Astronomy Daily: Space News Updates

## Today's Headlines:
🛰️ **NOAA Solar Observatory Reaches L1**  
NOAA's Space Weather Follow-On satellite successfully arrived at Lagrange point 1 on January 21st, establishing the first component of a future constellation designed to provide early warning of solar storms and coronal mass ejections. The satellite offers 15-60 minutes advance notice of space weather events that could impact Earth's infrastructure.
🚀 **Challenger Disaster: 40 Years Later**  
Marking four decades since the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy, we examine how unseasonably cold weather and O-ring failures led to the loss of seven crew members. The disaster fundamentally changed NASA's safety culture and decision-making processes, lessons that continue to influence spaceflight today.
🤖 **AI Uncovers Cosmic Treasures in Hubble Archive**  
Advanced artificial intelligence algorithms have identified hundreds of previously undetected gravitational lenses in Hubble Space Telescope data. These discoveries include rare Einstein rings and exotic lensing configurations that provide windows into the early universe and dark matter distribution.
☄️ **Venus's Potential Meteor Shower**  
Astronomers predict Venus may experience a significant meteor shower in July 2026 from debris of asteroid 2002 VT37. The event offers a rare opportunity to study how meteor showers interact with Venus's dense carbon dioxide atmosphere.
🌌 **Stellar Fireworks at the Galactic Center**  
New observations reveal intense stellar activity near Sagittarius A*, our galaxy's supermassive black hole, including star formation, supernovae, and tidal disruption events in one of the most extreme environments in the Milky Way.
📡 **Watch Artemis 2 Rocket Live**  
NASA has launched a 24-hour livestream of the Artemis 2 Space Launch System rocket on Launch Pad 39B as crews prepare for the first crewed lunar mission since 1972, currently targeting April 2026.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrVnsO_rdew
#### Resources & Links:
- Story Sources: SpaceNews, Spectrum Local News, NASA Science, Space.com, Universe Today
- Website: astronomydaily.io
- Social Media: @AstroDailyPod (all platforms)

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily! Join hosts Anna and Avery as they explore today's most fascinating space and astronomy stories.
IN THIS EPISODE:
🌌 NASA's Dark Matter Map
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has created one of the most detailed dark matter maps ever produced, revealing the invisible scaffolding of the universe in unprecedented detail. Scientists mapped nearly 800,000 galaxies, showing how dark matter and regular matter have grown together throughout cosmic history - and how dark matter's influence may have been essential for creating the conditions necessary for life on Earth.
🚀 Weekly Launch Roundup
A busy week in orbital spaceflight with multiple missions planned from Florida, California, and New Zealand. SpaceX prepares to launch GPS III SV09 named after fallen Challenger astronaut Ellison Onizuka, while Rocket Lab readies its "Bridging the Swarm" mission carrying South Korea's NeonSat-1A satellite. Plus updates on multiple Starlink flights and possible Chinese launches.
🌙 Artemis II's Far Side Adventure
The Artemis II crew - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and Jeremy Hansen - are training to become the first humans to see parts of the Moon never before observed by human eyes. Learn about their planned three-hour observation session focusing on Mare Orientale and other hidden lunar features, and how their geology training in Iceland is preparing them for this historic mission.
🪐 Jupiter's Hidden Depths
NASA's Juno spacecraft continues to revolutionize our understanding of Jupiter, revealing that the planet's iconic cloud bands extend 1,900 miles below the surface. Discover recent findings about Jupiter's diluted core, mysterious green lightning flashes, and the remarkably persistent polar cyclones that form octagonal and pentagonal patterns at the planet's poles.
☀️ Antarctica's Exclusive Eclipse
Only about 16 people might witness one of 2026's most spectacular celestial events - a "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse crossing Antarctica on February 17th. Find out about the two research stations in the path of totality, the extreme conditions observers will face, and where else partial views of the eclipse will be visible.
🛸 Starship V3 Update
SpaceX's upgraded Starship rocket test has been rescheduled for mid-March following a November explosion during testing. Learn about the new capabilities of Starship V3, including plans to launch next-generation Starlink satellites and dock with other Starships in orbit - plus how Blue Origin's New Glenn is emerging as competition in the heavy-lift market.
EPISODE LINKS:
• NASA Dark Matter Discovery: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-reveals-new-details-about-dark-matters-influence-on-universe/
• Launch Schedule Details: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/01/launch-roundup-012626/
• Artemis II Far Side Views: https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/01/artemis-first-humans-see-hidden-side-moon/
• Antarctica Eclipse Information: https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/01/2026-ring-of-fire-eclipse/
• Starship Development Update: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/spacex-eyes-mid-march-for-first-test-of-upgraded-starship-rocket/
CONNECT WITH US:
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# Astronomy Daily - S05E22
## Monday, January 26, 2026
Welcome to Astronomy Daily! Join hosts Anna and Avery as they explore the latest developments in space and astronomy, from ambitious plans to terraform Mars to stunning new views of dying stars.
### Episode Highlights
**Mars Terraforming Gets Serious**
Scientists unveil a comprehensive blueprint for transforming Mars into a habitable world. Discover the three-phase plan using Martian resources, engineered nanoparticles, and hardy microorganisms that could warm the Red Planet by 30°C and eventually create breathable air. But should we terraform Mars at all?
**Harvesting Water from Mars' Atmosphere**
While underground ice remains the primary water source for future Mars missions, researchers reveal how atmospheric moisture could provide a crucial backup. Learn about the innovative technologies that could make Mars settlements more self-sufficient.
**Chandra's Cosmic Catalog Milestone**
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has now cataloged over 1.3 million X-ray detections across the sky. We explore this treasure trove of data spanning 22 years of observations, including a stunning view of the Galactic Center with over 3,300 sources in just 60 light-years.
**Earthquake Sensors Track Space Debris**
Ingenious new research shows how seismic monitoring networks can track dangerous falling satellites in near real-time. Discover how scientists reconstructed the trajectory and breakup of China's Shenzhou-15 module using earthquake sensors.
**Water Worlds or Lava Planets?**
Shocking new findings suggest 98% of planets we thought were ocean-bearing "hycean worlds" might actually be molten rock. Learn about the Solidification Shoreline model that's rewriting our understanding of sub-Neptune exoplanets.
**Webb Captures a Dying Star's Beauty**
The James Webb Space Telescope reveals the Helix Nebula in unprecedented detail, showing us the eventual fate of our own Sun. Witness stellar recycling in action as a dying star distributes the building blocks of future worlds.
### Links & Resources
- Research on Mars terraforming strategies
- Advances in Space Research journal study on atmospheric water harvesting
- Chandra Source Catalog: cxc.cfa.harvard.edu/csc/
- Science journal publication on seismic debris tracking
- arXiv preprint on sub-Neptune exoplanet composition
- Webb Space Telescope Helix Nebula observations
For more space news and daily episodes, visit astronomydaily.io
Follow us on social media @AstroDailyPod
---
*Astronomy Daily: Your daily dose of space and astronomy news*

