Episode Details

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Today's topics:

Star racing round Sagittarius A* - Astronomers tracked star S301 whipping around Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole, at roughly 25,000 kilometers per second on an 8.7-year orbit.[13] The observations could help measure black hole spin and test general relativity in a strong-gravity environment.[13]

Webb peers into Carina Nebula - NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released a new infrared view of part of the Carina Nebula, revealing hidden structure inside a famous stellar nursery.[14] The image highlights Webb’s power for studying how stars form inside dusty clouds.[14]

TOI-1130 planets migrated inward - New JWST transmission spectra of exoplanet TOI-1130 b support the idea that this sub-Neptune and its hot Jupiter companion formed beyond the frost line before migrating inward.[15] The result adds fresh evidence to leading theories of planetary system formation and atmospheric evolution.[15]

Starlink launch sets reuse milestone - SpaceX launched another 29 Starlink satellites from Florida, while Falcon 9 booster B1078 completed its 30th flight and landed successfully.[7][11] The mission underscores both the scale of the Starlink constellation and the growing maturity of rocket reusability.[7][8]

Starship delays upper-stage catch - Reports indicate SpaceX is unlikely to attempt an upper-stage tower catch on the next Starship test flight, even as the vehicle moves through preflight testing.[1][18] The update suggests a more incremental and risk-managed approach to Starship’s path toward orbit and recovery.[18]

ESA tracks Earth from orbit - ESA’s latest Week in Images features the FLEX photosynthesis satellite, a giant iceberg calving from Petermann Glacier, and carbon monoxide from North American fires.[17] Together, the images show how Earth-observing missions connect climate, ecosystems, pollution, and human spaceflight.[17]

Episode Transcript

Star racing round Sagittarius A*
We begin at the center of the Milky Way, where NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day spotlighted star S301 orbiting Sagittarius A*, our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole.[13] S301 takes about 8.7 years to complete an orbit and can reach roughly 25,000 kilometers per second at closest approach, making it a powerful new tool for testing general relativity and possibly measuring the black hole’s spin.[13]

Webb peers into Carina Nebula
Staying with space science, the James Webb Space Telescope released a new infrared view of part of the Carina Nebula.[14] Webb’s infrared vision can see through dust that blocks visible light, giving astronomers a clearer look at the structures and processes inside one of the sky’s best-known star-forming regions.[14]

TOI-1130 planets migrated inward
Webb is also helping explain how p