Latest / Space News Today / Solar Storm Hits Early! Plus China’s Reusable Rockets & Exoplanet Magnetic Shields

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Solar Storm Hits Early! Plus China’s Reusable Rockets & Exoplanet Magnetic Shields · Space News Today

• 0:00
  Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily
• 0:02
  dose of space and astronomy news. I'm
• 0:05
  Anna.
• 0:06
  >> And I'm Avery. Today is Tuesday, January
• 0:08
  20th, 2026, and we've got a fantastic
• 0:12
  lineup of stories covering everything
• 0:14
  from solar storms to Chinese space
• 0:16
  technology and some fascinating
• 0:18
  discoveries about how young stars shape
• 0:20
  their cosmic neighborhoods.
• 0:22
  >> That's right. We're going to dive into
• 0:24
  some breaking news about the sun's
• 0:26
  latest outburst. There's been quite a
• 0:28
  development there that Aurora chasers
• 0:30
  definitely need to hear about.
• 0:32
  >> Plus, China continues to make impressive
• 0:35
  strides in reusable rocket technology
• 0:37
  with the Long March 12b. And we'll get a
• 0:40
  sneak peek at their upcoming Shunen
• 0:42
  Space Telescope that's set to rival some
• 0:44
  of the best observatories in orbit.
• 0:46
  We'll also journey into the Orion
• 0:48
  Molecular Cloud to see how baby stars
• 0:51
  are literally carving out their homes in
• 0:53
  space. Check out this week's busy launch
• 0:56
  schedule and explore a fascinating new
• 0:58
  theory about how some exoplanets might
• 1:01
  protect themselves from deadly
• 1:03
  radiation.
• 1:04
  >> So, grab your coffee, settle in, and
• 1:06
  let's get started with today's Astronomy
• 1:08
  Daily.
• 1:08
  >> All right, Avery, let's jump right into
• 1:11
  our top story, and this one's developing
• 1:13
  even as we speak. The sun threw a
• 1:16
  massive tantrum this weekend, and Earth
• 1:18
  is already feeling the effects.
• 1:20
  >> That's right, Anna. On Sunday, January
• 1:22
  18th, the sun unleashed a powerful
• 1:25
  X.1.9cl
• 1:26
  class solar flare from sunspot region
• 1:29
  AR4341.
• 1:31
  For our listeners who might not be
• 1:33
  familiar, X-class flares are the most
• 1:35
  powerful category of solar eruptions.
• 1:37
  And this one came with a particularly
• 1:40
  energetic friend,
• 1:41
  >> a coronal mass ejection or a CME. Right.
• 1:45
  >> Exactly. This CME was what forecasters
• 1:48
  call a full halo event, meaning it was
• 1:50
  aimed directly at Earth. The interesting
• 1:53
  twist here is that it arrived much
• 1:55
  sooner than predicted. Space weather
• 1:57
  forecasters initially expected it to hit
• 1:59
  sometime within 24 hours of the flare,
• 2:02
  but it actually slammed into Earth's
• 2:04
  magnetosphere yesterday, January 19th,
• 2:06
  at 2:38 p.m. Eastern time.
• 2:09
  >> And I'm guessing from the reports I've
• 2:11
  been seeing, this wasn't a gentle
• 2:13
  arrival.
• 2:14
  >> Not at all. The CME triggered severe G4
• 2:17
  geomagnetic storms. According to Noah's
• 2:20
  Space Weather Prediction Center, this is
• 2:22
  actually a pretty rare event. We're also
• 2:24
  dealing with an S4 severe solar
• 2:27
  radiation storm that's ongoing.
• 2:29
  >> Now, for those wondering why this
• 2:31
  matters, let's talk about what makes a
• 2:33
  CME geo effective or not. It's all about
• 2:37
  magnetic field orientation, isn't it?
• 2:39
  >> That's the crucial factor. When a CME
• 2:42
  arrives, if its magnetic field is
• 2:44
  oriented southward, what scientists call
• 2:46
  a negative BZ component, it can connect
• 2:49
  with Earth's northward pointing magnetic
• 2:51
  field. Think of it like opening a door.
• 2:54
  The southward orientation essentially
• 2:56
  allows solar wind energy to pour into
• 2:58
  our magnetosphere, triggering
• 3:00
  geomagnetic storms.
• 3:01
  >> And in this case, that door was wide
• 3:04
  open.
• 3:05
  >> Exactly. Data from the DSCOVR and a
• 3:08
  spacecraft which monitor the solar wind
• 3:10
  upstream of Earth confirmed that
• 3:12
  southward BZ component. That's what made
• 3:15
  the storm so potent.
• 3:17
  >> So what does this mean for people on the
• 3:19
  ground? Obviously there's the
• 3:20
  spectacular side with auroras, but there
• 3:23
  are practical concerns, too.
