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Lunar Smartphones, Daytime Comet, and Jetty McJetface’s Cosmic Show · Space News Today

• 0:00
  Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source
• 0:03
  for the latest space and astronomy news.
• 0:06
  I'm Anna.
• 0:07
  >> And I'm Avery. We're coming to you on
• 0:09
  Friday, February 6, 2026. And today's
• 0:13
  show is packed with some truly
• 0:14
  incredible stories from across the
• 0:16
  cosmos.
• 0:17
  >> We've got everything from lunar
• 0:19
  smartphones to daytime visible comets.
• 0:22
  Let's dive into today's headlines. We're
• 0:25
  looking at NASA's new policy that lets
• 0:28
  astronauts bring their phones to the
• 0:30
  moon. A newly discovered comet that
• 0:33
  might become visible in broad daylight.
• 0:35
  The best viewing opportunity for Mercury
• 0:38
  all year. China's ambitious plans for
• 0:41
  space-based data centers. New theories
• 0:44
  about what really powers the Milky Ways
• 0:47
  core. And a star shredding black hole
• 0:50
  with an absolutely unforgettable
• 0:52
  nickname. That nickname is pure gold,
• 0:55
  Anna. But first, let's talk about
• 0:57
  something that might seem mundane, but
• 0:59
  is actually pretty revolutionary for
• 1:01
  space exploration.
• 1:02
  >> Avery, I have to admit, when I first saw
• 1:05
  this story, my first thought was, wait,
• 1:07
  they couldn't do that before?
• 1:09
  >> Right? It seems so obvious in 2026. But
• 1:13
  here's the thing. Getting any new
• 1:15
  technology approved for spaceflight is
• 1:17
  incredibly difficult. Everything has to
• 1:19
  be tested to make sure it won't
• 1:20
  interfere with critical systems or cause
• 1:23
  problems in the extreme environment of
• 1:25
  space.
• 1:26
  >> And NASA just announced that starting
• 1:28
  with the crew 12 mission to the
• 1:30
  International Space Station next week.
• 1:32
  And more importantly, with the highly
• 1:35
  anticipated Aremis 2 lunar flyby mission
• 1:38
  in March, astronauts will be allowed to
• 1:40
  bring their smartphones.
• 1:42
  >> This is actually a pretty big deal from
• 1:44
  a documentation perspective. NASA
• 1:46
  administrator Jared Isaacman wrote on
• 1:48
  social media that they're giving crews
• 1:50
  the tools to capture special moments for
• 1:52
  their families and share inspiring
• 1:54
  images and video with the world.
• 1:56
  >> The timing is perfect, too. Until now,
• 1:59
  the newest cameras approved for these
• 2:01
  missions were decade old Nikon DSLRs and
• 2:05
  GoPros. Those are great cameras, but
• 2:08
  there's something more spontaneous and
• 2:10
  accessible about using a smartphone.
• 2:12
  >> Absolutely. Think about it. With iPhones
• 2:14
  and Android devices at hand, astronauts
• 2:17
  can be much more spontaneous with image
• 2:19
  and video gathering. We might see more
• 2:21
  behindthe-scenes moments, more realtime
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  documentation of their experiences.
• 2:26
  >> I'm already imagining the Tik Toks from
• 2:28
  zero gravity. Though, I have to wonder
• 2:30
  if that's something NASA is prepared
• 2:32
  for.
• 2:34
  Well, Isaacman did mention that what's
• 2:36
  equally important is that they
• 2:38
  challenged long-standing processes and
• 2:40
  qualified modern hardware for space
• 2:42
  flight on an expedited timeline. That
• 2:44
  operational urgency, he says, will serve
• 2:47
  NASA well as they pursue high value
• 2:49
  science and research.
• 2:50
  >> Now, I should mention this isn't
• 2:52
  technically the first time smartphones
• 2:54
  have gone to space. SpaceX allowed them
• 2:57
  for their private astronaut missions,
• 2:59
  but this is the first time NASA is
• 3:01
  officially approving them for their own
• 3:03
  crude flights.
• 3:04
  >> And for Artemis 2, this is huge. We're
• 3:07
  talking about the first time humans will
• 3:09
  orbit the moon since the Apollo era.
