SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 143 * The Milky Way: An Unusual Galaxy A new study reveals that our Milky Way galaxy is an outlier among similar galaxies, challenging the assumption that it is a typical model for understanding galactic formation and evolution. Published in the Astrophysical Journal, the research highlights differences in the Milky Way's evolutionary history compared to other galaxies...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 142 * How Mars Got Its Moons A groundbreaking study suggests that Mars acquired its moons, Phobos and Deimos, after a passing asteroid was torn apart by the planet's gravity. This new hypothesis, based on NASA's supercomputer simulations and published in the journal Icarus, challenges previous theories of their origin, such as capture or major impact. The upcoming Marti...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 141 * Supermassive Black Hole Consumes Matter at Record Speed Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole in the early universe consuming matter at a rate more than 40 times its theoretical limit. This black hole, catalogued as LID568, was observed by the Webb Space Telescope and is providing new insights into the rapid growth mechanisms of black holes shortly...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 140 *Revisiting the Milky Way's Black Hole Image A new study questions the accuracy of the first-ever image of Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. Researchers suggest the image may not accurately represent its appearance, proposing a more elongated accretion disc instead of the ring-like structure previously released by the Event H...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 139 *Gilmore Space Cleared for Orbital Launch The Australian Space Agency has granted Gilmore Space the final approval needed to conduct its maiden orbital test flight of the Ares rocket from the Bowen Spaceport in North Queensland. This launch will mark the first orbital test flight of an Australian-made rocket from Australian soil, showcasing a new hybrid propulsion s...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 138 * Discovery of the Outer Solar System's Magnetic Field Scientists have discovered evidence of an ancient magnetic field at the far reaches of our solar system. Research published in AGU Advances, based on 4.6 billion-year-old grain samples from the asteroid Richie, suggests the presence of a weak magnetic field during the formation of the outer solar system. This fi...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 137 *The Earth: A Giant Slushie? New research reveals that Earth once experienced a "slushy" period following its snowball Earth phase. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study by Virginia Tech scientists suggests that as the planet thawed, it transitioned into a slushy state, marked by high carbon dioxide levels and rapid melting. The...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 136 *Discovering the Origins of Magnetars A groundbreaking study reveals that magnetars, highly magnetic neutron stars, are born from stellar mergers rather than single star supernova events. These findings, published in Nature, delve into the origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs), which are high-energy flashes releasing more energy in nanoseconds than half a billion suns...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 135 *Could Uranus Moon Miranda Have a Subsurface Ocean? A new study suggests that Uranus' moon Miranda may harbour a liquid water ocean beneath its peculiar jigsaw-like surface. The findings, published in the Planetary Science Journal, challenge existing assumptions about Miranda's history and composition, potentially placing it among the select few worlds in our solar...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 134 * Perseverance's Uphill Struggle in Jezero Crater NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover faces challenges as it attempts to climb the steep and slippery ridgeline of Jezero Crater. Despite its previous experience with steep inclines, this mission marks the first time the rover has tackled such a challenging combination of slope and surface. Engineers are exploring new strat...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 133 * Earth's Mantle: Two Distinct Domains Revealed Groundbreaking research has unveiled that the Earth's mantle is composed of two distinct and separate types of materials, forming independent African and Pacific domains. This discovery, published in Nature Geoscience, challenges previous assumptions of a chemically uniform mantle. The study highlights how these domain...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 132 *Could Betelgeuse Actually Be Two Stars? A new study raises the intriguing possibility that the red supergiant Betelgeuse may not be on the brink of supernova, as previously thought. Instead, it might be a binary star system. This revelation, reported in the Astrophysical Journal, suggests that an unseen companion star could be causing Betelgeuse's pulsing brightnes...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 131 * Ultra High Energy Gamma Rays Detected in the Milky Way's Core Scientists have detected ultra high energy gamma rays emanating from the centre of the Milky Way. This discovery, reported in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, offers a new perspective on the violent phenomena occurring in the galactic core. Using the High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory in Mexico...