• 3:25
  >> Right. The good news is that this storm
• 3:27
  could push the northern lights much
• 3:29
  further south than usual. According to
• 3:31
  Noah's scales, GeForce storms can make
• 3:34
  auroras visible as far south as Alabama
• 3:36
  and Northern California. But there are
• 3:39
  some downsides. These storms can disrupt
• 3:41
  GPS navigation, affect satellite
• 3:44
  operations, increase atmospheric drag on
• 3:46
  spacecraft, and potentially impact power
• 3:49
  grids and highfrequency radio
• 3:50
  communications.
• 3:52
  >> And the flare itself caused immediate
• 3:54
  problems when it erupted. Correct.
• 3:56
  >> Yes. The X do 1.9 flare triggered strong
• 4:00
  R3 level radio blackouts across the
• 4:02
  sunlit side of Earth with the Americas
• 4:04
  taking the biggest hit. Radio blackouts
• 4:07
  happen because the intense X-rays and
• 4:09
  extreme ultraviolet radiation from the
• 4:11
  flare ionize the upper atmosphere
• 4:14
  disrupting radio signals.
• 4:15
  >> For our aurora chasers out there, what's
• 4:18
  the forecast looking like? Well,
• 4:20
  geomagnetic storm conditions are
• 4:22
  expected to continue through at least
• 4:24
  today, January 20th. The best viewing
• 4:27
  times are typically between 1000 p.m.
• 4:29
  and 4:00 a.m. local time. Of course,
• 4:32
  you'll want to get away from city lights
• 4:34
  and find the darkest location possible.
• 4:36
  And keep in mind, you need clear skies
• 4:38
  to see them.
• 4:39
  >> The tining is interesting, too, isn't
• 4:41
  it? We're well into solar maximum.
• 4:44
  >> We are. Solar cycle 25 has been
• 4:47
  particularly active and we're seeing the
• 4:49
  effects. The sun has been consistently
• 4:52
  active throughout late 2025 and into
• 4:54
  2026 with multiple X-class flares and
• 4:58
  CMEs. This is exactly the kind of
• 5:00
  activity we expect during Solar Maximum.
• 5:03
  It's yet another reminder that our star
• 5:06
  is a dynamic, powerful force. What's
• 5:09
  fascinating to me is how much we've
• 5:10
  learned about predicting these events,
• 5:12
  even if this one arrived earlier than
• 5:14
  expected.
• 5:15
  >> Absolutely. Space weather forecasting
• 5:17
  has come a long way. But CMEs are still
• 5:21
  notoriously tricky. Their speed,
• 5:23
  direction, and crucially, their magnetic
• 5:26
  orientation all factor into how they'll
• 5:28
  interact with Earth. We often don't know
• 5:30
  the full picture until spacecraft like
• 5:32
  DSCOVR sample them directly when they're
• 5:35
  almost at our doorstep. Well, if you're
• 5:38
  in the northern tier states of the US or
• 5:40
  Canada, keep your eyes on the sky
• 5:42
  tonight. This could be a spectacular
• 5:45
  display. Shifting gears from solar
• 5:47
  fireworks to human engineering, let's
• 5:50
  talk about China's latest achievement in
• 5:52
  reusable rocket technology. The China
• 5:54
  Aerospace Science and Technology
• 5:56
  Corporation has successfully conducted a
• 5:59
  static fire test of the Long March 12B.
• 6:02
  This is China's followup to the Long
• 6:04
  March 12A, which we covered when it made
• 6:06
  its maiden flight back in late December
• 6:08
  2025. Right.
• 6:10
  >> Exactly. And if you recall, that first
• 6:13
  flight was partially successful. The
• 6:16
  second stage successfully delivered its
• 6:18
  payload to orbit, but the reusable first
• 6:20
  stage crashed near the intended recovery
• 6:23
  area in Gansu Provice. So, there's
• 6:25
  definitely been some lessons learned.
• 6:27
  >> Let's talk specs. What can you tell us
• 6:29
  about the Long March 12B? It's a fairly
• 6:32
  substantial vehicle. The rocket stands
• 6:35
  approximately 70 m tall. That's about
• 6:38
  230 ft with a diameter of 4 m. Both
• 6:42
  stages use liquid oxygen and kerosene
• 6:44
  propellants, which is interesting
• 6:46
  because it's the same propellant
• 6:47
  combination that SpaceX uses in their
• 6:50
  Falcon 9.
• 6:51
  >> And in terms of capability,
• 6:53
  >> in its baseline configuration, the Long
• 6:55
  March 12b can lift about 20 metric tons
• 6:58
  to low Earth orbit. That puts it firmly
• 7:01
  in the heavy medium lift category. When
• 7:04
  fully fueled, the entire vehicle has a
• 7:06
  liftoff mass of around 700 tons.