• 3:12
  Having modern smartphones to document
• 3:14
  that historic journey, that's going to
• 3:16
  give us perspectives we've never had
• 3:17
  before.
• 3:18
  >> Ultra wide angle selfies with the moon
• 3:21
  in the background. I'm here for it.
• 3:23
  Though I do hope mission control sets up
• 3:25
  some kind of social media guidelines
• 3:27
  first.
• 3:28
  >> No doubt. All right, from lunar
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  smartphones to cosmic visitors, let's
• 3:32
  talk about something that's got the
• 3:34
  astronomy community really excited.
• 3:36
  >> Avery, this is the kind of story that
• 3:38
  makes you want to mark your calendar. A
• 3:40
  newly discovered comet has the potential
• 3:43
  to become one of the brightest
• 3:45
  astronomical events of the year. Comet
• 3:47
  C/2026A1
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  nicknamed maps after the four
• 3:52
  astronomers who discovered it my Atard
• 3:55
  Parrot and Signaret was spotted on
• 3:57
  January 13th using a remotely operated
• 4:00
  telescope in Chile's Otakama desert.
• 4:02
  >> And what makes this discovery so
• 4:05
  exciting is that it's a member of the
• 4:07
  Cro sungrazing comet family. These are
• 4:10
  comets that pass extremely close to the
• 4:13
  sun. And historically, they've been
• 4:15
  responsible for some of the most
• 4:17
  spectacular celestial displays ever
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  witnessed.
• 4:20
  >> We're talking about comets that in the
• 4:23
  past became bright enough to be seen in
• 4:25
  broad daylight. The great comet of 1882
• 4:28
  was reportedly 100 times brighter than
• 4:31
  the full moon. And the great comet of
• 4:33
  1965, Eayaseki, was easily visible with
• 4:37
  the naked eye during the day.
• 4:40
  >> Now, here's the crucial detail. All
• 4:43
  CRO's sungrazers are believed to be
• 4:45
  fragments of a much larger comet that
• 4:47
  broke apart hundreds or even thousands
• 4:50
  of years ago. Each time one of these
• 4:52
  fragments makes its close pass by the
• 4:55
  sun, there's a chance it could fragment
• 4:57
  further or even completely disintegrate.
• 5:00
  >> Right? So, there's a big if here. Comet
• 5:03
  maps will pass within just 120,000 km of
• 5:07
  the sun's surface in early April 2026.
• 5:11
  That's incredibly close. If it survives
• 5:13
  that encounter, it could become a
• 5:15
  spectacular site.
• 5:17
  >> What's particularly promising is that
• 5:19
  MAPS was discovered much farther from
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  the sun than any previously discovered
• 5:24
  sunrazer. It was spotted at about 38
• 5:28
  million km out. The previous record
• 5:30
  holder for farthest discovery was comet
• 5:33
  Ikyaski, which turned out to be the
• 5:35
  brightest comet of the 20th century.
• 5:38
  >> That said, technology has advanced
• 5:40
  significantly since 1965. So, we're
• 5:43
  better at detecting fainter objects
• 5:45
  earlier. That means maps probably isn't
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  as large as Ekaski, so it's unlikely to
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  be quite as bright.
• 5:52
  >> But the fact that we caught it so early
• 5:55
  is still a good sign. It suggests maps
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  is either a reasonably large fragment or
• 6:00
  it's currently an outburst. Recent
• 6:03
  observations show it steadily
• 6:05
  brightening, which points toward it
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  being a larger fragment rather than
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  already falling apart.
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  >> So, what can sky watchers expect? Well,
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  the best viewing will be in early April
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  as the comet approaches the sun. If it
• 6:18
  survives its close pass, it could become
• 6:20
  visible to the naked eye, possibly even
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  during daylight hours as it swings
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  closest to the sun.
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  >> Observers in the southern hemisphere
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  will have better viewing opportunities
• 6:30
  with the comet appearing higher in the
• 6:32
  sky during morning twilight. Northern
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  hemisphere observers will have a more
• 6:36
  challenging view with the comet staying
• 6:38
  very close to the sun and low on the
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  horizon. I love that the astronomy
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  community is already tempering
• 6:45
  expectations while still allowing for
• 6:47
  optimism. This could be amazing or it
• 6:49
  could fizzle out. That's the
• 6:51
  unpredictable nature of comets.
