Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S04E29
In this episode of Astronomy Daily, host Steve Dunkley dives into the captivating celestial events and groundbreaking research that are shaping our understanding of the universe this February. Join us as Hallie presents the much-anticipated February Planet Parade and shares intriguing insights from the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems, along with other fascinating stories from the Astronomy Daily newsletter.
Highlights:
- February Planet Parade: Get ready for a spectacular display of the five brightest planets in the evening sky! Hallie guides us through this rare planetary alignment, featuring Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn, culminating in a special conjunction on February 24.
- Sirius Mission Success: Discover the remarkable achievement of the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems, which has successfully completed the Sirius experiment—a year-long isolation study simulating deep space travel conditions. Learn about the crew's experiences and the implications for future interplanetary missions.
- Buzz Aldrin's New Role: Explore Buzz Aldrin's partnership with Verizon as he promotes satellite connectivity, showcasing how technology has evolved since his historic Apollo 11 mission. Aldrin's humorous take on communication in space adds a light-hearted touch to the episode.
- NASA's Artemis Missions: Hear about the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel's concerns regarding NASA's Artemis missions, as they call for a reassessment of objectives to ensure a safer and more balanced approach to lunar exploration.
- Gaia's Legacy: Celebrate the completion of the Gaia mission, which has transformed our understanding of the Milky Way through its extensive data collection. Discover the implications of its findings and what future data releases will reveal about our galaxy.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, Tumblr, and TikTok. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Steve signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
00:00 - Welcome back to Astronomy Daily. It's the 3rd of February 2025
01:02 - February sky has some nice highlights to look forward to
01:26 - Year long biomedical isolation experiment simulates conditions of deep space travel and lunar operations
02:49 - Apollo 11 moonwalker Buzz Aldrin appears in new Verizon commercial
08:34 - Safety panel says NASA is packing too many objectives into upcoming Artemis missions
11:03 - European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft has completed its sky scanning phase
20:34 - February brings a rare planetary parade with five bright planets in clear view
24:14 - The fifth planet in our solar system becomes visible during February
26:09 - We've covered the five brightest planets visible to the naked eye
✍️ Episode References
Sirius Mission
[Sirius Mission](https://www.roscosmos.ru/30013/)
Buzz Aldrin and Verizon
[Buzz Aldrin](https://www.verizon.com/about/news/buzz-aldrin-verizon)
NASA Artemis Program
[NASA Artemis](https://www.nasa.gov/artemis)
Gaia Mission
[Gaia Mission](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Gaia)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](https://www.astronomydaily.io)

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support.