabitant during its July 10 flyby. *Astronomers probe the swirling halo of a spectacular starburst galaxy Astronomers have probed a nearby starburst galaxy which is making stars five times faster than the Milky Way. The unprecedented study focused on the Sculptor Galaxy NGC 253 which is 11.5 million light-years from Earth and undergoing a period of intense star

Thank you to our growing Patreon group. Your support is very much appreciated. You can help support SpaceTime too, by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) *New mysteries surround New Horizons next flyby target NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft won’t be reaching its next target until January first 2019 – but the Kuiper Belt object, 2014 MU69, is already revealing some surprises. New data indicates MU69 may actually be less than 20 kilometres wide. Furthermore it may actually be a binary system or even a swarm of smaller bodies left from the time when the planets first formed. *First ever supermassive black hole binary discovered Astronomers have for the first time ever discovered two supermassive black holes orbiting each other in a single galaxy. The detection provides new clues about the process of galaxy mergers a

Thank you to our growing Patreon group. Your support is very much appreciated…and welcome to the team. Today’s shout out to our newest team members: Dean J Martin Bancroft Simon Rouse Ethan Eastman Peter ?? Thank you for your support. You can help support SpaceTime, by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary Stream episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly) *Brown dwarfs could be as common as stars Astronomers now believe our galaxy could contain over one hundred billion brown dwarfs. The new findings indicate that at least one brown dwarf is being created for every two stars that are born. *Closest look ever at Jupiter’s great red spot NASA’s Juno mission which has already revolutionised sciences view of Jupiter has just undertaken humanity’s closest ever flyby of the gas giant’s most enigmatic feature – the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot is a colossal high pr

Thank you to our growing Patreon group. Your support is very much appreciated…and welcome to the team. You can help support SpaceTime, by becoming a patron...and we have rewards for you. Do your bit to keep Stuart fed and housed... details at our Patreon page... https://www.patreon.com/spacetimewithstuartgary *Fastest stars in the galaxy are all aliens A new study has concluded that fast moving stars in our galaxy were originally alien stars from other galaxies which were cannibalised by the Milky Way. The new study claims a large population of very fast moving stars in the Milky Way, originally started out in the neighbouring satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud. *Why quasars suddenly twinkle violently Gas filaments surrounding stars like the strands of a pompom appear to be causing quasars to suddenly begin to violently twinkle. The findings reported in the Astrophysical Journal could finally provide scientists answer for the 30 year old mystery. *China’s new super rocket the Long March 5 experiences