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  >> And that unpredictability is part of
• 6:55
  what makes them so exciting. We'll
• 6:58
  definitely be keeping our eyes on comet
• 7:00
  maps as April approaches.
• 7:02
  >> Speaking of things to watch in the sky,
• 7:04
  there's another elusive celestial object
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  that's putting on its best show right
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  now. You know, Avery, Mercury gets a bad
• 7:12
  reputation as the elusive planet, but I
• 7:15
  think that's a bit unfair.
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  >> I completely agree. Most astronomy books
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  make it sound like Mercury is almost
• 7:22
  impossible to see, but the truth is you
• 7:25
  just need to know when and where to
• 7:26
  look.
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  >> Exactly. And right now, we're entering
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  the best evening viewing window for
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  Mercury in all of 2026 for observers in
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  the northern hemisphere. observers.
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  Mercury began its best evening
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  apparition of the year today, February
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  6th. Even though it was only 12° from
• 7:44
  the sun initially, it was shining at a
• 7:47
  bright minus1.1,
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  nearly as bright as Sirius, the
• 7:51
  brightest star in the night sky. What's
• 7:53
  great is that on each of the next 13
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  evenings, Mercury gets progressively
• 7:58
  higher in the sky and sets a bit later.
• 8:01
  By February 19th, it reaches what's
• 8:04
  called greatest elongation. its maximum
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  angular separation from the sun at 18
• 8:10
  degrees.
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  >> And here's what makes this appearance so
• 8:13
  special for mid-n northern latitude
• 8:14
  observers. Almost all of that separation
• 8:17
  is vertical. Mercury will stand nearly
• 8:20
  17° above the horizon at sunset, and it
• 8:23
  won't set until after astronomical
• 8:25
  twilight ends. So, we're talking about
• 8:28
  being able to see Mercury in a truly
• 8:31
  dark night sky, more than an hour and a
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  half after sunset, shining at magnitude
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  -0.4.
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  That's brighter than the star Arct
• 8:40
  Turus. Now, there's a really nice
• 8:42
  celestial alignment coming up on
• 8:44
  February 18th. A slender waxing crescent
• 8:47
  moon, only about 2% illuminated, will
• 8:50
  appear very close to Mercury. The moon
• 8:53
  will be this beautiful smile in the
• 8:55
  western sky with Mercury hovering right
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  above it like a brilliant star.
• 8:59
  >> And here's something special. If you
• 9:01
  live in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana,
• 9:04
  Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, or
• 9:06
  Florida, you might actually see the moon
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  pass directly in front of Mercury around
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  7:37 p.m. Eastern time and 7:30 p.m.
• 9:16
  Central time.
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  >> That's called an occultation, and it's
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  quite rare. Even if you're not in those
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  states, the close pairing of the
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  crescent moon and bright Mercury will
• 9:26
  make for a stunning view about 45
• 9:28
  minutes after sunset.
• 9:30
  >> Now, after its peak on February 19th,
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  Mercury fades rapidly. Remember, we
• 9:36
  talked about how Mercury shows phases
• 9:39
  like the moon. Well, at the beginning of
• 9:41
  February, Mercury's disc was 97%
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  illuminated. By the time it reaches
• 9:47
  greatest elongation, it's only 50%
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  illuminated. like a half moon.
• 9:52
  >> And in the following days, that rapidly
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  decreasing phase results in a dramatic
• 9:57
  loss in brightness. By February 24th,
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  it'll have faded from magnitude minus0.4
• 10:03
  to magnitude plus 0.6, losing more than
• 10:06
  a full magnitude in brightness. By
• 10:09
  February 26th, it'll be down to
• 10:12
  magnitude plus 1.3, just slightly
• 10:15
  brighter than the star Regulus, and
• 10:17
  appearing as a slender crescent, only
• 10:20
  17% illuminated. That's probably going
• 10:23
  to be the last good chance to spot it
• 10:26
  before it disappears into the sunset
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  glow.
