November 17, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode of SpaceTime, we explore the latest astronomical phenomena and significant discoveries that are shaping our understanding of Earth and space.
Auroral Displays Light Up the Skies
Planet Earth has been treated to an extraordinary display of auroras, with both the Aurora Australis and Aurora Borealis lighting up the skies following three powerful X-class solar flares, including an X 5.1 event on November 11. This segment dives into the mechanics behind these solar flares, the resulting coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and how they triggered spectacular auroras visible at lower latitudes than usual, including sightings as far north as Cairns and even Florida.
Largest Modern Impact Crater Discovered
Scientists have uncovered what is believed to be the largest modern impact crater on Earth, the 900-metre-wide Jinling Crater in southern China. This well-preserved structure, dating back to the Holocene epoch, offers new insights into extraterrestrial impacts and their effects on our planet. The discovery challenges previous assumptions about the frequency and scale of impacts from small celestial bodies and highlights the importance of studying such geological features.
Nasa's Key Communications Dish Out of Service
In a significant setback for NASA, the 70-metre Goldstone deep space communications dish has been rendered inoperable due to an accident that occurred in September. The incident has raised concerns about the strain on NASA's Deep Space Network, especially with upcoming missions like Artemis 2. We discuss the implications of this loss for various space missions and the efforts being made to mitigate the impact on communications.
The Science Robert
In our science report, we highlight a new projection from the World Meteorological Organisation indicating that 2025 is unlikely to be the hottest year on record, but it will rank among the top three. We also address public health concerns surrounding a measles alert in Australia, linked to declining vaccination rates, and the potential resurgence of preventable diseases. This segment underscores the importance of vaccination in maintaining herd immunity and protecting public health.
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com
✍️ Episode References
Journal of Geophysical Research
Nature Communications
World Meteorological Organisation Reports
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-your-guide-to-space-astronomy--2458531/support.
Auroral Displays Light Up the Skies
Planet Earth has been treated to an extraordinary display of auroras, with both the Aurora Australis and Aurora Borealis lighting up the skies following three powerful X-class solar flares, including an X 5.1 event on November 11. This segment dives into the mechanics behind these solar flares, the resulting coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and how they triggered spectacular auroras visible at lower latitudes than usual, including sightings as far north as Cairns and even Florida.
Largest Modern Impact Crater Discovered
Scientists have uncovered what is believed to be the largest modern impact crater on Earth, the 900-metre-wide Jinling Crater in southern China. This well-preserved structure, dating back to the Holocene epoch, offers new insights into extraterrestrial impacts and their effects on our planet. The discovery challenges previous assumptions about the frequency and scale of impacts from small celestial bodies and highlights the importance of studying such geological features.
Nasa's Key Communications Dish Out of Service
In a significant setback for NASA, the 70-metre Goldstone deep space communications dish has been rendered inoperable due to an accident that occurred in September. The incident has raised concerns about the strain on NASA's Deep Space Network, especially with upcoming missions like Artemis 2. We discuss the implications of this loss for various space missions and the efforts being made to mitigate the impact on communications.
The Science Robert
In our science report, we highlight a new projection from the World Meteorological Organisation indicating that 2025 is unlikely to be the hottest year on record, but it will rank among the top three. We also address public health concerns surrounding a measles alert in Australia, linked to declining vaccination rates, and the potential resurgence of preventable diseases. This segment underscores the importance of vaccination in maintaining herd immunity and protecting public health.
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com
✍️ Episode References
Journal of Geophysical Research
Nature Communications
World Meteorological Organisation Reports
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-your-guide-to-space-astronomy--2458531/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Spacetime Series twenty eight, Episode one hundred and
thirty five for broadcasts on the seventeenth of November twenty
twenty five. Coming up on Space Time, spectacular auroral activity
cover the planet skies, Earth's largest modern impact crater discovered
in southern China, and a key NASA communications disc damaged
and out of action. All that and more coming up
(00:22):
on space Time.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to space Time with Stuart Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Planet Earth's been treated to a spectacular series of auroral displays,
the Aurora Australas and Aurora Borealis. The Southern and Northern
lights were triggered by three massive X class solar flares,
including a next five point one event on November eleven,
Remember and Stay, which was the most powerful blast this
year and the most intense since October twenty twenty four.
(01:05):
These explosions triggered a series of chronal mass ejections or CMEs,
including a fast so called Cannibal CME, traveling at fifteen
hundred kilomets per second, which caught up with and consumed
to earlier CMEs as all three headed directly towards the Earth.
The events were monitored by so ASLASCOW and the GOES
nineteen core one chronographs. The X five point one event
(01:29):
was caused by an eruption from a highly active sunspot
region known as AAR forty two to seventy four, which
had been erupting violently for days. AAR forty two seventy
four is enormous, with primary duck umbracres as wide or
even wider than the Earth and an overall active region
more than a dozen earths in diameter. The number of
sun spots on the solar surface increases as the Sun
(01:52):
moves towards solar maximum solar MAX, the climax of its
eleven year solar cycle. The current solar cycle twenty five
began back in November twenty nineteen, and he's now at
its peak, so this sort of activity really isn't all
that unusual. Sunspots are cooler and hence darker looking regions
on the Sun's surface caused by magnetic field lines from
(02:13):
deep inside the Sun extending out into space. As different
latitudes of the Sun rotate at different rates, these magnetic
field lines become twisted and can snap, causing magnetic reconnection
and triggering powerful blasts of energy called solar flares. Solar
flares are categorized in five main groups, A, B, C, M,
(02:34):
and X based on their X ray intensity, with X
being the most powerful. Each class represents a logarithmic tenfold
increase in energy, and each grouping is further divided into
subclasses from one to nine, except for X class events
which can exceed nine and so are considered open ended.