• 7:09
  >> So, what exactly did this static fire
• 7:11
  test accomplish?
• 7:13
  >> The test, which took place Friday at the
• 7:15
  Guan Satellite launch center in
• 7:17
  northwest China, was all about
• 7:19
  validation. Ground teams ignited the
• 7:22
  first stage engines and sustained
• 7:23
  combustion for a period while monitoring
• 7:26
  performance and control parameters. They
• 7:28
  were verifying fueling procedures,
• 7:30
  ignition sequences, and making sure all
• 7:33
  the propulsion and support systems
• 7:34
  worked smoothly under planned
• 7:36
  conditions.
• 7:37
  >> And the reusability aspect, how does
• 7:39
  that work?
• 7:40
  >> This is where it gets really
• 7:42
  interesting. The first stage is designed
• 7:44
  to separate from the second stage during
• 7:46
  flight, then flip itself around for
• 7:48
  re-entry using aerodynamic grid fins for
• 7:51
  guidance. Picture those waffle-like fins
• 7:54
  you see on Falcon 9 boosters. Then it
• 7:56
  uses deployable landing legs to touch
• 7:58
  down vertically at a designated landing
• 8:01
  zone.
• 8:02
  >> So it's very much following the SpaceX
• 8:04
  playbook.
• 8:05
  >> It is though China has been developing
• 8:07
  this technology independently. The goal
• 8:10
  is the same though reusability to cut
• 8:12
  mission costs and increase launch
• 8:14
  cadence. This is especially important
• 8:16
  for China's commercial space sector and
• 8:18
  their growing satellite constellation
• 8:20
  projects.
• 8:21
  >> And you mentioned the long march 12A's
• 8:23
  landing attempt failed. Are they
• 8:25
  incorporating what they learned from
• 8:27
  that into the 12b?
• 8:28
  >> Absolutely. Engineering teams are still
• 8:31
  investigating what went wrong with that
• 8:33
  December landing attempt. And the
• 8:35
  lessons from that mission are being fed
• 8:37
  directly into refinements for the Long
• 8:39
  March 12b's re-entry and landing
• 8:42
  systems. That's actually a really
• 8:44
  important part of the development
• 8:45
  process.
• 8:47
  >> So, when might we see an actual launch
• 8:49
  of the Long March 12B? Based on this
• 8:52
  successful static fire test, we're
• 8:54
  probably looking at flight tests in the
• 8:56
  near future. They still need to do more
• 8:59
  ground testing and verification, but
• 9:01
  successful engine testing is a major
• 9:03
  milestone on the path to orbital flight.
• 9:06
  >> It's interesting to watch multiple
• 9:08
  countries and companies working on
• 9:10
  reusable rocket technology. It really
• 9:12
  does seem to be the future of space
• 9:14
  flight.
• 9:15
  >> No question. When you can land and reuse
• 9:18
  your first stage, which is the most
• 9:20
  expensive part of the rocket, the
• 9:22
  economics of space access changed
• 9:24
  dramatically. China positioning
• 9:26
  themselves with both the 12A and 12B
• 9:28
  shows they're committed to competing in
• 9:30
  this arena.
• 9:32
  >> Staying with China's space program,
• 9:34
  let's look ahead to what could be one of
• 9:36
  the most capable space telescopes ever
• 9:38
  launched. The Chinese space station
• 9:40
  telescope known as Shunan is gearing up
• 9:44
  for launch as soon as early 2027.
• 9:47
  >> And scientists just completed something
• 9:49
  pretty important, a full endto-end
• 9:52
  observation simulation to test how the
• 9:54
  telescope will perform once it's in
• 9:56
  orbit.
• 9:57
  >> Let's start with the basics. How big is
• 9:59
  this thing?
• 10:00
  >> Chunen features a 2 m primary mirror.
• 10:04
  That's about 6.6 ft across. For
• 10:07
  comparison, that's slightly smaller than
• 10:09
  Hubble's 2.4 meter mirror. But here's
• 10:12
  where it gets interesting. Junien is
• 10:15
  designed specifically as a survey
• 10:17
  instrument. And in that role, it's going
• 10:19
  to be far more capable than Hubble.
• 10:21
  >> How so?
• 10:23
  >> It's all about field of view. Junien's
• 10:25
  field of view is about 300 times larger
• 10:28
  than Hubble's. That means it can survey
• 10:31
  the sky much more efficiently. Combine
• 10:33
  that with a 2.5 billion pixel camera and
• 10:36
  the ability to observe from near
• 10:38
  ultraviolet to near infrared wavelengths
• 10:41
  and you've got yourself an extremely
• 10:43
  powerful sky surveying machine.
• 10:46
  >> That's impressive. What will it be
• 10:48
  looking for?
