Space News Today

Monday SpaceTime 20261019 Series 29 Episode 125 Sample return mission to the Martian moon Phobos Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration mission is slated to launch today on the first ever sample return mission to the red planet’s largest moon Phobos. The solar system’s life expectancy is far shorter than previously thought A new study warns that the solar system will end much sooner than previously thought thanks to massive gravitational perturbations and resonances causing the planet’s orbits to destabilize as the Sun expands. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission launches to International Space Station NASA’s SpaceX crew 13 have arrived aboard the International Space Station just seven hours and 50 minutes after blasting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The Science Report Claims men with deeper voices might seem to be stronger – but not more attractive to women. Fewer 15 year olds are now identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual compared to two years ago. Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific expected to increase to record levels. The earliest known evidence of ancient humans attacking one another with spears. Skeptics guide to the pseudoscience of homeopathy.

Our Guests This Week Professor Steve Madden from the Australian National University Blue Origin Exploration Systems Technical Program Manager Yuka Matsuyama Blue Origin Exploration Systems Vice President Kris Zacny NASA Perseverance Deputy Project Scientist Katy Stack Morgan NASA Perseverance Project Scientist Ken Farley NASA Perseverance Deputy Project Manager Matt Wallace NASA Perseverance Chief Engineer Adan Steltzner NASA Perseverance Mobility Team Member Farah Alibay Our regular guests: Alex Zaharov-Reutt from techadvice.life Tim Mendham from Australian Skeptics 🌏 Get Our Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.bitesz.com/nordvpn (http://www.bitesz.com/nordvpn) . The discounts and bonuses are incredible! And it’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌ If you’d like to support the podcast and gain access to bonus content by becoming a SpaceTime crew member, you can do just that through The Big Bang editions on Patreon, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Details on the Support page on our website https://www.bitesz.com/show/spacetime/support/ (https://www.bitesz.com/show/spacetime/support/)

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Space Nuts: The Oort Cloud, Dwarf Planets, and Innovative Lander Designs

In this enlightening Q&A episode of Space Nuts , hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson tackle a series of thought-provoking questions from listeners. Kicking off with Gerwin from Wales, they delve into the mysteries of the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt, discussing the potential mass of these distant regions and their influence on our solar system. Bob from Utah presents a unique perspective on dwarf planets, sparking a lively debate on definitions and classifications. Shumo from Oxford challenges the design of lunar landers, proposing a more insect-like approach to enhance stability on uneven terrain. Finally, Steve from the UK poses a fascinating hypothetical about gathering historical scientific greats to solve modern mysteries like dark matter and dark energy. Join Andrew and Fred Watson as they explore these cosmic curiosities with their signature blend of humour and insight.

Key topics

- The mass and significance of the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt in the solar system.

- Redefining dwarf planets: A discussion on classifications and implications.

- Innovative lunar lander designs inspired by nature's solutions to stability.

- The potential of historical scientists collaborating on contemporary scientific challenges.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and overview of listener questions

01:20 - Gerwin’s question about the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt

15:30 - Bob’s thoughts on the definition of dwarf planets

25:00 - Shumo’s proposal for insect-inspired lunar landers

35:15 - Steve’s hypothetical scenario of historical scientists solving modern mysteries

45:00 - Closing thoughts and listener engagement

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00:00 - Introduction to Space Nuts Q&A Edition and Topics for Today's Episode

00:17 - Discussion of Listener Questions Including Oort Cloud, Kuiper Belt, and Dwarf Planet Theory

01:46 - Addressing a Question from Wales About the Oort Cloud and Kuiper Belt's Potential Planetary Mass

03:52 - Analyzing the Mass of Trans-Neptunian Objects and Oort Cloud Bodies in Relation to Planetary Formation

07:20 - Speculating on Planet Nine and the Hypothetical Mass of the Oort Cloud's Influence

08:53 - Debating Dwarf Planet Theory and the Definition of a Planet with Historical Context

13:29 - Exploring Biometric Approaches for Lunar Landers Versus Traditional Designs and Recent Mission Failures

23:54 - Humorous Discussion on Simple Solutions for Landing Stability and Future Lunar Missions

25:11 - Hypothetical Collaboration of Past and Present Scientists to Solve Cosmic Mysteries Like Dark Matter

32:01 - Concluding Thoughts on Unsolvable Mysteries and the Limits of Science.

Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/35809192?utm_source=youtube

Show notes Time Lets Go of the Sky On 15 October 2026 the 28th General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles adopted Resolution 5: UTC becomes continuous on 20 May 2027, ending leap seconds, with the UTC–UT1 gap allowed to reach one hour. The driver: a growing chance (about 30% by 2035) of a first-ever negative leap second. Resolution 6 starts work on an international lunar reference time scale traceable to UTC; Resolution 4 prepares an optical-clock redefinition of the second for 2030. Earth's rotation (UT1) is still measured — by VLBI, with Australia's AuScope dishes part of the network. The Week That Was WISE 0855's changing water clouds (JWST); Hera's 93-minute braking burn; Artemis II's five lunar impact flashes; UCL questions the chemical evidence for hypernovae; the Arsia Mons cloud needs ice from nothing; the first green star. Also: ZTF J0440+2325, Meteor 2-7, Juno's crumpled magnetodisk, WASP-17 b, two planetary families, and new Magellanic Cloud pulsars from the Parkes archive. Skywatch First quarter Mon 19 Oct 03:12 AEDT (16:12 UTC Sun). Mercury 24° up at sunset from Sydney vs 10° LA, 7° NY, 3° London. Venus gone from northern evening skies; inferior conjunction ~03:00 UTC Sat 24 Oct. Saturn all evening, rings ~7° open. Orionids peak 21–22 Oct; Moon sets ~03:00–03:40 local, radiant 39–70° up at 04:30. Mars–Jupiter 11.5° apart, 1.2° on 16 Nov. AR4551 beta-gamma-delta. Solar safety: ISO 12312-2 filters only. Sources · BIPM — Resolutions adopted at the 28th CGPM: https://www.bipm.org/en/-/cgpm-2026-resolutions-adopted · BIPM — Resolution 5 (2026): https://www.bipm.org/en/cgpm-2026/resolution-5 · BIPM — Statement by the CCTF President, 15 Oct 2026: https://www.bipm.org/documents/d/guest/statement-cctf-president-cgpm-2026 · AuScope VLBI array (Lovell et al.): https://arxiv.org/abs/1304.3213 · ESA — Braking news! Hera: https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera/Braking_news!_Time_for_ESA_s_Hera_asteroid_mission_to_go_slow · JAXA — MMX launch schedule: https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2026/08/20260820-1_e.html · EarthSky — Sun news, AR4551 (16 Oct): https://earthsky.org/sun/sun-news-activity-solar-flare-cme-aurora-updates/ · Week That Was sources: see S05E202–S05E206 show notes.

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Space Nuts: Lunar Magnetism, Exoplanet Signals, and the Evolution of Spacecraft Windows

In this captivating episode of Space Nuts , hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson dive into a range of fascinating astronomical topics. The episode kicks off with an exploration of lunar magnetism, as they discuss new findings suggesting that the Moon may have once possessed a primordial magnetic field, stemming from solidified magma beneath its surface. The duo then shifts gears to a groundbreaking discovery of radio signals originating from the exoplanet Beta Pictoris B, revealing the presence of auroras on this distant gas giant. Finally, they examine the evolution of spacecraft windows, highlighting the importance of visibility for astronauts and the advancements in window technology over the decades. Join Andrew and Fred Watson as they unravel these cosmic mysteries with their signature blend of humour and insight.

Key topics

- The Moon's magnetic history and the implications of recent research on its geological structure.

