Space News Today

Show notes We're back after a short break! Today: the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Francis Halzen for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory — a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice turned into a telescope. Then a Sydney-led team publishes the most distant fast radio burst yet, from a dwarf galaxy just 3 billion years after the big bang; Hubble's archive yields a possible second-generation planet around a white dwarf; and we catch up on Starship's first orbit, Crew-13, Juice's Earth flyby and the end of the LINK/Swift story. Skywatch: zodiacal light at both ends of the day, Mercury above Venus in southern twilight, and Mars in the Beehive for the north. Segment 1 — LEAD: The Telescope Made of Ice · Nobel Prize in Physics 2026 — nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2026 (6 Oct 2026) · Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences press release, 6 Oct 2026 · AIP congratulations release, Newswise, 6 Oct 2026 · University of Wisconsin–Madison / IceCube background (via Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct 2026) Segment 2 — The Most Distant Fast Radio Burst · NASA: 'Webb Measures Distance to Farthest Fast Radio Burst, Suggesting Origin', 8 Oct 2026 · Caleb et al., Science, 8 Oct 2026, DOI 10.1126/science.adz2675 · Preprint: arXiv 2508.01648, 3 Aug 2025 (14-month gap disclosed) Segment 3 — A Planet Built From a Dead Star · NASA: 'Suspected Second-generation Planet Solves NASA Hubble Cold Case', 5 Oct 2026 · Williams et al., Nature Astronomy, 5 Oct 2026, DOI 10.1038/s41550-026-02983-7 · ESA/Hubble heic2613; poster, UK White Dwarf meeting, Durham, July 2025 (disclosed) Segment 4 — While We Were Away · SpaceX Starship Flight 14 overview (via leonarddavid.com, 29 Sept 2026) · NASA: 'NASA's SpaceX Crew-13 Launches', 1 Oct 2026 · ESA: 'Successful Earth flyby improves Juice's course to Jupiter', 28–30 Sept 2026 · AP (Marcia Dunn): 'Private spacecraft falls back to Earth...', 25 Sept 2026 · JAXA: MMX launch schedule aboard H3 F10, 20 Aug 2026 Segment 5 — Skywatch: Both Hemispheres · PyEphem 4.2.1 computations, Sydney / Los Angeles / New York / London · BBC Sky at Night: Vesta and Pallas at opposition, Oct 2026 · NASA: What's Up, October 2026

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Space Nuts: Space Force Weapons, Purple Mars, and New Lunar Crater

In this episode of Space Nuts , hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson delve into some fascinating and thought-provoking topics. They kick off with the recent revelation about the existence of weapons in orbit around Earth, a significant admission from the United States that raises questions about the future of space security. The conversation shifts to Mars, where stunning new images suggest that we might need to reconsider its nickname as the "Red Planet" due to striking purple hues observed in its southern regions. Finally, the duo discusses a newly discovered crater on the Moon, the largest of its kind in recent history, and what this means for our understanding of lunar impacts and surface changes.

Key topics

- The United States acknowledges the presence of weapons in space, sparking discussions about the implications for global security and the arms race in orbit.

- An exploration of Mars' changing colour palette, with new images revealing purple landscapes that challenge our traditional views of the planet.

- The discovery of a significant new crater on the Moon, highlighting the ongoing geological activity and impact history of our celestial neighbour.

Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and overview of topics

01:20 - Discussion on weapons in orbit and implications for space security

15:30 - Mars as the "Purple Planet" and the significance of new imagery

25:00 - New lunar crater discovery and its implications for lunar geology

35:15 - Closing thoughts and listener engagement

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Friday SpaceTime 20261009 Series 29 Episode 121 The mysterious star cluster discovered hidden deep in Milky Way's disk Astronomers have discovered a strange star cluster hidden in the crowded galactic plane disk region of the Milky Way galaxy some 32,800 light-years away. The truth about Nazi Germany’s infamous nuclear bomb project The Manhattan Project was not just a quest to build a nuclear bomb; it was a quest to build a bomb before Nazi Germany completed theirs. The chronic need for dark skies The Royal Astronomical Society is demanding urgent action to address the damage light pollution is doing to astronomy, human health, biodiversity and the natural environment. The Science Report Kids exposed to adversities in childhood face worse outcomes in life when reaching adulthood. The more ultra-processed foods you eat the higher your risk of heart conditions, diabetes, and cancer. Endangered species of sea cucumber can live for more than 100 years. Study claims albums are more likely than singles to drop out of music charts and then re-enter them. Skeptics guide to Ohio’s growing big foot population. Our Guest This Week GRACE FO Project Scientist Frank Webb from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California GRACE FO Project Scientist Phil Morton from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California GRACE FO Project Scientist Michael Watkins from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena California NASA Moon Base project manager Carlos Garcia-Galan Ray Allensworth from Firefly Aerospace Nick Newell Voyager Lunar Systems Ryan Stephan NASA Moon Base Blue Origin’s John Couluris Courtney Adegglen NASA Moon Base Trent Martin Intuitive Machines Adam Schlesinger NASA Moon Base Dr Tanya Hill, Senior Curator of Astronomy at the Melbourne Planetarium 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! ✌

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Monday SpaceTime 20261005 Series 29 Episode 119 Starship test flight 14 achieves orbit The world’s largest and most powerful rocket SpaceX’s Starship superheavy has successfully achieved orbital insertion during its latest test flight out of Texas. How Earth’s weather changes the planet’s centre of gravity A new study shows that changing seasonal weather patterns like snowfall, monsoons and oceans shift Earth's centre of mass every year. Work about to begin on the world’s first orbital power station The United States is moving forward with plans to build an orbital solar power station to beam energy down to the Earth’s surface . The Science Report The main reason why men are more likely to get cancer than women. The U.S. military follows Israel’s lead and starts deploying high-energy laser weapons. A new study shows that countries with more cats tend to be happier. Scientists have finally created a blue rose. Skeptics guide to common myths

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Wednesday SpaceTime 20261007 Series 29 Episode 120 NASA adds new science investigations for Moon Base NASA has added payload suites for three new lunar scientific investigations as part of efforts paving the way for humanity’s first Moon Base. The new secrets on the Martian north pole revealed A new study has found that the Martian north pole is less dusty than previously thought. NASA and Boeing provide an update on the troubled Starliner spacecraft NASA has provided an update on Boeing’s trouble plagued Starliner CST-100 spacecraft. The Science Report Every 10% increase in emergency room occupancy leads to a one percent increase in death rates. Scientists unsure about the true threat status of one in three Australian bird species. New evidence suggesting there are hidden chambers in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Kids who own smartphones by the age of 12 more likely to have eating disorder symptoms/ Alex on Tech: New windows updates, and Albanese’s 1984 big brother legislation kills free speech.

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