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Rocket Lab's "Hungry Hippos" arrive at Wallops Island despite tank test setback, NASA enlists global volunteers to track Artemis II, ancient lunar impact explains Moon's asymmetry, affordable space memorials launching in 2027, massive exomoon challenges definitions, and an 11th-century monk may have discovered Halley's Comet first.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
🚀 Rocket Lab's Neutron program reaches major milestone as innovative "Hungry Hippo" reusable fairings arrive at Wallops Island after month-long sea journey from New Zealand, though first-stage tank ruptures during qualification testing at Maryland facility
🌕 NASA selects 34 volunteers from 14 countries to track Artemis II mission around the Moon, expanding from 10 participants during Artemis I and representing government agencies, commercial companies, universities, and amateur radio enthusiasts
🌑 China's Chang'e 6 lunar samples reveal unusual potassium isotope ratios in South Pole-Aitken Basin rocks, providing evidence that the giant impact 4.2 billion years ago fundamentally altered the Moon's chemistry and explains why the far side has so few maria
⭐ Space Beyond startup plans to send 1,000 people's ashes to orbit for just $249 using CubeSat technology on SpaceX rideshare mission in October 2027, founded by former Blue Origin engineer Ryan Mitchell
🪐 Astronomers detect potential exomoon around HD 206893 B that may be 40% the mass of Jupiter, so massive it could force redefinition of what constitutes a moon versus binary companion system
☄️ New research reveals 11th-century English monk Eilmer of Malmesbury recognized Halley's Comet's periodicity centuries before Edmond Halley, calling into question the comet's namesake
LINKS & RESOURCES:
• Rocket Lab Neutron development: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/01/hungry-hippos-test-tanks-neutron/
• NASA Artemis II tracking participants: https://www.nasa.gov/technology/space-comms/nasa-selects-participants-to-track-artemis-ii-mission/
• Chang'e 6 lunar impact study: https://www.space.com/astronomy/moon/a-colossal-asteroid-may-have-warped-the-moon-from-the-inside-out
• Space Beyond memorial service: https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/23/this-startup-will-send-1000-peoples-ashes-to-space-affordably-in-2027/
• Massive exomoon discovery: https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/01/alien-moon-massive-redefine-what-a-moon-is/
• Halley's Comet historical research: https://phys.org/news/2026-01-halley-comet-wrongly-11th-century.html
FOLLOW ASTRONOMY DAILY:
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Welcome to Astronomy Daily! Today we explore NASA's inspiring collection of historic keepsakes heading to the Moon on Artemis II, including fabric from the 1903 Wright Flyer. We examine an urgent warning about orbital debris—the CRASH Clock shows catastrophic collision could occur in just 5.5 days if satellites lose maneuvering capability. New analysis of Apollo lunar samples challenges our understanding of where Earth's water came from. Irish researchers solve the mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so quickly in the early universe. Plus, Blue Origin schedules its third New Glenn launch with a reused booster, and NASA's AI tool ExoMiner++ identifies 7,000 new exoplanet candidates in TESS data.
Hosts: Anna & Avery
Episode: S05E20

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