- Detection of auroras on exoplanets through radio signals and what it means for our understanding of planetary atmospheres.

- The evolution of spacecraft windows: from early designs to modern innovations and safety considerations.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and overview of today's topics

01:20 - Discussion on lunar magnetism and the Moon's geological history

15:30 - Discovery of radio signals from exoplanet Beta Pictoris B and the significance of auroras

25:00 - Evolution of spacecraft windows and their importance for astronauts

35:15 - A unique photo capturing the International Space Station and a plane against the sun

45:00 - Closing thoughts and listener engagement

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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/35794687?utm_source=youtube

Show notes Episode 206 opens with the first results from ALMA's COMPASS survey: the first detection anywhere in interstellar space of fully deuterated methanol, and methanol masers turning up around more than half of a sample of young Sun-like stars. Then the first star that would look green, Magellanic Cloud pulsars recovered from decades-old Parkes data, a supernova caught days old when the universe was 1.2 billion years old, quick hits on Hera, CRS-35 and MMX, and a both-hemispheres skywatch built around the Orionids. Heavy methanol around a newborn star ALMA's COMPASS programme (11 protostars, 100+ hours, seven A&A papers) reports the first interstellar CD3OD around IRAS 4A2 in Perseus (Belloche, MPIfR) and methanol masers in more than half of its low-mass protostars (Jeong, SNU). Deuterium fraction as a formation clock; current models can't reproduce the pattern. The first green star Warwick's Hollands et al. (RASTI) compute white dwarf colours from spectra: WD J1330+6435 comes out chartreuse thanks to accreted sodium; WD J1011+2845 may be the reddest star known. Of 151 white dwarfs within 20 pc, about 1 in 30 is oddly coloured, and the median is white. Pulsars hiding in the Parkes archive Reprocessing Murriyang's Magellanic Cloud surveys finds six pulsars, five in the LMC including a 3.8 s spinner (Sengar et al., preprint); a separate search finds PSR J0103−72, the slowest radio pulsar in the SMC (Wang & Sengar, preprint). A supernova caught days old JWST's NEXUS survey caught AT 2026abck at z = 5.017 roughly 4–10 rest-frame days after explosion — the first robust z ≳ 5 transient in an unlensed field (preprint; no spectrum yet). Quick hits Hera's BRM-1 braking burn (result pending at recording), CRS-35 docks with the last iROSAs, and MMX launches Tuesday morning Japan time. Skywatch First quarter 18 Oct, Orionids peak 21–22 Oct with the Moon down before dawn everywhere, evening Mercury for the south, Venus heading into conjunction, Saturn after dark, Mars and Jupiter closing before dawn. Sources · ALMA — Cosmic Cocktail: ALMA Reveals Exotic Methanol Around Young Stars (7 Oct 2026) — https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/press-releases/cosmic-cocktail-alma-reveals-exotic-methanol-around-young-stars/ · Belloche et al., COMPASS VII, arXiv 2610.07279 — https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.07279 · University of Warwick — true colours of white dwarf stars — https://warwick.ac.uk/news/pressreleases/astronomers-reveal-true-colours-of-white-dwarf-stars/ · Hollands et al., RASTI DOI 10.1093/rasti/rzag069 — https://academic.oup.com/rasti/article/doi/10.1093/rasti/rzag069 · Sengar et al., arXiv 2610.12450 — https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.12450 · Wang & Sengar, arXiv 2610.12143 — https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.12143 · Zhuang, Shen et al., arXiv 2609.38373 — https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.38373 · ESA — Brake! Time for ESA's Hera asteroid mission to go slow — https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera/Brake!_Time_for_ESA_s_Hera_asteroid_mission_to_go_slow · NASA Space Station blog — CRS-35 docking — https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/ · JAXA — MMX launch schedule — https://global.jaxa.jp/press/2026/08/20260820-1_e.html

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