Solar Flare Frenzy, Ceres' Oceanic Past, and Europa Clipper's Epic Launch

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

SpaceTime Series 27 Episode 122
*The Sun's Most Powerful Solar Flare in Over a Decade
The Sun has unleashed its most powerful solar flare in more than a decade, with a spectacular X9.1 class event. This massive solar flare, part of a pair that erupted just two days apart, was detected by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory. The event sparked strong G3 class geomagnetic storms, causing auroral activity to reach mid-latitudes and triggering deep shortwave radio blackouts. Solar flares, like this one, can have significant impacts on Earth's atmosphere, communications, and power grids.
*Ceres: A Former Ocean World?
New research suggests that the dwarf planet Ceres may have once been an ocean world. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, indicates that Ceres has a dirty icy crust, suggesting a past filled with muddy oceans. Computer simulations reveal that the crust may contain up to 90% ice, challenging previous assumptions of a drier Ceres. The findings are based on data from NASA’s Dawn mission, which observed surface features like volcanoes and glaciers.
*NASA's Europa Clipper Mission
NASA’s Europa Clipper mission is set for launch to explore Jupiter's ice-covered moon, Europa. The mission aims to investigate the moon's potential for life, with a suite of nine scientific instruments on board. These tools will study Europa's icy crust, subsurface ocean, and surface composition. The spacecraft will perform 49 flybys of Europa, gathering data to help scientists understand the moon’s habitability and its potential for hosting life.
00:00:00 - The sun unleashes its most powerful solar flare in more than a decade
00:00:27 - The sun has just emitted its most powerful solar flare in more than a decade
00:04:35 - New study claims dwarf planet Ceres may once have been an ocean world
00:14:34 - NASA's Europa Clipper mission is looking for life on icy moon Europa
00:19:58 - New figures show 47,000 people suffered heat related deaths across Europe last year
00:22:33 - Microsoft will release a new update for Windows 11 next month with AI features
00:25:46 - Outlook reminds you you haven't added your attachment yet
00:26:56 - Spacetime is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through various podcast providers
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