Solar flares can trigger coronal mass ejections or CMEs. These
(02:57):
are blasts of magnetic energy in charged particle or plasma
from the Sun which can be flung deep into space
as geomagnetic storms. When these solar storms reach the Earth,
the flux of ionized particles can slam into the planet's
magnetosphere and are guided by the planet's magnetic field lines
through the ionosphere, a region already filled with charged particles,
(03:17):
and down towards the north and South magnetic poles. This
triggers the excitation of atoms and molecules in the atmosphere,
causing auroral displays, just like those we've just witnessed. Different
atoms and molecules light up in different colors at different altitudes.
The colours being emitted depends on the particles being ionized
reddish brown glows are caused by the collision of particles
(03:40):
with single oxygen atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere, usually
above three hundred kilometers. Lower down, a green hue is
created by single oxygen atoms. Down to an altitude of
around one hundred kilometers, the kaleidoscope turns to a whitish,
yellowish beige, and nitrogens mixed in with the oxygen. Aurora
also exhibit blue, red, and evil purple blows in the
(04:01):
lower atmosphere. These are caused by the excitation of molecular
nitrogen Below one hundred kilometers. Auroral displays are common at
high latitudes, but these latest events were seen globally at
far lower latitudes than usual, including reports from Sydney and
even as far north as Cairns in tropical Queensland north
of the equator. Auroral activity was seen as far south
(04:21):
as Florida. Space weather forecaster Gene Young from the Australian
Bureau of Meteorology says auroral events are spectacular and well
worth a look if you get the chance.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
You do have to be pretty lucky to see an aurora,
but if you do see one, you won't be disappointed.
The brightest auroras are concentrated in rings called the aurora
ovals around the North or South poles. The auroras in
the northern hemisphere are called Aurora borealis. Southern lights are
(04:53):
called Aurora australis. Astrallus comes from the Latin word for
southern Their best feud from Antarctica tasmi and the southern
mainland coastlines. The colors displayed by an aurora are generally
visible to the naked eye if you're near the pooles.
This is because the aurora is overhead and more intense. However,
at lower latitudes, the auroras are on the horizon, less
(05:15):
color is seen by the naked eye. The lights tend
to be shades of gray. However, if there is a
high intense solar storm, there will be more color. Auroras
can occur at any time in the year, but they're
most likely to occur during the months of March and September.
That's when the Earth's magnetic field is best oriented to
interact with the solar wind. Of course, you ideally need
(05:37):
a dark night with little cloud cover. You don't want
a bright moon or any light pollution, so good location
is a dark beach or a hill where you have
an unobstructed view to the south. Bright auroras usually last
for one to three hours, and the best viewing time
is around midnight between ten pm and two am. When
we forecast solar wind conditions that look favorable for auras
(06:00):
occurring in the next one to three days, the forecasters
from the Bureau Space Weather Center issue what's called an
aurora watch notice when there's a high chance that there
will be an aurora visible. Now, we issue an aurora alert.
To be truthful, nothing beat seeing an aurora with the naked.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Eye that space with the forecast Genine Young from the
Bureau of Meteorology. But as well as spectacular auroral displays,
these space wheather events can damage or even destroy spacecraft.
They can disrupt communications and navigation systems, force aircraft to
change their flight paths, trigger widespread power blackouts, and increase
radiation exposure for astronauts and people in high altitude aircraft.
(06:41):
All three of the coronal mass ejections last week slammed
into the Earth, with the most severe X five point
one class event, powerful enough to cause radio blackouts across
Africa and Europe and disrupt high frequency communications on Earth.
Sunlit side. Forecasters from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAH are evaluating the Sun's activity and they could increase
(07:01):
the threat level. According to the Space Weather Scales, there
is currently a G three watching effect, which means there's
a strong chance a geomagnetic storm could disrupt its magnetic
field and effect communications. If NOAH raises the watch level
to a G four, that means there's a higher chance
of widespread problems with electrical communications and spacecraft operations. The
(07:23):
highest watch level is a G five. This report from NOAH.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
What is space weather? When you think of weather, you
probably think of Earth's weather snow, rain, and of course sunshine.
Thank goodness, we only have Earth's weather to worry about, right.
Actually that's not quite true. Did you know the Sun
has weather?
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Two.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
We call this space weather. The Sun is a bubbling,
boiling ball of gas and energy. It constantly belches out
great clouds of hot gas that is charged up with electricity.