• 10:29
  >> So, the message is clear. If you want to
• 10:31
  see Mercury at its best, don't wait. The
• 10:34
  next two weeks offer the best viewing
• 10:36
  opportunity of the entire year. Find a
• 10:39
  clear western horizon. Look about 45
• 10:41
  minutes after sunset, and you'll be
• 10:43
  rewarded with a bright star that's
• 10:45
  actually our solar system's innermost
• 10:48
  planet. And honestly, once you see it,
• 10:51
  you'll wonder why people ever called it
• 10:53
  elusive. All right, shifting gears now
• 10:56
  to some developments in space technology
• 10:58
  and infrastructure. The race to build
• 11:01
  data centers in space is heating up, and
• 11:04
  China just announced they're joining the
• 11:06
  competition in a big way.
• 11:08
  >> The stateowned China Aerospace Science
• 11:10
  and Technology Corporation has announced
• 11:12
  that space-based data centers will be
• 11:15
  part of their new 5-year plan for
• 11:16
  expanding China's presence in space.
• 11:19
  >> This is part of a larger initiative that
• 11:22
  also includes asteroid mining, space
• 11:24
  debris monitoring, and even space
• 11:27
  tourism. But the data center component
• 11:30
  is particularly interesting because it
• 11:32
  puts China in direct competition with
• 11:35
  several US companies already working on
• 11:37
  this concept.
• 11:38
  >> According to the China Global Television
• 11:40
  Network, the plan will target an
• 11:43
  integrated space system architecture
• 11:45
  combining cloud, edge, and terminal
• 11:47
  technologies. The goal is to enable
• 11:50
  computing power, storage, and
• 11:52
  transmission capabilities from space.
• 11:54
  Now, why are so many countries and
• 11:57
  companies suddenly interested in putting
• 11:59
  data centers in orbit? Well, it comes
• 12:02
  down to resources. Data centers,
• 12:04
  especially those powering AI systems,
• 12:07
  require enormous amounts of energy and
• 12:10
  real estate,
• 12:11
  >> and both of those are becoming more
• 12:13
  expensive and limited on Earth. In
• 12:15
  space, solar power is abundant and
• 12:17
  reliable. The sun is always shining.
• 12:20
  Plus, there's no shortage of real estate
• 12:22
  in orbit.
• 12:23
  >> Several US companies are already working
• 12:26
  on this. SpaceX plans to launch
• 12:28
  space-based data centers, initially
• 12:31
  using modified Starlink satellites. Elon
• 12:34
  Musk's long-term plans even include
• 12:36
  building AI satellite factories on the
• 12:39
  moon that would launch satellites via
• 12:41
  rail guns.
• 12:42
  >> That's very Elon. Meanwhile,
• 12:45
  Houstonbased Axiom Space already
• 12:47
  launched the first components for its
• 12:49
  orbiting data center last year, and
• 12:51
  Google is looking into launching data
• 12:53
  centers to support its own AI
• 12:55
  infrastructure. The concept was even
• 12:58
  discussed at the World Economic Forum
• 13:00
  and Davos. Last month, a panel including
• 13:03
  European Space Agency Director General
• 13:06
  Joseph Ashbacher talked about ensuring
• 13:09
  that fast-moving technological
• 13:11
  developments like internet
• 13:13
  infrastructure are properly protected.
• 13:16
  There is one significant concern that
• 13:18
  was raised though. With so many
• 13:19
  satellites and data centers being
• 13:21
  planned for orbit, we're looking at a
• 13:23
  dramatic increase in the number of
• 13:25
  objects in space. That raises questions
• 13:28
  about orbital debris, satellite
• 13:30
  collisions, and the long-term
• 13:31
  sustainability of the space environment.
• 13:34
  >> Right? We already have issues with space
• 13:37
  debris. Adding thousands more satellites
• 13:39
  for data centers could exacerbate that
• 13:42
  problem. It's going to require careful
• 13:44
  planning and international cooperation
• 13:47
  to make sure we don't create an
• 13:49
  unsustainable situation in orbit.
• 13:52
  >> The next 5 years are going to be really
• 13:54
  interesting as we see how this unfolds.
• 13:56
  Will space-based data centers become the
• 13:58
  norm? Or will we find that the
• 14:00
  challenges outweigh the benefits? Time
• 14:02
  will tell.