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 130 *Epoch of Reionization: New Insights from Webb A groundbreaking study suggests the epoch of reionization, a pivotal era in the universe's early evolution, may have occurred 350 million years earlier than previously believed. Utilising data from the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have uncovered a greater abundance of extreme ultraviolet emitting galaxies, ch...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 129 *First Evidence of a Volcanic Splatocone on Mars Scientists have identified what appears to be the first evidence of a volcanic splatter cone on Mars, similar to those found on Earth. This discovery, led by Ian Flynn from the University of Idaho, sheds light on the volcanic processes of the red planet. The presence of splatter cones, which form under specific condit...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 128 *Dating the Moon's Oldest Impact Crater Scientists have pinpointed the edge of the massive South Pole-Aitken Basin, the largest and oldest known impact crater on the Moon, dating it to over 4.32 billion years old. By analysing a lunar meteorite, researchers have concluded that this impact site is around 120 million years earlier than the previously believed intense...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 127 *SpaceX's Starship's Fifth Test Flight Success SpaceX's Starship has completed its fifth test flight with a spectacular feat of engineering, successfully catching the super heavy booster with mechanical chopsticks on the launch pad tower. The booster, equipped with 33 Raptor engines, returned to Earth after a successful launch from SpaceX's Starbase in Texas, showca...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 126 * NASA's Parker Solar Probe Completes 21st Philip of the Sun NASA's Parker Solar Probe has achieved its 21st close encounter with the Sun, matching its previous distance and speed records. The spacecraft swooped to within 7.26 million kilometers of the solar surface at a record speed of 635,300 km/h. This flyby sets up the probe for its final closest approaches, wit...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 125 *Discovery of the Most Distant Spiral Galaxy Astronomers have identified the most distant spiral galaxy ever seen, named REBELS 25. This galaxy, observed as it was 13.1 billion years ago, challenges current models of galaxy formation with its orderly spiral structure, despite being from an era when the universe was just 700 million years old. The discovery, made usi...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 124 *Galaxies: Bigger Than We Ever Imagined Recent findings suggest that galaxies are far larger than previously thought, with gaseous halos extending much further into intergalactic space. This study, published in Nature Astronomy, focuses on the circumgalactic medium of a starburst galaxy 270 million light-years away. These halos, accounting for about 70% of a galaxy'...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 123 *Discovery of a New Region within the Earth's Core Scientists have uncovered a doughnut-shaped region within Earth's molten liquid outer core, located at low latitudes parallel to the equator. This torus-like zone was detected due to seismic waves travelling slower through this area compared to the rest of the liquid outer core. The discovery, published in Science A...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 122 *The Sun's Most Powerful Solar Flare in Over a Decade The Sun has unleashed its most powerful solar flare in more than a decade, with a spectacular X9.1 class event. This massive solar flare, part of a pair that erupted just two days apart, was detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The event sparked strong G3 class geomagnetic storms, causing auroral activi...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 121 * A New Planet Discovered Orbiting Barnard's Star Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet orbiting Barnard's Star, the closest single star to the Sun. This newly found planet, Barnard b, has about half the mass of Earth and completes an orbit around its host star every three Earth days. Located 5.96 light-years away, Barnard's Star is a small red dwarf in the co...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 120 * Planet Earth Just Got a Second Moon Planet Earth has temporarily acquired a second moon, a tiny near-Earth asteroid named 2024 PTS. Captured by Earth's gravitational field on September 29, this 10-metre wide Space rock will remain in orbit until November 25, making it one of only five known mini moons. Discovered by the Atlas asteroid terrestrial impact last alert...

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 119 * Australian Crater Offers Fresh Insights into Earth's History Scientists have uncovered a potential 600-kilometre-wide crater in Australia's outback, which could revolutionise our understanding of Earth's geological past. This discovery, presented at the 37th International Geological Congress in South Korea, suggests the existence of Mapix, a massive Cambrian-Preca...