Spacetime With Stuart Gary

'ns2pahz4' ns2pahz4 NB: This is the updated version of Episode 20 with the correct audio! Sorry about that... Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *New date for first life on Earth New evidence shows life began on Earth at least 3.77 billion years ago – that’s some 300 million years earlier than previously thought -- and at a time when Mars was also a warm wet world. Scientists discovered the tiny filaments and tubes formed by bacteria on the shores of Canada’s Hudson Bay.. *Star clusters discovery could upset the astronomical applecart Astronomers have discovered multiple generations of stars in a single star cluster. The discovery adds to a growing body of evidence that not all the stars in a single cluster were formed at the same time. *New joint mission to Venus Scientists from NASA are meeting with their Russian counterparts to develop plans for a joint mission the Venus. The IKI Venera-D mission -- slated for launch around 2025 on either

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *The Black Hole Dark Matter hypothesis disproved A new study has provided strong evidence disproving the idea that unknown populations of ancient black holes could explain the effects currently attributed to dark matter. The findings imply that the detection of gravitational waves generated by colliding intermediate mass black holes can’t be used to imply the existence of huge populations of primordial black holes early in the history of the universe. *New evidence of a water rich history on Mars New research on Martian meteorites indicates that the red planet may have been a far wetter place than previously thought. The findings provide the first clear evidence that a mineral commonly found in Martian meteorites which was considered proof of an ancient dry environment on Mars -- may have originally been a hydrogen-containing mineral -- that could indicate a far more water-rich history for the Red Planet. *

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Searching for nearby giant planets Astronomers believe there could be a large population of -- as yet undetected -- giant planets and brown dwarfs with in our stellar neighbourhood. The findings are based on a study of an association of stars called TW Hya located about 100 light years away – relatively close in astronomical terms. *Supernova 1987A thirty years on Three decades ago, astronomers spotted one of the brightest exploding stars in more than 400 years. The massive stellar blast called Supernova 1987A blazed with the power of 100 million Suns for several months following its discovery on February 23rd 1987. *Rocket Science in the Arctic to better understand the aurora borealis NASA has launched five rockets in the high arctic to provide a better understanding of auroral activity. The program from January through till March involved three separate experiments launching from the Poker Flat Research

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Stars eaten by black holes a hundred times more often than thought Stars are being ripped apart and consumed by black holes about a hundred times more often than astronomers previously thought. The findings are based on a new survey of galaxy mergers – the process by which galaxies collide to form new larger galaxies. *Stellar bridge discovered connecting two galaxies A bridge of stars has been discovered connecting the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds -- two of the nearest neighboring galaxies to our own galaxy the Milky Way. The findings show a 43 thousand light year long stellar bridge connecting the two dwarf galaxies. *March Sky watch We check out the night skies of March and the importance of the Vernal Equinox. If you're enjoying SpaceTime, please help out by sharing and telling your friends. The best recommendation I can get is one from you. Thank you... #astronomy #space #science #technology #new

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Record breaking Earth-sized habitable-zone planetary system discovered Astronomers have for the first time ever found seven Earth like planets orbiting a single star. The discovery includes three planets in the host star’s habitable zone. *New clues in the hunt for planet 9 Astronomers have some new clues further supporting the hypothesis of a mysterious yet to be discovered ninth planet at the edge of our solar system. The researchers studying a pair of small bodies in the outer solar system have found that they may once have been a binary asteroid which separated as a result of a past interaction with the hypothetical Planet Nine. *Space tourists heading for the Moon SpaceX has announced plans to send two space tourists on a trip to the Moon. The flight – slated for late next year – will use the company’s new Dragon V2 capsule and Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. If you're enjoying SpaceTime, please help out

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Organic material discovered on Ceres Evidence of organic material has been found on the dwarf planet Ceres. A report in the journal science claims the detection by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft adds to a growing list of solar system bodies found to contain organic materials which are key building blocks for life as we know it. *NASA's Europa Flyby Mission Moves into Design Phase A mission to examine the habitability of Jupiter's ocean-bearing moon Europa is taking one step closer to the launch pad, with the completion of a major NASA review. The Europa mission spacecraft would launch in the 2020's, arriving in the Jupiter system several years later. *How to stop when we reach Alpha Centauri Scientists have worked out a way to slowdown and stop once spacecraft finally reach our nearest interstellar neighbour Alpha Centauri. In April last year, Russian physicist and billionaire Yuri Milner together with British sci

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Mysterious white dwarf pulsar discovered Astronomers have discovered their first white dwarf pulsar. These are a stellar class that has been speculated about for over half a century – but never previously detected. *Space Junk mission failure An experimental Japanese mission to help clear space junk from low Earth orbit has failed. The plan involved using a 700-metre long electrodynamic tether to slow bits of space junk down causing the refuse to lose altitude and begin the process of re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. *Juno’s planned orbital changes dropped NASA Juno mission will now remain in its existing 53 Earth day orbit around the planet Jupiter -- rather that moving to a lower 14 Earth day orbit as planned. The decision follows problems with two helium check valves on the spacecraft main propulsion system. *Falcon 9 launch from historic pad A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has made history blasting off from La