• 14:03
  >> From the future of computing to the very
• 14:06
  heart of our galaxy, our next story
• 14:09
  challenges something we thought we knew
• 14:11
  for certain. Avery, this story is
• 14:14
  fascinating because it challenges one of
• 14:16
  the fundamental assumptions about our
• 14:18
  galaxy. For decades, the astronomical
• 14:20
  community has accepted that there's a
• 14:22
  super massive black hole called
• 14:24
  Sagittarius A star at the center of our
• 14:27
  Milky Way. This black hole with a mass
• 14:30
  of about 4 million suns was thought to
• 14:33
  govern the orbits of nearby stars and
• 14:36
  shape the gravitational environment of
• 14:38
  our galactic core.
• 14:39
  >> But now, a new study published in
• 14:42
  monthly notices of the Royal
• 14:43
  Astronomical Society is proposing
• 14:46
  something radical. What if it's not a
• 14:49
  black hole at all? What if it's actually
• 14:51
  an enormous dense core of dark matter?
• 14:54
  >> This is a pretty bold claim. The
• 14:57
  research was conducted by an
• 14:58
  international team from Argentina,
• 15:00
  Italy, and other institutions. They're
• 15:03
  suggesting that what we've been calling
• 15:05
  a super massive black hole could
• 15:07
  actually be an exotic structure composed
• 15:09
  of firmianic dark matter.
• 15:11
  >> Let me explain what that means.
• 15:13
  Firmionic dark matter is composed of
• 15:16
  light particles called firmians that
• 15:19
  follow the polyexclusion principle. This
• 15:22
  type of dark matter could form a highly
• 15:24
  dense but non-s singular structure. In
• 15:27
  other words, incredibly compact, but not
• 15:30
  technically a black hole. What's clever
• 15:32
  about this model is that it proposes a
• 15:34
  dual component system. There would be a
• 15:37
  dense inner core at the galactic center,
• 15:39
  but it would transition smoothly into an
• 15:41
  extended diffuse halo that envelops the
• 15:44
  entire galaxy.
• 15:46
  >> And this is where it gets really
• 15:47
  interesting. This same dark matter
• 15:50
  structure could explain both the violent
• 15:52
  orbits of stars very close to the
• 15:54
  galactic center and the gentle rotation
• 15:57
  of stars in the outer regions of the
• 15:59
  galaxy, all without needing a black
• 16:01
  hole.
• 16:02
  >> The team looked at the SARS. These are
• 16:04
  stars that orbit the galactic center at
• 16:06
  incredible speeds up to thousands of
• 16:09
  kilometers/s.
• 16:10
  The traditional explanation is that
• 16:12
  they're orbiting a super massive black
• 16:14
  hole.
• 16:15
  >> But the firmionic dark matter model can
• 16:17
  also explain these orbits. The dense
• 16:20
  core would be compact and massive enough
• 16:22
  to create the same gravitational pull
• 16:24
  that we've been attributing to a black
• 16:26
  hole.
• 16:27
  >> Now, here's a crucial point. In 2022,
• 16:30
  the Event Horizon Telescope captured the
• 16:33
  first image of what we've been calling
• 16:34
  the shadow of Sagittarius A star. You'd
• 16:37
  think that would prove it's a black
• 16:39
  hole, right?
• 16:40
  >> You'd think, but the researchers point
• 16:42
  out that the dense dark matter core can
• 16:45
  also mimic this shadow. It bends light
• 16:48
  with such intense force that it creates
• 16:50
  a central darkness surrounded by a
• 16:53
  bright ring, the same visual signature
• 16:55
  we'd expect from a black hole. Lead
• 16:58
  author Valentina Kresby noted that their
• 17:00
  model explains the star orbits, the
• 17:02
  galaxy's rotation, and it's consistent
• 17:05
  with that famous black hole shadow
• 17:07
  image. The team's statistical analysis
• 17:09
  shows that with current data, we can't
• 17:12
  yet decisively distinguish between the
• 17:14
  traditional black hole scenario and the
• 17:16
  firmionic dark matter one. But what
• 17:18
  makes the dark matter model attractive
• 17:20
  is that it provides a unified framework.