• 10:49
  >> The science goals are pretty ambitious.
• 10:52
  According to the National Astronomical
• 10:54
  Observatories under the Chinese Academy
• 10:56
  of Sciences, Chunen should make major
• 10:58
  contributions across multiple fields.
• 11:01
  cosmology, galaxy formation and
• 11:03
  evolution, the structure and evolution
• 11:06
  of our own Milky Way, and studies of
• 11:08
  stars and planets.
• 11:10
  >> I've also heard it might help us
• 11:12
  understand dark matter and dark energy.
• 11:15
  >> Exactly. Those are two of the biggest
• 11:17
  mysteries in astrophysics, and a wide
• 11:19
  field survey telescope like Shunien is
• 11:22
  perfectly suited to contribute to that
• 11:24
  research. By mapping large areas of the
• 11:26
  sky and observing how galaxies cluster
• 11:29
  and move, scientists can gather evidence
• 11:31
  about the nature of dark matter and dark
• 11:33
  energy.
• 11:34
  >> Now, what makes Shunian really unique is
• 11:37
  how it will operate in relation to
• 11:39
  China's Tangong space station. Right?
• 11:42
  >> That's one of the coolest aspects. Shun
• 11:45
  will fly independently in low Earth
• 11:47
  orbit, co-orbiting with Tangong, but
• 11:50
  doing its own thing. However, and this
• 11:52
  is the really neat part, it's designed
• 11:54
  to dock with the space station when
• 11:56
  needed.
• 11:57
  >> So, astronauts can service it.
• 11:59
  >> Exactly. Just like NASA astronauts
• 12:01
  serviced Hubble five times between 1993
• 12:04
  and 2009. According to recent video from
• 12:07
  China Central Television, astronauts
• 12:10
  will be able to conduct spacew walks to
• 12:12
  maintain, repair, or even upgrade the
• 12:14
  observatory. This is a huge advantage
• 12:17
  because it extends the operational life
• 12:19
  of the telescope and allows for
• 12:21
  technology upgrades over time.
• 12:23
  >> That's actually brilliant. Hubble's
• 12:25
  servicing missions turned it from a
• 12:27
  disappointment into one of the most
• 12:29
  productive scientific instruments ever
• 12:31
  built.
• 12:32
  >> Absolutely. And China clearly learned
• 12:35
  from that example. Being able to service
• 12:37
  a space telescope in orbit is enormously
• 12:40
  valuable.
• 12:41
  >> Tell us about these simulations they
• 12:42
  just completed. The research team built
• 12:45
  what they call an end-to-end simulation
• 12:47
  suite. Basically, they created mock
• 12:50
  observations that replicate the expected
• 12:52
  instrumental and observational
• 12:54
  conditions. They tested both the optical
• 12:56
  systems and other observation systems to
• 12:59
  evaluate the telescope's overall
• 13:01
  performance before it ever leaves the
• 13:03
  ground.
• 13:04
  >> That makes sense. Better to find
• 13:06
  problems in simulation than after
• 13:08
  launch. The results were published in
• 13:10
  the journal research in astronomy and
• 13:12
  astrophysics in early January. This kind
• 13:15
  of validation work is crucial for a
• 13:17
  mission of this scale and complexity.
• 13:20
  >> When you say early 2027, how firm is
• 13:23
  that timeline?
• 13:24
  >> It's a no earlier than timeline. These
• 13:27
  large space telescopes are complex
• 13:29
  beasts and schedules can slip. But if
• 13:32
  everything stays on track, we could see
• 13:34
  Shunen launching on a Long March 5B
• 13:36
  rocket sometime in the first half of
• 13:39
  2027.
• 13:40
  >> It's going to be really interesting to
• 13:42
  see what Chunian discovers once it's
• 13:44
  operational. Having another major space
• 13:46
  telescope conducting surveys will be
• 13:48
  fantastic for astronomy.
• 13:50
  >> Next, let's head out to one of the most
• 13:52
  famous star forming regions in our
• 13:54
  cosmic neighborhood, the Orion Molecular
• 13:57
  Cloud Complex. The Hubble Space
• 13:59
  Telescope has captured some stunning new
• 14:01
  images that reveal how baby stars are
• 14:04
  literally carving out space for
• 14:06
  themselves in the surrounding gas and
• 14:08
  dust.
• 14:09
  >> This is such a beautiful topic. These
• 14:11
  are protostars, right? Stars that
• 14:13
  haven't quite grown up yet.
• 14:15
  >> That's right. Protoars are young stellar
• 14:18
  objects that are still in the process of
• 14:20
  accumulating mass from the molecular
• 14:22
  clouds they're forming in. They haven't
• 14:24
  started fusing hydrogen into helium yet,
• 14:26
  which is what defines a main sequence
• 14:28
  star like our sun. But even though
• 14:30
  they're not doing fusion, they're far
• 14:32
  from quiet.