This stuff travels through space really fast, some of it
right toward Earth. This means that Earth's weather happens inside
(08:12):
the Sun's weather. Thank goodness, we're mostly protected from this
blast by Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Solar wind flows
outward from the Sun charged particles, and that solar wind
interact with Earth's magnetic field. That interaction can cause energy
(08:34):
and particles to stream down to Earth's poles. When these
charged particles hit oxygen and nitrogen atoms in Earth's atmosphere,
the energy from the collision can create beautiful shades of
green and red. We call these glowing colors the Northern
lights and Southern lights, or the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australia.
(09:02):
They are beautiful curtains of light that move and sway
in the night sky. But sometimes the Sun releases more
energy than usual. These sudden and intense hiccups and burbs
are called solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These are
huge explosions of high energy X rays, charged particles, and
(09:27):
magnetic field. When the Sun's burps of X rays and
charged particles and magnetic field reach Earth, they can cause trouble.
Bad space weather can interrupt radio signals. It can also
damage satellites. Electrical systems that bring power to our homes
and businesses can be knocked out by this bad space
(09:49):
weather too. That is why the goes short for Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellite has instruments like the Solar X Ray
Imager to monitor the space around Earth for an increase
in high energy particles from the Sun. We can't see
the Sun's harmful X rays with our eyes, but these
(10:11):
special telescopes can. Forecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center
analyze these observations and issue alerts and warnings about space
weather that could harm satellites and the power grid. With
early detection from satellites like the goes Are series, power
companies and satellite operators alike will have enough time to
(10:33):
adapt to any troubling space weather headed our way.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
This is space time still to come. Earth's largest modern
impact credit discovered in southern China, and a key NASA
communications dishes damaged and out of action. All that and
most still to colm on space time, scientists have discovered
(11:07):
what appears to be the largest modern impact crater on Earth.
The nine hundred meters wide Ginlling Crater was founding Guandong
Province in southern China, nestled on a hillside and preserved
within thick granite weathering crust. A report in the journal
Matter and Radiation at Extremes claims the impact structure dates
to Earth's current geological epoch and is remarkably well preserved now.
(11:30):
Based on measurements of nearby soil erosion. The studies authors
claim the impact likely hit during the early to mid Holocene,
that's the current geological epoch, which began at the end
of the Last Ice Age around eleven thousand, seven hundred
years ago. The steadiesly author Mingcheng says it's one of
only around two hundred identified craters worldwide and could provide
(11:50):
new insights on how extraterrestrial bodies collide with the Earth.
It's also the largest known impact crater from the Holocene,
far exceeding Russia's three hundred made a Malca crater, previously
the largest known impact structure from this eparch. Ming says
the discovery shows that the scale of impacts from small
extraterrestrial objects on the Earth in the Holocene is far
(12:11):
greater than previously recorded. In this case, the impact would
have been a metia or rather than a comet, which
would have left a crater at least ten kilometers wide. However,
Ming and colleagues have not yet determined whether the impacting
meteorite was made of iron or stone. The authors say
one of the most surprising traits of the crater is
how well preserved it is, especially given the regions monsoons,
(12:33):
heavy rainfall, and high humidity, all conditions that accelerate erosion
within the granite layers that helped to protect and preserve
of the impact structure. The authors found many pieces of
quartz with unique micro features called planar defamation features. Geologists
can use this as evidence for some specific types of impacts.
Ming says on Earth, the formation of planar deformation features
(12:56):
in quartz only happens in really intense shock waves generated
by telets to your body impacts, and its formation pressure
ranges from ten to thirty five gigapascals, which is a
shock effect that cannot be produced by any geological processes
of the Earth itself. Now, it's generally accepted that throughout
Earth's history, virtually every point on the planet's surface faces
(13:17):
a roughly equal chance of being hit by an extraterrestrial object. However,
geological differences mean the historical footprints of these impacts have
been eroded at different rates, and many have now fully disappeared,
and that makes the Ginlin Crater's discovery especially significant, Ming,
says the impact crater is a true record of Earth's
impact history, and the discovery can provide scientists with a
(13:40):
more objective basis for understanding the distribution, geological evolution, and
impact history of small terrestrial bodies. This is space time
still to come. NASAs confirmed that its key seventy meter
Goldstone deep space communications dish is out of service following
a major accident, and later when the science report a
(14:01):
new study says twenty twenty five won't be the hottest
yur on record, but it will come in second or third.
All that and more still to come on spacetime. NASA
(14:26):
has now confirmed that its key seventy meter Goldstone deep
space communications dish is out of service following a major
accident back in September. A re book by NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Passing to California, which operates the facility,
says the antenna, located near Barstow, was over rotated, damaging
cabling and piping in the center of the structure. JPL
(14:48):
says hoses from the antenna's fire suppression system were also
damaged in the incident, resulting in flooding. There is no
timetable yet for its return to service. The antenna, designated
DSS fourteen is the largest at the Goldstone complex and
is essential for communication with multiple missions.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
The facility does have four other antennas, but they're all
small at thirty four meta dishes. NASAs Deep Space Network
does have two other seventy meta dishes, one at its
camera facility at Tidbinbilla and the other near Madrid in Spain,
but the loss of DSS fourteen is putting extra strain
on the rest of the network, which is already at capacity,
(15:27):
especially with the upcoming Artemis two man mission to the Moon,
which is slated for launch in April next year, although
an earlier launch date of February is being considered. Other
missions being affected include the web Space Telescope, with scientists
having to adjust its operations because of the reduced access
to the network following DSS fourteen's failure. This is Space
(15:48):
Time and Time out to take a brief look at
some of the other stories making us in science this week.