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *New dates for the early solar system A new study has confirmed that the solar system and its major planets were formed within the first four million years of the Sun’s birth. The findings, reported in the journal Science place the most precise date yet on the solar system’s early evolution and the length of time the system’s protoplanetary disk was present. *Black hole sets a feeding record A giant black hole has ripped apart a star and gorged on its remains for over decade -- more than 10 times longer than any previously observed episode of stellar death by black hole. The process known as a tidal disruption event occurs when the tidal forces due to the intense gravity from a black hole destroys an object -- such as a star -- that wanders too close. *India’s new world record launching 104 satellites at once. India’s first launch for 2017 has set a new world record carrying 104 small satellites in to orbit

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Pixies, Elves, and Sprites seen from Space Station Pixies, Elves, Red Sprites, and Blue jets have been seen by the crew aboard the International Space Station. It wasn’t the result of some alcohol fuelled orbital bender but rather preparation for a new mission focusing on these mysterious rarely seen phenomena associated with upper atmosphere electrical discharges. *New questions about Martian Water New evidence about carbon dioxide levels on ancient Mars have raised fresh questions about how liquid water could have existed on the red planet’s surface billions of years ago. An analysis of samples -- taken by NASA’s Curiosity rover -- indicates Mars didn’t contain enough CO2 for liquid water to have existed in Gale Crater – despite clear geological evidence that it was there for long periods of time. *Earth’s oxygen levels increased when the planet became of snowball Oxygen levels on Earth increased dramati

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *New study of the Earth’s core Scientists say they may be one step closer to solving on of the mysteries of the Earth’s core. Researchers are pretty sure that about 85 percent of the Earth's core is made of iron, while nickel makes up an additional 10 percent. But mystery still surrounds the composition of the remaining five percent. *Ancient asteroid collisions A new study has found that the composition of meteorites hitting the Earth has changed dramatically following a massive asteroid collision 466 million years ago. *Alien planetary system captured in a new movie Scientists have put together a movie which for the first time ever actually shows planets in a distant system orbiting their host star. Four planets have been captured orbiting a young star known as HR8799 which is located some 129 light years away. *New radiation belt research satellite launched A new satellite designed to study the Earth’s V

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Discovery of the most extreme blazars ever seen NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has discovered the most distant gamma-ray blazars ever seen. Blazars are powerful jets of particles and energy travelling at close to the speed of light. They’re produced by a supermassive black holes feeding in the centre of a galaxy. *Study reveals substantial evidence of holographic universe A new study has provided what researchers believe is the first observational evidence that the universe could be a vast complex hologram. Physicists investigating irregularities in the cosmic microwave background radiation claim they have found as much evidence supporting a holographic explanation of the universe as there is for the traditional explanation of these irregularities using the theory of cosmic inflation. *Asteroid near miss Astronomers have detected another relatively large asteroid that almost sped past the Earth unn

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *The universe being blown apart by dark energy The universe’s rate of expansion is continuing to accelerate at an ever-increasing rate according to new measurements. The findings have important consequences for the ultimate fate of the universe and how soon that end arrives. *The secret of the supervolcano A new study has conclu8ded that the largest volcanic eruption in human history – the Toba super-volcano in Indonesia -- was triggered by vast quantities of water laden rock coming into contact with the volcano’s massive magma reservoir. The Toba volcano eruption 73 thousand years ago pushed humanity close to extinction slashing the human population down to as little as a thousand breeding pairs.. *February Skywatch As well as a close encounter with a comet, the February skies are providing both an annular solar eclipse and a penumbral lunar eclipse. If you're enjoying SpaceTime, please help out by sharing

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Discovery of one of the brightest distant galaxies ever seen Astronomers have detected one of the brightest galaxies ever seen in the distant universe. The galaxy known as BG1429+1202 was discovered 11.4 billion light years away – which is some four-fifths of the way back to the beginning of the universe -- thanks to a process known as gravitational lensing. *Trying to understand quantum gravity Cosmologists trying to understand how to unite the two pillars of modern science -- quantum physics and gravity -- have found a new way to make robust predictions about the effect of quantum fluctuations on primordial density waves which are ripples in the fabric of space and time. Scientists have found quantum imprints left on cosmological structures in the very early universe and shed light on what we may expect from a full quantum theory of gravity. *Breakthrough project Astronomers are about to begin a new proj

