#471-472: HERA's Critical Burns, Black Hole Light Echoes & Ancient Healing with Light

Space Nuts Episode 471 & 472: HERA's Journey and Light's Mysteries Join Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson as they delve into the latest cosmic adventures and discoveries in this episode of Space Nuts. From the HERA mission's critical manoeuvres to the intriguing phenomena of black hole light echoes, this episode is packed with celestial insights and scientific discussions. Episode Highlights: - HERA Mission Milestones: Explore the recent developments in the HERA mission as it undertakes crucial trajectory corrections. Discover how these manoeuvres set the stage for a gravitational assist from Mars and the mission's ultimate goal of orbiting Didymos. - Black Hole Light Echoes: Dive into the fascinating concept of light echoes around black holes. Learn how light can be bent by gravity, creating multiple echoes that offer insights into the accretion discs of these cosmic giants. - Healing with Light: Uncover the historical and modern uses of light in medical treatments. From ancient sun worship to contemporary phototherapy, explore the enduring relationship between light and human health. For more Space Nuts, including our continually updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on facebook, X, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, and TikTok. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favourite platform. For more Space and Astronomy News Podcasts, visit our HQ at www.bitesz.com. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts/support. Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing. 00:00 - This is Space Nuts. My name is Andrew Dunkley 02:11 - I'm interested in two different stories about light about the hero mission 02:58 - ESA's HERA mission will make a close flyby of Mars next year 10:51 - Terrific. So, yeah, we will definitely be updating that when the time comes 11:22 - This story explains well how light is affected by gravity around black holes 21:19 - Going to wander around this way because I think it'll be quieter 21:40 - Andrew Dunkley with Professor Fred Watson on measuring black hole light echoes 22:33 - Even since ancient times we've used light for medical purposes, Fred says 27:50 - Fred has been receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer for five weeks 33:57 - This is a Q and A episode with Professor Fred Watson 35:00 - How come Titan can retain an atmosphere when Mars cannot 41:09 - Why is tidal locking a function of proximity of bound objects 44:40 - Astronomer proposes planet Noren once did exist on elliptical orbit 48:24 - Nigel from Brisbane Australia asks hypothetical question about Neptune's Triton 52:30 - Triton is an ice world with a young surface estimated at 100 million years 54:48 - The word asteroid came from William Herschel who couldn't understand asteroids 56:38 - Triton demoted from dwarf planet to moon 56:55 - Doppler effect caused by motion and cosmological redshift ✍️ Episode References European Space Agency https://www.esa.int/ Phys.org https://phys.org/ Universe Today https://www.universetoday.com/ Astrophysical Journal Letters https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/ The Conversation https://theconversation.com/ Cancer Council New South Wales https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/ Space.com https://www.space.com/ Institute for Advanced Study https://www.ias.edu/ Los Alamos National Laboratory https://www.lanl.gov/ Southwest Research Institute https://www.swri.org/