(16:08):
With a science report, The World Meteorological Organization says twenty
twenty five won't be the hottest year on record, but
it will come in second or third. The new projections
were released as part of the State of the Climate
update ahead of the COP thirty conference in Brazil. The
new findings continue an alarming streak of hot years, with
(16:28):
the eleven most recent years making up the eleven hottest
years since records began. Average global temperatures between January and
August this year were on average about one point four
to two degrees above pre industrial levels. But the COP
thirty conference itself has been widely criticized because of the
devastation its cause to the very environment it's supposed to
(16:49):
be protecting. Hypocritically, the authorities behind the conference clear felled
hundreds of thousands of lush, old growth rainforest trees to
construct a new thirteen kilomet along four lane high way
so attendees could travel to the conference and comfort. The
diggers and machines carved through rainforest flows, paving over pristine
wetlands to surface the highway, which cuts through a protected
(17:10):
area and now prevents animals from crossing, reducing the areas
where they can live and breed. It's also worth noting
that most of the more than fifty thousand people attending
the conference are flying in, many on private jets. A
new study has shown that left wing extremism is linked
to toxic, psychopathic tendencies and narcissism. The findings, reported in
(17:33):
the journal Current Psychology, show a link between those suffering
from psychological behavior known as the dark ego vehicle principle
and higher levels of left wing authoritarianism and narcissism. The
authors found individuals with dark personalities such as high narcissistic
and psychopathic traits, are attracted to certain forms of political
and social activism, which they can then use as a
(17:55):
vehicle to satisfy their own ego focused needs instead of
actually aiming at social justice and equality. The authors say
certain forms of activism appear to provide these people with
opportunities for positive self presentation and displays of moral superiority
virtue signaling in order to gain social status, to dominate others,
and to engage in social conflicts and aggression to satisfy
(18:17):
their needs. The study also found that these people don't
actually practice what they preach. However, The author's also stress
that authoritarianism exists on both sides the political spectrum, and
there's already extensive research in the field of right wing authoritarianism,
but until now, research on authoritarianism observed in individuals or
supporters of left wing political ideologies has been far more rare.
(18:43):
Scientists of unearthed Australia's oldest known crocodile eggshells, which may
have belonged to predators that climbed trees to hunt for
prey below. A report in the journal Vertebrate Paleontology claims
the fifty five millionaure at egg shells, which were found
on a farm in Queensland, belonged to a long extinct
group of five meter long crocodiles known as Mikue Succi's,
(19:03):
which lived in inland waters at a time when Australia
at Arctica in South America was still joined into a
super continent. These semi arboreal carnivores have now been nicknamed
drop crocs because of their hunting technique of dropping out
of trees to unsuspecting prey. Auth authorities in Australia have
issued another measles alert. The warning comes as death threats
(19:26):
from preventable diseases like measles are on a dramatic rise
thanks to anti vaccination campaigns by pseudo scientific lobbies. Tim
Mindem from Australian skeptics, says, the latest figures are very concerning.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
I worry actually that the United States have seen a
measles outbreak, you could call them epidemic books and outbreak
that's more severe than anything they've seen in the last
thirty three years. In nineteen ninety two, the number of
cases was papering away and had remained at a low
one hundred till spiking again in twenty twenty and now
in twenty twenty five, and now it's the highest nupper
they've had for thirty three years. In America. Was regarded
(20:01):
as wiped out. It shouldn't have been there except for
people bringing it into the country. So it's not endemic
to the US. It has to be important, same for
most western countries of the world. Actually, measles was that
close to being wiped out entirely. And this is one
of the frustrating things that skeptics to medical people everywhere
yet involved with. When you talk about the anti vaccination move,
you basically need about ninety five percent people vaccinated to
(20:24):
put a lock on measles being passed around. And measles
is highly contagious, right, it's probably the emails contagious disease,
So you need about ninety five percent people to reach
that herd immunity level. In America at the moment, it's
about ninety two percent done a bit doesn't sound like
a lot, but enough to get this thing in the system.
And therefore what's happening is that people are dying, often
as kids. Right, there's a number of kids cases who
(20:45):
people who have died. They had one thousand and two
and eighty eight confirmed cases in the US this year
to date, and that doesn't sound like a lot. It's
a lot more than it was and most measles cases. Yes,
people can get over it and it's unpleasant and all.
That sort of thing makes you feel pretty ill, but
it can make you and a concurrio, and that's in
extreme cases. But it's enough to make you worry about
people allowing it to come in. The story that has
(21:06):
gone down to ninety two from ninety five where it
was is that people are hesitant about vaccines anti vaccine movement.
People felt a bit over vaccinated during the COVID pandemic
and therefore that number has been dropping away. Same thing
is happening elsewhere in the world around Liverpool in the UK,
there's been several deaths again often kids, which is the
really sad bit. And Liverpool's vaccination rate has dropped dramatically.