• 17:23
  Instead of having the black hole as one
• 17:25
  thing and dark matter as something
• 17:27
  separate, this model suggests they could
• 17:29
  be two manifestations of the same
• 17:31
  continuous substance. Co-author Dr.
• 17:34
  Carlos Argues made an important point.
• 17:37
  This is the first time a dark matter
• 17:39
  model has managed to reconcile such
• 17:41
  vastly different scales. They can
• 17:43
  explain everything from the central star
• 17:45
  orbits to the galaxy's overall rotation
• 17:48
  curve using the same dark matter
• 17:50
  structure.
• 17:51
  >> So what's next? Well, the team says that
• 17:54
  more precise observations will be
• 17:56
  crucial. Instruments like the gravity
• 17:58
  interparometer on Chile's very large
• 18:00
  telescope could help distinguish between
• 18:03
  the two scenarios.
• 18:04
  >> They're also looking for the unique
• 18:06
  signature of photon rings, a key feature
• 18:09
  of black holes that would be absent in
• 18:11
  the dark matter core scenario. If future
• 18:13
  observations don't find these photon
• 18:16
  rings, that would be strong evidence for
• 18:18
  the dark matter model. This is such a
• 18:20
  great example of how science works. We
• 18:23
  have this wellestablished theory about
• 18:25
  Sagittarius a star being a black hole
• 18:28
  and it might still be. But it's
• 18:30
  important that scientists are willing to
• 18:32
  challenge these assumptions and explore
• 18:34
  alternative explanations.
• 18:35
  >> Absolutely. And regardless of which
• 18:38
  model turns out to be correct, we're
• 18:40
  learning more about dark matter, black
• 18:42
  holes, and the fundamental nature of
• 18:44
  what sits at the heart of our galaxy.
• 18:47
  It's exciting stuff. And speaking of
• 18:49
  black holes, our final story today
• 18:51
  features one with an absolutely
• 18:53
  delightful name that's doing something
• 18:55
  truly unprecedented.
• 18:57
  >> Okay, Avery, I have to start by saying
• 19:00
  Jetty McJetface might be the best
• 19:03
  astronomical object name I've ever
• 19:05
  heard.
• 19:06
  >> It's amazing, right? University of
• 19:08
  Oregon astrophysicist Dr. I bet Kendis
• 19:11
  coined the nickname as a reference to
• 19:13
  Bodie McBoatface, that British research
• 19:16
  vessel that became internet famous when
• 19:18
  a public poll chose its name.
• 19:20
  >> But the name might be playful. The
• 19:22
  phenomenon is dead serious. We're
• 19:25
  talking about one of the most energetic
• 19:26
  and brightest events ever detected in
• 19:29
  the universe.
• 19:30
  >> Let's back up and explain what's
• 19:31
  happening here. In 2018, astronomers
• 19:34
  detected what's called a title
• 19:36
  disruption event. That's when a star
• 19:38
  gets too close to a black hole and gets
• 19:40
  torn apart by its immense gravitational
• 19:42
  forces.
• 19:43
  >> The technical term for what happens to
• 19:45
  the star is spaghettification.
• 19:47
  The star literally gets stretched out
• 19:50
  like spaghetti by the extreme
• 19:51
  gravitational gradient.
• 19:53
  >> Now, tidal disruption events aren't
• 19:55
  uncommon. Astronomers have documented
• 19:58
  plenty of cases where a star gets
• 20:00
  shredded without actually crossing the
• 20:01
  event horizon, the point of no return.
• 20:04
  But what makes this particular event
• 20:06
  officially designated AT2018hyz
• 20:10
  so unusual is what happened after the
• 20:13
  star was destroyed. For a few years
• 20:15
  nothing much happened. Then in 2022 Dr.
• 20:19
  Kendis noticed something strange. The
• 20:21
  black hole was suddenly emitting a huge
• 20:24
  amount of energy in radio waves even
• 20:26
  though the star had been destroyed years
• 20:28
  earlier. That piqued her curiosity and
• 20:31
  she and her team started monitoring it
• 20:33
  closely. What they found is absolutely
• 20:36
  remarkable. The radio emissions have
• 20:38
  continue to increase exponentially. The
• 20:41
  black hole is now 50 times brighter in
• 20:43
  radio waves than it was when they first
• 20:45
  detected it in 2019.