• 14:33
  >> They're quite energetic, actually.
• 14:35
  >> Incredibly so. Protoars generate
• 14:38
  powerful winds and jets that shape their
• 14:40
  surroundings in dramatic ways. These
• 14:43
  jets and winds carve out bubbles and
• 14:45
  caverns in the surrounding gas. And
• 14:47
  astrophysicists have been trying to
• 14:49
  better understand this feedback process.
• 14:51
  What's driving these jets?
• 14:53
  >> It's a fascinating process. Material
• 14:55
  from the molecular cloud first forms a
• 14:58
  disc around the protoar. Not all of that
• 15:00
  material makes it onto the star itself.
• 15:03
  Some gets accelerated to high speeds
• 15:05
  along the stars magnetic field lines and
• 15:08
  shot out from the poles as focus beams
• 15:10
  of mostly hydrogen.
• 15:12
  >> So, they're like cosmic fire hoses.
• 15:14
  >> That's a good analogy. And in addition
• 15:16
  to these focused jets, protostars also
• 15:19
  produce wide angle stellar winds that
• 15:21
  flow in all directions. These winds from
• 15:24
  young stars are actually far more
• 15:26
  powerful than the solar wind from our
• 15:28
  sun or other main sequence stars.
• 15:30
  >> What did the Hubble images reveal?
• 15:32
  >> The three new images show protoars at
• 15:35
  different stages, all in the Orion
• 15:37
  molecular complex. You can actually see
• 15:39
  the cavernous shapes these young stars
• 15:41
  have carved out from the surrounding
• 15:43
  gas. It's quite striking visually. these
• 15:46
  dark, sometimes intricate structures
• 15:48
  against the glowing background of the
• 15:49
  nebula.
• 15:50
  >> But there was a surprising finding in
• 15:52
  the research, wasn't there?
• 15:54
  >> Yes, and it challenges some assumptions.
• 15:56
  Researchers found that the cavities
• 15:58
  carved by these jets and winds didn't
• 16:00
  grow larger as the stars move through
• 16:02
  their later formation stages. You might
• 16:04
  expect the cavities to keep expanding
• 16:06
  over time, but that's not what they
• 16:08
  observed.
• 16:09
  >> So, what does that tell us? Well, the
• 16:11
  Orion molecular cloud has been
• 16:13
  experiencing a declining star formation
• 16:15
  rate, and these protostars also have
• 16:17
  lower rates of mass accretion over time.
• 16:20
  Scientists initially thought maybe this
• 16:22
  could be attributed to the jets and
• 16:24
  winds carving out all the available gas,
• 16:26
  but the new findings suggest that's not
• 16:28
  the case. The cavity sizes weren't the
• 16:31
  limiting factor.
• 16:32
  >> So, something else is controlling the
• 16:34
  star formation rate.
• 16:35
  >> Exactly. There must be other factors at
• 16:37
  play in regulating how quickly stars
• 16:39
  form and grow in this region. It's a
• 16:42
  reminder that even in wellstudied
• 16:44
  regions like Orion, we're still learning
• 16:46
  the details of how star formation works.
• 16:48
  >> I love that these images aren't just
• 16:50
  pretty pictures. They're revealing
• 16:52
  actual physics.
• 16:53
  >> That's what makes astronomy so exciting.
• 16:55
  Every observation adds a piece of the
• 16:57
  puzzle. In this case, we're learning
• 16:59
  that the feedback from young stars
• 17:01
  through their jets and winds, while
• 17:03
  dramatic and visually spectacular, might
• 17:06
  not be the main factor controlling star
• 17:08
  formation in the region.
• 17:09
  >> It's also interesting to think about our
• 17:11
  own sun going through this phase
• 17:13
  billions of years ago.
• 17:14
  >> Absolutely. When the sun was young, it
• 17:16
  was in a cluster with its siblings,
• 17:18
  probably in a molecular cloud much like
• 17:20
  Orion. It would have had these same
• 17:22
  powerful jets and winds shaping the gas
• 17:25
  and dust around it. Eventually, the
• 17:27
  molecular cloud dispersed, the star
• 17:29
  cluster broke up, and the sun ended up
• 17:31
  as the solitary star we know today.
• 17:34
  >> Orion is close enough that we can study
• 17:36
  these processes in detail, which is
• 17:38
  really lucky for astronomers.
• 17:39
  >> Very lucky. At about 1350 light-years
• 17:43
  away, it's one of the nearest large star
• 17:45
  forming regions. We can resolve
• 17:47
  individual protoars and their
• 17:49
  surrounding structures, which gives us
• 17:51
  insights we can apply to understanding
• 17:53
  star formation throughout the galaxy and
• 17:55
  beyond. All right, let's shift from
• 17:57
  natural cosmic phenomena to humanmade
• 18:00
  space activities. We've got a busy week
• 18:02
  of launches coming up, Avery.