(21:29):
In the area northwest of England, we don't think we're
talking about ninety five percent and nes it's for herd immunity.
Northwest of England the figure is eighty five percent and
around Liverpool it's seventy three percent according to National Health
Service data. So you're talking about about a serious issue
of a huge window being opened for highly contagious diseases
like measles and mumps and rubella and eventually looking at
(21:50):
polio and who knows what else is going to be
sort of snuck in, not even under the radar, big
doors being opened up by anti vaxx's misinformation, fear attacked
and atity generally, that's a big issue as well. This
is the serious end of the pseudo science scale of things,
as opposed to the fun bits that the skeptics deal with,
the sasquatches and lockness monsters of things usos. This is
(22:12):
the deadly end. You talk about this with people who
becomes very dark and unfortunately that's the case here. People
opening the door through these other deadly diseases, preventable diseases.
A vaccination will take it away, not let you catch
it in the first place, to allow your body to
get used to it and be able to fight. It's
a very sad situation, a very worrying situation.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
That's timendum from Ustria and Skeptics, and that's the show
for now. Space Time is available every Monday, Wednesday and
(22:54):
Friday through fites dot com, SoundCloud, YouTube, your favorite podcast download,
and from space Time with Stuart Gary dot com. Space
Time's also broadcast through the National Science Foundation, on Science
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(23:18):
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Speaker 2 (23:36):
You've been listening to space Time with Stuart Gary. This
has been another quality podcast production from bytes dot com
This is Spacetime Series twenty eight, Episode one hundred and
thirty five for broadcasts on the seventeenth of November twenty
twenty five. Coming up on Space Time, spectacular auroral activity
cover the planet skies, Earth's largest modern impact crater discovered
in southern China, and a key NASA communications disc damaged
and out of action. All that and more coming up
(00:22):
on space Time.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to space Time with Stuart Gary.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Planet Earth's been treated to a spectacular series of auroral displays,
the Aurora Australas and Aurora Borealis. The Southern and Northern
lights were triggered by three massive X class solar flares,
including a next five point one event on November eleven,
Remember and Stay, which was the most powerful blast this
year and the most intense since October twenty twenty four.
(01:05):
These explosions triggered a series of chronal mass ejections or CMEs,
including a fast so called Cannibal CME, traveling at fifteen
hundred kilomets per second, which caught up with and consumed
to earlier CMEs as all three headed directly towards the Earth.
The events were monitored by so ASLASCOW and the GOES
nineteen core one chronographs. The X five point one event
(01:29):
was caused by an eruption from a highly active sunspot
region known as AAR forty two to seventy four, which
had been erupting violently for days. AAR forty two seventy
four is enormous, with primary duck umbracres as wide or
even wider than the Earth and an overall active region
more than a dozen earths in diameter. The number of
sun spots on the solar surface increases as the Sun
(01:52):
moves towards solar maximum solar MAX, the climax of its
eleven year solar cycle. The current solar cycle twenty five
began back in November twenty nineteen, and he's now at
its peak, so this sort of activity really isn't all
that unusual. Sunspots are cooler and hence darker looking regions
on the Sun's surface caused by magnetic field lines from
(02:13):
deep inside the Sun extending out into space. As different
latitudes of the Sun rotate at different rates, these magnetic
field lines become twisted and can snap, causing magnetic reconnection
and triggering powerful blasts of energy called solar flares. Solar
flares are categorized in five main groups, A, B, C, M,
(02:34):
and X based on their X ray intensity, with X
being the most powerful. Each class represents a logarithmic tenfold
increase in energy, and each grouping is further divided into
subclasses from one to nine, except for X class events
which can exceed nine and so are considered open ended.
Solar flares can trigger coronal mass ejections or CMEs. These
(02:57):
are blasts of magnetic energy in charged particle or plasma
from the Sun which can be flung deep into space
as geomagnetic storms. When these solar storms reach the Earth,
the flux of ionized particles can slam into the planet's
magnetosphere and are guided by the planet's magnetic field lines
through the ionosphere, a region already filled with charged particles,
(03:17):
and down towards the north and South magnetic poles. This
triggers the excitation of atoms and molecules in the atmosphere,
causing auroral displays, just like those we've just witnessed. Different
atoms and molecules light up in different colors at different altitudes.
The colours being emitted depends on the particles being ionized
reddish brown glows are caused by the collision of particles
(03:40):
with single oxygen atoms in the Earth's upper atmosphere, usually
above three hundred kilometers. Lower down, a green hue is
created by single oxygen atoms. Down to an altitude of
around one hundred kilometers, the kaleidoscope turns to a whitish,
yellowish beige, and nitrogens mixed in with the oxygen. Aurora
also exhibit blue, red, and evil purple blows in the
(04:01):
lower atmosphere. These are caused by the excitation of molecular
nitrogen Below one hundred kilometers. Auroral displays are common at
high latitudes, but these latest events were seen globally at
far lower latitudes than usual, including reports from Sydney and
even as far north as Cairns in tropical Queensland north
of the equator. Auroral activity was seen as far south
(04:21):
as Florida. Space weather forecaster Gene Young from the Australian
Bureau of Meteorology says auroral events are spectacular and well
worth a look if you get the chance.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
You do have to be pretty lucky to see an aurora,
but if you do see one, you won't be disappointed.
