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Webb's Pulsar Diamond Planet, Swift's Final Re-Entry & Asteroid Aim
Audio is available on Spreaker — see link below.
Webb has discovered a carbon-rich, diamond-possible planet orbiting a pulsar that defies every known formation theory — and that's just the start of today's space news. From Swift Observatory's 22-year legacy ending to new asteroid deflection science and LISA's new science lead, this episode covers the stories reshaping space exploration right now.
Audio is available on Spreaker — see link below.
Webb has found a planet that shouldn't exist. It orbits a pulsar, it's shaped like a lemon, its atmosphere is laced with carbon and helium, and it may contain diamonds.
Elsewhere, an era closed quietly. NASA's Swift Observatory re-entered Earth's atmosphere over Indonesia after twenty-two years in service.
On planetary defense, new simulations from Sandia National Laboratories have sharpened something that wasn't fully appreciated before. When you use a nuclear X-ray blast to deflect an asteroid, the direction of that blast relative to the asteroid's shape changes the velocity outcome by up to fivefold.
The LISA gravitational wave mission has new scientific leadership. Dr. Kelly Holley-Bockelmann has joined SRON to lead data modeling for the ESA-NASA constellation.
On the Moon front, two developments worth tracking together. NASA has selected SpaceX to deploy communications satellites in cislunar space by twenty twenty-eight, using Starship, as part of the ten billion dollar CLPS two program.
Before the close, a quick note on what's visible overhead this month. The Taurid and Leonid meteor showers are both active.
The two things that matter most coming out of today: Webb's pulsar planet needs a formation theory, and planetary defense mission planners need to rethink their targeting assumptions before the next serious threat assessment. Those aren't abstract concerns.
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