Stellar Explosions, Galactic Surprises, and the Controversial Light Beaming Plan

Space News Today · Dec 9, 2025 · 11m · transcript

### Episode Summary

Real-time images of exploding stars, a surprisingly “gentle” supermassive black hole, the return of a long-duration Soyuz crew, a packed week of launches, Subaru’s first new exoplanet and brown-dwarf finds, and a controversial plan to light up the night sky with orbital mirrors.

### Timestamps & Stories

00:00 – Cold Open

00:35 – Intro

01:05 – **Story 1: Astronomers watch novae explode in real time**

**Key Facts**

- First-ever direct imaging of two novae as they erupted using the CHARA optical interferometer

- V1674 Herculis: fastest nova on record; brightened & faded in…