• 18:04
  >> We do indeed. Seven launches from six
• 18:06
  different sites across the globe. Let's
• 18:08
  run through them.
• 18:09
  >> The week actually started this morning
• 18:11
  with a Chinese launch. Correct.
• 18:12
  >> That's right. A Changang 12 rocket, also
• 18:15
  known as Long March 12, lifted off from
• 18:18
  commercial launch complex 2 at WCang
• 18:21
  Space Launch Site in Hainan, China. This
• 18:23
  was at 748 UTC carrying nine satnet
• 18:27
  satellites to low Earth orbit. The CZ12
• 18:30
  can lift about 12,000 kg to LEO. And
• 18:34
  this was a demonstration of China's
• 18:35
  commercial launch capabilities.
• 18:37
  >> Moving on to tomorrow, what do we have
• 18:39
  >> tomorrow, January 21st, we have Rocket
• 18:42
  Lab launching from New Zealand. Their
• 18:45
  Electron rocket will be carrying two
• 18:47
  satellites for Open Cosmos as part of a
• 18:49
  secure broadband constellation being
• 18:51
  built in the UK. The mission is called
• 18:54
  the cosmos will see you now and liftoff
• 18:56
  is scheduled for 11:09 UTC from their
• 18:59
  facility on the Maha Peninsula.
• 19:02
  >> Rocket Lab has really established a
• 19:04
  solid cadence with Electron.
• 19:06
  >> They have. This will be Electron's 80th
• 19:08
  mission. That's a remarkable achievement
• 19:10
  for a small rocket. The vehicle has
• 19:13
  proven itself reliable and capable,
• 19:15
  especially for these small satellite
• 19:17
  constellation deployments. It's
• 19:19
  Wednesday that gets particularly
• 19:21
  interesting with the ESAR aerospace
• 19:22
  launch.
• 19:23
  >> Yes, this is second attempt to launch
• 19:26
  their Spectrum rocket from the Andoya
• 19:28
  rocket range in Norway. The mission is
• 19:31
  called Onward and Upward, which is
• 19:33
  fitting given that their first attempt
• 19:34
  in March 2025 failed shortly after
• 19:37
  liftoff due to an engine issue.
• 19:39
  >> What's different this time?
• 19:40
  >> Well, they've been investigating what
• 19:42
  went wrong on that first flight and
• 19:44
  making refinements. Spectrum is a
• 19:46
  two-stage rocket powered by Aquilla
• 19:48
  engines using propane and liquid oxygen.
• 19:51
  It's designed for the satellite
• 19:53
  constellation market and can lift about
• 19:55
  a,000 kg to LEO. They're carrying
• 19:57
  several cubats for the European Space
• 20:00
  Ay's boost program.
• 20:01
  >> So fingers crossed for ESAR on
• 20:03
  Wednesday. What else?
• 20:04
  >> Wednesday is also when SpaceX has their
• 20:07
  first Falcon 9 launch of the week.
• 20:09
  They're launching 24 Starlink satellites
• 20:11
  from Vandenberg Space Force Base in
• 20:13
  California. Liftoff is currently
• 20:16
  targeted for 243 UTC on January 22nd,
• 20:20
  which is 6:43 p.m. Pacific time on the
• 20:22
  21st.
• 20:23
  >> Vandenberg has been busy lately.
• 20:25
  >> Very busy. This mission will use booster
• 20:28
  B1093 on its 10th flight, landing on the
• 20:32
  drone ship, Of course I Still Love You
• 20:34
  in the Pacific. It's another example of
• 20:36
  SpaceX's routine reuse. This particular
• 20:39
  booster has previously flown seven
• 20:41
  Starlink missions and two military
• 20:43
  missions.
• 20:44
  >> Do we have a New Shepard launch from
• 20:46
  Blue Origin this week?
• 20:47
  >> Correct. Blue Origin is targeting
• 20:50
  Thursday, January 22nd at 14:30 UTC.
• 20:54
  That's 9:30 a.m. Eastern for New
• 20:56
  Shepard's 17th crude mission designated
• 20:59
  NS38.
• 21:01
  This will be a suborbital flight from
• 21:03
  launch site one in West Texas, carrying
• 21:06
  six people past the Carmen line and into
• 21:08
  space for a few minutes of
• 21:09
  weightlessness. New Shepard has really
• 21:11
  become a regular operation for them.