The brightest auroras are concentrated in rings called the aurora
ovals around the North or South poles. The auroras in
the northern hemisphere are called Aurora borealis. Southern lights are
(04:53):
called Aurora australis. Astrallus comes from the Latin word for
southern Their best feud from Antarctica tasmi and the southern
mainland coastlines. The colors displayed by an aurora are generally
visible to the naked eye if you're near the pooles.
This is because the aurora is overhead and more intense. However,
at lower latitudes, the auroras are on the horizon, less
(05:15):
color is seen by the naked eye. The lights tend
to be shades of gray. However, if there is a
high intense solar storm, there will be more color. Auroras
can occur at any time in the year, but they're
most likely to occur during the months of March and September.
That's when the Earth's magnetic field is best oriented to
interact with the solar wind. Of course, you ideally need
(05:37):
a dark night with little cloud cover. You don't want
a bright moon or any light pollution, so good location
is a dark beach or a hill where you have
an unobstructed view to the south. Bright auroras usually last
for one to three hours, and the best viewing time
is around midnight between ten pm and two am. When
we forecast solar wind conditions that look favorable for auras
(06:00):
occurring in the next one to three days, the forecasters
from the Bureau Space Weather Center issue what's called an
aurora watch notice when there's a high chance that there
will be an aurora visible. Now, we issue an aurora alert.
To be truthful, nothing beat seeing an aurora with the naked.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Eye that space with the forecast Genine Young from the
Bureau of Meteorology. But as well as spectacular auroral displays,
these space wheather events can damage or even destroy spacecraft.
They can disrupt communications and navigation systems, force aircraft to
change their flight paths, trigger widespread power blackouts, and increase
radiation exposure for astronauts and people in high altitude aircraft.
(06:41):
All three of the coronal mass ejections last week slammed
into the Earth, with the most severe X five point
one class event, powerful enough to cause radio blackouts across
Africa and Europe and disrupt high frequency communications on Earth.
Sunlit side. Forecasters from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
NOAH are evaluating the Sun's activity and they could increase
(07:01):
the threat level. According to the Space Weather Scales, there
is currently a G three watching effect, which means there's
a strong chance a geomagnetic storm could disrupt its magnetic
field and effect communications. If NOAH raises the watch level
to a G four, that means there's a higher chance
of widespread problems with electrical communications and spacecraft operations. The
(07:23):
highest watch level is a G five. This report from NOAH.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
What is space weather? When you think of weather, you
probably think of Earth's weather snow, rain, and of course sunshine.
Thank goodness, we only have Earth's weather to worry about, right.
Actually that's not quite true. Did you know the Sun
has weather?
Speaker 5 (07:48):
Two.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
We call this space weather. The Sun is a bubbling,
boiling ball of gas and energy. It constantly belches out
great clouds of hot gas that is charged up with electricity.
This stuff travels through space really fast, some of it
right toward Earth. This means that Earth's weather happens inside
(08:12):
the Sun's weather. Thank goodness, we're mostly protected from this
blast by Earth's magnetic field and atmosphere. Solar wind flows
outward from the Sun charged particles, and that solar wind
interact with Earth's magnetic field. That interaction can cause energy
(08:34):
and particles to stream down to Earth's poles. When these
charged particles hit oxygen and nitrogen atoms in Earth's atmosphere,
the energy from the collision can create beautiful shades of
green and red. We call these glowing colors the Northern
lights and Southern lights, or the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australia.
(09:02):
They are beautiful curtains of light that move and sway
in the night sky. But sometimes the Sun releases more
energy than usual. These sudden and intense hiccups and burbs
are called solar flares and coronal mass ejections. These are
huge explosions of high energy X rays, charged particles, and
(09:27):
magnetic field. When the Sun's burps of X rays and
charged particles and magnetic field reach Earth, they can cause trouble.
Bad space weather can interrupt radio signals. It can also
damage satellites. Electrical systems that bring power to our homes
and businesses can be knocked out by this bad space
(09:49):
weather too. That is why the goes short for Geostationary
Operational Environmental Satellite has instruments like the Solar X Ray
Imager to monitor the space around Earth for an increase
in high energy particles from the Sun. We can't see
the Sun's harmful X rays with our eyes, but these
(10:11):
special telescopes can. Forecasters at the Space Weather Prediction Center
analyze these observations and issue alerts and warnings about space
weather that could harm satellites and the power grid. With
early detection from satellites like the goes Are series, power
companies and satellite operators alike will have enough time to
(10:33):
adapt to any troubling space weather headed our way.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
This is space time still to come. Earth's largest modern
impact credit discovered in southern China, and a key NASA
communications dishes damaged and out of action. All that and
most still to colm on space time, scientists have discovered
(11:07):
what appears to be the largest modern impact crater on Earth.