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Galaxy murder mystery solved Young galaxies can be violently stripped of their youth and turned old by superheated intergalactic plasma contained in large halos of dark matter. The new findings mean the process known as ram-pressure stripping is far more prevalent than previously thought and help to explain the process that appears to be killing off galaxies. *Could there be life on Pluto? A new study ponders the possibility of life existing on the distant world of Pluto. NASA’s New Horizons mission explored the dwarf planet and its system during an historic flyby in July 2015. Among the myriad of stunning discoveries about this remote and frozen world was evidence of a possible sub surface ocean beneath the heart-shaped region on Pluto known as Sputnik Planitia. *Work begins on NASA’s Dark Energy Hunter NASA has announced plans for a new scientific instrument to study a mysterious force known as Dark Ener

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Monstrous black holes discovered hiding in our cosmic backyard Like monsters hiding under the bed -- two enormous black holes have been discovered lurking behind clouds of gas and dust in galaxies close to our own galaxy the Milky Way. The giant gravity wells – known as supermassive black holes -- were detected by NASA’s Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array – NuSTAR – spacecraft by the high energy X-ray emissions they were generating as they feed on anything that ventured too close *More evidence for cycles of wet and dry periods found on Mars NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover has discovered what look like mud cracks on the surface of the red planet. If confirmed, these would be the first mud cracks -- technically called desiccation cracks – found by the Curiosity mission. *Cosmic Dust found on roof tops Scientists have found traces of cosmic dust on the roof tops in across Europe. The space dust particles – wh

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *The Milky Way’s stolen stars New studies have confirmed that some of the most distant stars in our Milky Way galaxy were stolen from neighbouring galaxies. The findings are based on a study of 11 distant Milky Way stars -- all located about 300,000 light-years away and well beyond the Milky Way's spiral disk. *The Moon is much older than we thought The Earth’s Moon is at least 4.51 billion years old – that’s between 40 million and 140 million years older than previously thought. The findings are based on a new analysis of zircons found in lunar minerals brought back to Earth by the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. *New telescope chip offers clear view of alien planets Scientists have developed a new optical telescope chip for a telescope which will enable astronomers to have a clear view of alien planets capable of supporting life. Seeing a planet outside the solar system which is close to its host star – that i

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Stellar collision predicted for 2022 A pair of stars -- expected to collide in around five years -- should cause a blast powerful enough to be seen from Earth with the unaided eye. Latest observations indicate the stars – which form a contact binary system known as KIC 9832227 -- have already merged their atmospheres and taken on a peanut like shape. *Deepest X-ray image ever reveals new secrets about black holes An unparalleled image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is giving astronomers the best look yet at the growth of black holes over billions of years beginning soon after the Big Bang. The observations contain the highest concentration of supermassive black holes ever seen, equivalent to about 5,000 objects. *Star heading for as flyby of our solar system. The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission has identified a star which will come close enough to our solar system to affect the orbits of comets

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Strange rare galaxy discovered Astronomers have found an unusual ring galaxy unlike anything ever seen before. The galaxy appears to include a well-defined elliptical-like core surrounded by two circular rings. *The universe’s most powerful cosmic particle accelerator discovered Two of the most powerful phenomena in the universe, a supermassive black hole and the collision of giant galaxy clusters, have combined to create one of the most powerful cosmic particle accelerators ever seen. The spectacle is showing scientists what happens when matter ejected by a giant black hole is swept up in the merger of two enormous galaxy clusters. *Discovery of the missing link between pulsars and magnetars Astronomers have found the missing link between neutron star pulsars and highly magnetic neutron stars known as magnetars. The study is based on the discovery of a neutron star called PSR J1119 -6127which appears to b

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *Mysterious Fast Radio Bursts linked to a distant dwarf galaxy and maybe a Magnetar Astronomers are a step closer to finally determining what mysterious powerful energy blasts known as Fast Radio Bursts are. They’ve narrowed down a likely source to a distant ancient dwarf galaxy some three billion light-years away – and possibly to a highly magnetic type of neutron star known as a magnetar. *Two new missions to explore early solar system NASA has selected two missions designed to open new windows on one of the earliest eras in the history of our solar system -- a time less than 10 million years after the birth of the Sun. The missions, known as Lucy and Psyche will fly in 2021 and 2013 respectively. *Two more Near Earth objects discovered NASA's NEOWISE mission has discovered another two previously unknown Near Earth Objects or NEOs heading for our celestial neighbourhood, including one that further blurs t

Stream Episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com or www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (both mobile friendly) *The Universe has lost up to five percent of its dark matter The Universe may have lost between two and five percent of its dark matter since the big bang. The findings could explain one of the biggest mysteries in physics – namely why the Universe appears to behave slightly differently now compared to shortly after its formation13.8 billion years ago. The new study could also fresh shed light on how the cosmos is likely to evolve into the future. *JUNO completes third close flyby of Jupiter NASA’s Juno spacecraft has successfully completed its third close flyby of the planet Jupiter. At the time of closest approach -- called perijove -- Juno skimmed just 4,150 kilometres above the gas giant's roiling cloud tops -- traveling at 57.8 kilometres per second -- relative to the planet. *China places satellites into the wrong orbit Beijing won’t admit it but one of its Long March rockets has placed two new Earth