DeepSummary
The podcast episode discusses several recent science news stories. The first story is about the failed Peregrine lunar lander mission by the company Astrobotic, which was supposed to be the first American probe to land on the moon since the Apollo era. The mission experienced a propulsion system leak and failed to reach the moon, though it was able to perform some experiments before losing power.
The second story covers the use of AI by Global Fishing Watch to track fishing vessels across the world's oceans. The AI algorithm was able to identify millions of previously undetected fishing vessels, providing a more comprehensive understanding of global fishing activity and helping to better manage fisheries.
The final story explains the mysterious 'odd radio circles' (ORCs) recently detected by astronomers around some galaxies. Astronomer Alison Coil and her team discovered that these radio rings were likely created by a simultaneous explosion of massive stars in the center galaxy, solving the mystery of their origin.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- The Peregrine lunar lander mission by Astrobotic failed due to a propulsion system leak, but was still able to conduct some experiments.
- The use of AI by Global Fishing Watch revealed millions of previously undetected fishing vessels, providing a more comprehensive understanding of global fishing activity.
- The mysterious 'odd radio circles' detected around some galaxies were likely caused by simultaneous stellar explosions in the center galaxy.
- NASA has pushed back its timeline for returning humans to the moon, now aiming for an orbit in 2025 and potential landing in 2026 due to issues with the capsule.
- The episode covers significant recent developments in space exploration, fishing management, and astronomical discoveries.
- The failed Peregrine mission highlights the risks and challenges of private space missions compared to NASA's past efforts.
- The use of AI in tracking fishing vessels demonstrates the potential for technology to improve environmental monitoring and resource management.
- The explanation for 'odd radio circles' showcases how scientific inquiry can solve mysteries and expand our understanding of the universe.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “These rings were huge, like one of them was four times the size of the Milky Way.“ by Jeff Brumfield
- “And those explosions are what created the shockwave.“ by Regina Barber
- “They could see some big fishing hotspots they basically completely missed before, for example, in the Bay of Bengal and off the coast of North Korea.“ by Jeff Brumfield
- “NASA also announced this week that it's pushing back its plans to send humans to the moon because of ongoing issues with the capsule that's supposed to carry them. So it's now aiming to have astronauts orbit around the moon in 2025 and maybe land there in 2026.“ by Jeff Brumfield
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Episode Information
Short Wave
NPR
1/12/24
In this episode, host Regina G. Barber talks to Alison Coil, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at University of California San Diego, about her latest research. They break down what ORCs are, where they come from and what they might reveal about how galaxies evolve over billions of years.
Wondering about other happenings across the universe? Email us at shortwave@npr.org – we'd love to hear about it!