• 21:14
  >> It has. The capsule will separate from
• 21:16
  the booster which will return for a
• 21:18
  propulsive landing while the capsule
• 21:20
  lands under parachutes with retro
• 21:22
  thrusters firing just before touchdown
• 21:24
  to soften the landing for the crew. And
• 21:26
  we round out the week with
• 21:28
  >> two more launches on Sunday, January
• 21:31
  25th. First, China will conduct a sea
• 21:34
  launch of a Gia Long 3 rocket from the
• 21:36
  South China Sea. Details on the payload
• 21:39
  are still under wraps. They'll likely
• 21:41
  release that information after the
• 21:42
  launch. Liftoff is scheduled for 6:30
• 21:45
  UTC.
• 21:46
  >> Sea launches are always interesting.
• 21:48
  >> They are. The Geonong 3 is a four- stage
• 21:51
  solidfueled rocket that launches from a
• 21:53
  maritime platform. It's an interesting
• 21:55
  capability that gives China flexibility
• 21:58
  in launch as a myth and location.
• 22:00
  >> And finally,
• 22:01
  >> Sunday also brings SpaceX's second
• 22:04
  Falcon 9 launch of the week, also from
• 22:06
  Vandenberg. Another batch of 24 Starling
• 22:09
  satellites heading to orbit at 1517 UTC.
• 22:12
  This one will use booster B0088
• 22:16
  on its 13th flight. Another testament to
• 22:18
  booster reusability.
• 22:20
  >> That's quite a week. Seven launches from
• 22:22
  six sites. It really shows how routine
• 22:25
  space access has become.
• 22:27
  >> It does, and it's only going to get
• 22:28
  busier as more commercial constellations
• 22:31
  come online and more providers enter the
• 22:33
  launch market.
• 22:34
  >> And may we wish them all successful
• 22:36
  launches.
• 22:37
  >> Indeed. Moving along for our final
• 22:40
  story, let's journey to distant worlds
• 22:42
  and explore a fascinating new theory
• 22:44
  about how some rocky exoplanets might
• 22:47
  protect themselves from deadly cosmic
• 22:49
  radiation.
• 22:50
  >> This involves super Earths, right? Those
• 22:52
  planets that are larger than our Earth
• 22:54
  but smaller than ice giants like
• 22:56
  Neptune.
• 22:57
  >> Exactly. Super Earths are actually the
• 23:00
  most common type of exoplanet we found
• 23:02
  in our galaxy, which makes understanding
• 23:04
  them really important. But here's an
• 23:06
  interesting problem. Many of these
• 23:08
  worlds might not be able to generate
• 23:10
  magnetic fields the way Earth does.
• 23:12
  >> And magnetic fields are crucial for
• 23:15
  protecting a planet's surface from
• 23:16
  harmful radiation.
• 23:18
  >> Right? Earth's magnetic field is
• 23:20
  generated by movement in our liquid iron
• 23:22
  outer core through a process called a
• 23:24
  dynamo. But larger rocky worlds like
• 23:27
  super Earths might have cores that are
• 23:29
  completely solid or completely liquid,
• 23:31
  neither of which can produce a magnetic
• 23:33
  field through the same mechanism.
• 23:35
  >> So how do they protect themselves?
• 23:38
  >> That's where this new research from the
• 23:39
  University of Rochester comes in. They
• 23:41
  propose an alternate source. Deep layers
• 23:44
  of molten rock called basil magma oceans
• 23:47
  or BMOs which exist at the boundary
• 23:50
  between a planet's mantle and core.
• 23:52
  >> Molten rock generating a magnetic field.
• 23:55
  >> It sounds surprising, but the key is
• 23:57
  what happens to rock under the extreme
• 24:00
  pressures inside super Earths. The
• 24:02
  research team led by associate professor
• 24:04
  Miki Nakajima conducted laser shock
• 24:07
  experiments and quantum simulations to
• 24:09
  recreate the conditions deep inside
• 24:11
  these massive planets.
• 24:13
  >> What did they find
• 24:14
  >> under the crushing pressures found in
• 24:16
  super Earths? We're talking planets 3 to
• 24:18
  six times the mass of Earth. Molten rock
• 24:21
  becomes electrically conductive. And if
• 24:24
  you have electrically conductive
• 24:25
  material in motion, you can generate a
• 24:28
  magnetic field. So these basil magma
• 24:31
  oceans could act like liquid metal cores
• 24:34
  just using rock instead.
• 24:36
  >> Essentially, yes. The movement of this
• 24:38
  electrically conductive molten rock
• 24:40
  could drive what they call a dynamo.
• 24:43
  And according to their models, these
• 24:45
  dynamos could generate magnetic fields
• 24:47
  that are actually stronger and
• 24:48
  longerlasting than those produced by
• 24:50
  core dynamos like Earths.
• 24:52
  >> That's remarkable. How long could these
• 24:54
  fields last?