• 20:47
  >> To put that energy output in
• 20:48
  perspective, the researchers say it's at
• 20:51
  least a trillion times more powerful
• 20:53
  than the fictional Death Star from Star
• 20:55
  Wars. Some estimates put it closer to
• 20:58
  100 trillion times more powerful.
• 21:00
  >> Dr. Kenda said, "This is really unusual.
• 21:03
  I'd be hardressed to think of anything
• 21:05
  rising like this over such a long period
• 21:07
  of time."
• 21:08
  >> So, what's creating all this energy?
• 21:11
  Well, the black hole is producing what's
• 21:13
  called a relativistic jet, a stream of
• 21:16
  charged particles moving at nearly the
• 21:19
  speed of light, all shooting out in one
• 21:21
  direction. The leading theory is that
• 21:24
  after the star was shredded, it took
• 21:26
  some time for that stellar material to
• 21:28
  form an accretion disc around the black
• 21:30
  hole. Once that disc formed, magnetic
• 21:33
  fields began channeling some of that
• 21:35
  material away from the black hole as
• 21:37
  this incredibly powerful jet.
• 21:39
  >> And here's the crazy part. The team has
• 21:42
  collected enough data now to predict
• 21:44
  that the jet will keep increasing in
• 21:46
  brightness before peaking sometime in
• 21:49
  2027. The energy output is comparable to
• 21:53
  gammaray bursts which are generally
• 21:55
  considered among the most energetic
• 21:57
  events in the universe. But what makes
• 21:59
  jetty mcjet face special is that it's
• 22:01
  been building for years rather than
• 22:03
  being a brief flash.
• 22:05
  >> Dr. Kendes made an interesting point
• 22:08
  about why this might be the first time
• 22:10
  we're seeing something like this. She
• 22:12
  noted that securing time on
• 22:13
  international telescopes is extremely
• 22:16
  competitive. If you observe an
• 22:18
  explosion, why would you expect there to
• 22:20
  be something years after it happened?
• 22:23
  >> Right? So, there could be other black
• 22:24
  holes exhibiting similar behavior, but
• 22:27
  astronomers haven't been looking for
• 22:28
  long-term effects from tidal disruption
• 22:31
  events because they had no reason to
• 22:32
  expect them.
• 22:34
  >> Now, Dr. Kendes is on the hunt for other
• 22:36
  examples. She wants to know if Jetty
• 22:38
  McJetface is truly unique or if this is
• 22:42
  actually a common phenomenon that we've
• 22:44
  just been missing. The good news for
• 22:46
  Earth is that we're in no danger from
• 22:48
  this particular cosmic event. Daddy
• 22:50
  McJet face is far enough away that its
• 22:53
  incredible energy output poses no threat
• 22:55
  to us. We just get to observe one of the
• 22:58
  universe's most spectacular shows from a
• 23:00
  safe distance.
• 23:01
  >> It's discoveries like this that remind
• 23:03
  us how much we still have to learn about
• 23:06
  the universe. Black holes continue to
• 23:08
  surprise us even after decades of study.
• 23:11
  >> Absolutely. And I love that Dr. Kendes
• 23:14
  gave it such a memorable name. Jetty
• 23:16
  McJetface is going to be in astronomy
• 23:18
  textbooks for years to come.
• 23:20
  >> And that wraps up another incredible day
• 23:23
  of space and astronomy news. From
• 23:26
  smartphones going to the moon to star
• 23:29
  shredding black holes with unforgettable
• 23:31
  nicknames. It's been quite a journey.
• 23:34
  >> Don't forget to mark your calendars for
• 23:36
  Mercury viewing over the next two weeks.
• 23:38
  And keep an eye on the sky in April for
• 23:40
  what could be a spectacular daytime
• 23:42
  comet. Thanks for joining us on
• 23:44
  Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna.
• 23:46
  >> And I'm Avery. Keep looking up and we'll
• 23:48
  see you next time.
• 23:49
  >> Clear skies, everyone. Astronomy day.
• 23:54
  Stories told.