The nine hundred meters wide Ginlling Crater was founding Guandong
Province in southern China, nestled on a hillside and preserved
within thick granite weathering crust. A report in the journal
Matter and Radiation at Extremes claims the impact structure dates
to Earth's current geological epoch and is remarkably well preserved now.
(11:30):
Based on measurements of nearby soil erosion. The studies authors
claim the impact likely hit during the early to mid Holocene,
that's the current geological epoch, which began at the end
of the Last Ice Age around eleven thousand, seven hundred
years ago. The steadiesly author Mingcheng says it's one of
only around two hundred identified craters worldwide and could provide
(11:50):
new insights on how extraterrestrial bodies collide with the Earth.
It's also the largest known impact crater from the Holocene,
far exceeding Russia's three hundred made a Malca crater, previously
the largest known impact structure from this eparch. Ming says
the discovery shows that the scale of impacts from small
extraterrestrial objects on the Earth in the Holocene is far
(12:11):
greater than previously recorded. In this case, the impact would
have been a metia or rather than a comet, which
would have left a crater at least ten kilometers wide. However,
Ming and colleagues have not yet determined whether the impacting
meteorite was made of iron or stone. The authors say
one of the most surprising traits of the crater is
how well preserved it is, especially given the regions monsoons,
(12:33):
heavy rainfall, and high humidity, all conditions that accelerate erosion
within the granite layers that helped to protect and preserve
of the impact structure. The authors found many pieces of
quartz with unique micro features called planar defamation features. Geologists
can use this as evidence for some specific types of impacts.
Ming says on Earth, the formation of planar deformation features
(12:56):
in quartz only happens in really intense shock waves generated
by telets to your body impacts, and its formation pressure
ranges from ten to thirty five gigapascals, which is a
shock effect that cannot be produced by any geological processes
of the Earth itself. Now, it's generally accepted that throughout
Earth's history, virtually every point on the planet's surface faces
(13:17):
a roughly equal chance of being hit by an extraterrestrial object. However,
geological differences mean the historical footprints of these impacts have
been eroded at different rates, and many have now fully disappeared,
and that makes the Ginlin Crater's discovery especially significant, Ming,
says the impact crater is a true record of Earth's
impact history, and the discovery can provide scientists with a
(13:40):
more objective basis for understanding the distribution, geological evolution, and
impact history of small terrestrial bodies. This is space time
still to come. NASAs confirmed that its key seventy meter
Goldstone deep space communications dish is out of service following
a major accident, and later when the science report a
(14:01):
new study says twenty twenty five won't be the hottest
yur on record, but it will come in second or third.
All that and more still to come on spacetime. NASA
(14:26):
has now confirmed that its key seventy meter Goldstone deep
space communications dish is out of service following a major
accident back in September. A re book by NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Passing to California, which operates the facility,
says the antenna, located near Barstow, was over rotated, damaging
cabling and piping in the center of the structure. JPL
(14:48):
says hoses from the antenna's fire suppression system were also
damaged in the incident, resulting in flooding. There is no
timetable yet for its return to service. The antenna, designated
DSS fourteen is the largest at the Goldstone complex and
is essential for communication with multiple missions.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Now.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
The facility does have four other antennas, but they're all
small at thirty four meta dishes. NASAs Deep Space Network
does have two other seventy meta dishes, one at its
camera facility at Tidbinbilla and the other near Madrid in Spain,
but the loss of DSS fourteen is putting extra strain
on the rest of the network, which is already at capacity,
(15:27):
especially with the upcoming Artemis two man mission to the Moon,
which is slated for launch in April next year, although
an earlier launch date of February is being considered. Other
missions being affected include the web Space Telescope, with scientists
having to adjust its operations because of the reduced access
to the network following DSS fourteen's failure. This is Space
(15:48):
Time and Time out to take a brief look at
some of the other stories making us in science this week.
(16:08):
With a science report, The World Meteorological Organization says twenty
twenty five won't be the hottest year on record, but
it will come in second or third. The new projections
were released as part of the State of the Climate
update ahead of the COP thirty conference in Brazil. The
new findings continue an alarming streak of hot years, with
(16:28):
the eleven most recent years making up the eleven hottest
years since records began. Average global temperatures between January and
August this year were on average about one point four
to two degrees above pre industrial levels. But the COP
thirty conference itself has been widely criticized because of the
devastation its cause to the very environment it's supposed to
(16:49):
be protecting. Hypocritically, the authorities behind the conference clear felled
hundreds of thousands of lush, old growth rainforest trees to
construct a new thirteen kilomet along four lane high way
so attendees could travel to the conference and comfort. The
diggers and machines carved through rainforest flows, paving over pristine
wetlands to surface the highway, which cuts through a protected
(17:10):
area and now prevents animals from crossing, reducing the areas
where they can live and breed. It's also worth noting
that most of the more than fifty thousand people attending
the conference are flying in, many on private jets. A
new study has shown that left wing extremism is linked
to toxic, psychopathic tendencies and narcissism. The findings, reported in
(17:33):
the journal Current Psychology, show a link between those suffering
from psychological behavior known as the dark ego vehicle principle
and higher levels of left wing authoritarianism and narcissism. The
authors found individuals with dark personalities such as high narcissistic
and psychopathic traits, are attracted to certain forms of political
and social activism, which they can then use as a
(17:55):
vehicle to satisfy their own ego focused needs instead of
actually aiming at social justice and equality. The authors say
certain forms of activism appear to provide these people with
opportunities for positive self presentation and displays of moral superiority
virtue signaling in order to gain social status, to dominate others,
and to engage in social conflicts and aggression to satisfy
(18:17):
their needs. The study also found that these people don't
actually practice what they preach. However, The author's also stress
that authoritarianism exists on both sides the political spectrum, and
there's already extensive research in the field of right wing authoritarianism,
but until now, research on authoritarianism observed in individuals or
supporters of left wing political ideologies has been far more rare.