• 24:55
  >> Billions of years potentially. That's
• 24:58
  important because for a planet to
• 24:59
  develop and sustain life, you need
• 25:01
  stable protection from radiation over
• 25:04
  very long time scales
• 25:05
  >> now. Earth probably had a basil magma
• 25:08
  ocean early in its history. Right?
• 25:11
  >> Yes. Shortly after formation, but Earth
• 25:13
  is relatively small. So as it cooled,
• 25:16
  that magma ocean eventually solidified.
• 25:18
  Super Earth though with their higher
• 25:20
  internal pressures and temperatures
• 25:22
  could maintain these basil magma oceans
• 25:24
  for much much longer potentially
• 25:26
  throughout their entire lifetime.
• 25:28
  >> This has pretty significant implications
• 25:30
  for the search for habitable worlds.
• 25:33
  >> Absolutely. One of the factors in
• 25:35
  determining whether a planet might be
• 25:37
  habitable is whether it has magnetic
• 25:39
  protection. Without a magnetic field, a
• 25:42
  planet's atmosphere can be stripped away
• 25:44
  by stellar wind, making it hard for life
• 25:46
  to survive on the surface. If super
• 25:48
  Earths can generate magnetic fields
• 25:50
  through basil magma oceans, that
• 25:52
  potentially increases the number of
• 25:54
  worlds that could harbor life.
• 25:56
  >> How do we test this theory?
• 25:57
  >> That's the exciting next step. We need
• 26:00
  to actually detect and measure magnetic
• 26:02
  fields around exoplanets, which is
• 26:04
  extremely challenging with current
• 26:06
  technology. But next generation
• 26:08
  telescopes and instruments might be able
• 26:10
  to do it. Professor Nakajima mentioned
• 26:12
  she can't wait for future magnetic field
• 26:14
  observations of exoplanets to test their
• 26:16
  hypothesis. It's fascinating how
• 26:18
  interdisciplinary this research is,
• 26:20
  combining experimental physics, quantum
• 26:23
  simulations, and planetary evolution
• 26:25
  models.
• 26:26
  >> That's what makes it so robust. They
• 26:28
  weren't just working on theory. They
• 26:30
  actually recreated the conditions inside
• 26:32
  supererves with laser shock experiments
• 26:34
  at the laboratory for laser energetics
• 26:36
  at the University of Rochester. Then
• 26:38
  they combined that with computational
• 26:40
  modeling to understand how these
• 26:42
  conditions would evolve over billions of
• 26:44
  years. And this was challenging work for
• 26:46
  the team, wasn't it?
• 26:47
  >> Very much so. Professor Nakajima
• 26:50
  mentioned this was her first
• 26:51
  experimental work. Her background is
• 26:53
  primarily computational. She credited
• 26:55
  support from collaborators across
• 26:57
  various research fields for making this
• 26:59
  interdisciplinary work possible.
• 27:01
  >> It's a great reminder that some of the
• 27:02
  biggest scientific questions require
• 27:05
  bringing together expertise from
• 27:06
  multiple disciplines.
• 27:08
  >> Absolutely. Understanding planetary
• 27:10
  interiors, magnetic field generation,
• 27:13
  and habitability requires geoysics,
• 27:16
  astrophysics, planetary science, and
• 27:18
  material science all working together.
• 27:20
  >> So, the bottom line is super Earths
• 27:23
  might have a built-in radiation shield
• 27:25
  that we didn't know about, potentially
• 27:27
  making more of them candidates for
• 27:29
  harboring life.
• 27:30
  >> That's exactly right. It expands our
• 27:32
  understanding of what makes a planet
• 27:34
  potentially habitable and gives us new
• 27:36
  things to look for when we're evaluating
• 27:38
  exoplanets as possible homes for life.
• 27:40
  >> Well, that wraps up today's edition of
• 27:42
  Astronomy Daily. From solar storms to
• 27:45
  baby stars, Chinese space technology to
• 27:48
  hidden magma oceans on distant worlds.
• 27:50
  It's been quite a journey through the
• 27:52
  cosmos.
• 27:53
  >> It really has. And remember, if you're
• 27:55
  in the northern tier states of the USA
• 27:57
  or Canada tonight, keep an eye on the
• 27:59
  sky for those auroras from that solar
• 28:01
  storm. Could be quite a show.
• 28:03
  >> Thanks for joining us. For the latest
• 28:04
  space and astronomy news delivered fresh
• 28:07
  everyday, be sure to subscribe to
• 28:09
  Astronomy Daily. You can find us on our
• 28:11
  website at astronomyaily.io
• 28:13
  or search for us on your favorite
• 28:15
  podcast platform.
• 28:16
  >> Until next time, keep looking up.
• 28:17
  >> Clear skies, everyone. Astronomy day.
• 28:22
  Stories be told.
• 28:30
  Stories told.