(18:43):
Scientists of unearthed Australia's oldest known crocodile eggshells, which may
have belonged to predators that climbed trees to hunt for
prey below. A report in the journal Vertebrate Paleontology claims
the fifty five millionaure at egg shells, which were found
on a farm in Queensland, belonged to a long extinct
group of five meter long crocodiles known as Mikue Succi's,
(19:03):
which lived in inland waters at a time when Australia
at Arctica in South America was still joined into a
super continent. These semi arboreal carnivores have now been nicknamed
drop crocs because of their hunting technique of dropping out
of trees to unsuspecting prey. Auth authorities in Australia have
issued another measles alert. The warning comes as death threats
(19:26):
from preventable diseases like measles are on a dramatic rise
thanks to anti vaccination campaigns by pseudo scientific lobbies. Tim
Mindem from Australian skeptics, says, the latest figures are very concerning.
Speaker 5 (19:39):
I worry actually that the United States have seen a
measles outbreak, you could call them epidemic books and outbreak
that's more severe than anything they've seen in the last
thirty three years. In nineteen ninety two, the number of
cases was papering away and had remained at a low
one hundred till spiking again in twenty twenty and now
in twenty twenty five, and now it's the highest nupper
they've had for thirty three years. In America. Was regarded
(20:01):
as wiped out. It shouldn't have been there except for
people bringing it into the country. So it's not endemic
to the US. It has to be important, same for
most western countries of the world. Actually, measles was that
close to being wiped out entirely. And this is one
of the frustrating things that skeptics to medical people everywhere
yet involved with. When you talk about the anti vaccination move,
you basically need about ninety five percent people vaccinated to
(20:24):
put a lock on measles being passed around. And measles
is highly contagious, right, it's probably the emails contagious disease,
So you need about ninety five percent people to reach
that herd immunity level. In America at the moment, it's
about ninety two percent done a bit doesn't sound like
a lot, but enough to get this thing in the system.
And therefore what's happening is that people are dying, often
as kids. Right, there's a number of kids cases who
(20:45):
people who have died. They had one thousand and two
and eighty eight confirmed cases in the US this year
to date, and that doesn't sound like a lot. It's
a lot more than it was and most measles cases. Yes,
people can get over it and it's unpleasant and all.
That sort of thing makes you feel pretty ill, but
it can make you and a concurrio, and that's in
extreme cases. But it's enough to make you worry about
people allowing it to come in. The story that has
(21:06):
gone down to ninety two from ninety five where it
was is that people are hesitant about vaccines anti vaccine movement.
People felt a bit over vaccinated during the COVID pandemic
and therefore that number has been dropping away. Same thing
is happening elsewhere in the world around Liverpool in the UK,
there's been several deaths again often kids, which is the
really sad bit. And Liverpool's vaccination rate has dropped dramatically.
(21:29):
In the area northwest of England, we don't think we're
talking about ninety five percent and nes it's for herd immunity.
Northwest of England the figure is eighty five percent and
around Liverpool it's seventy three percent according to National Health
Service data. So you're talking about about a serious issue
of a huge window being opened for highly contagious diseases
like measles and mumps and rubella and eventually looking at
(21:50):
polio and who knows what else is going to be
sort of snuck in, not even under the radar, big
doors being opened up by anti vaxx's misinformation, fear attacked
and atity generally, that's a big issue as well. This
is the serious end of the pseudo science scale of things,
as opposed to the fun bits that the skeptics deal with,
the sasquatches and lockness monsters of things usos. This is
(22:12):
the deadly end. You talk about this with people who
becomes very dark and unfortunately that's the case here. People
opening the door through these other deadly diseases, preventable diseases.
A vaccination will take it away, not let you catch
it in the first place, to allow your body to
get used to it and be able to fight. It's
a very sad situation, a very worrying situation.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
That's timendum from Ustria and Skeptics, and that's the show
for now. Space Time is available every Monday, Wednesday and
(22:54):
Friday through fites dot com, SoundCloud, YouTube, your favorite podcast download,
and from space Time with Stuart Gary dot com. Space
Time's also broadcast through the National Science Foundation, on Science
Own Radio and on both iHeartRadio and tune In Radio.
And you can help to support our show by visiting
the Spacetime Store for a range of promotional merchandising goodies,
(23:18):
or by becoming a Spacetime Patron, which gives you access
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Just go to space Time with Stuart Gary dot com
for full details.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
You've been listening to space Time with Stuart Gary. This
has been another quality podcast production from bytes dot com
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