This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiS 126: Danger! Rogue Planets! - Danger From the Dark - Rogue Planets

Listen Later

As if election season wasn't scary enough, now we have rogue planets to worry about! Out in the vast darkness between star systems, these worlds wander through the interstellar void, sometimes in pairs, and when they encounter a solar system, havoc can result. Add to the fact that they are hard to see, and you have a recipe for worry. Fortunately, we have astrophysicists like Dr. Rosalba Perna on the job, learning more about these strange, errant planets daily! Add to that the ever-increasing stash of data we're getting from the James Webb Space Telescope, and we can all sleep a bit better at night. Join us for a fascinating hour with Dr. Perna as we learn about rogue planets!

Headlines:

  • Boeing's Starliner spacecraft set to return to Earth robotically, without its crew, on September 6th, marking the end of its three-month mission.
  • SpaceX experiences a rare booster landing failure on its 23rd flight, ending a streak of successful landings
  • Astrobotic's Peregrine Lander failure attributed to a faulty valve and leaks
  • SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission delayed due to weather concerns

    • Main Topic - Rogue Planets:

    • Dr. Perna explains rogue planets as worlds untethered to any star, floating freely in space
    • Discussion of the likelihood and potential impact of a rogue planet entering our solar system
    • Exploration of rogue planet formation theories, including ejection from solar systems and in-situ formation
    • The James Webb Space Telescope's role in discovering potential rogue planet pairs in the Orion Nebula
    • Challenges in confirming rogue planet candidates and distinguishing them from other celestial objects
    • The possibility of life on rogue planets, particularly those with moons experiencing tidal heating
    • Dr. Perna's computer simulations demonstrate how binary rogue planets could form and evolve
    • The upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's potential for discovering more rogue planets
    • Discussion of Dr. Perna's other research interests, including gamma-ray bursts and compact objects

      • Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

      Guest: Rosalba Perna

      Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

      Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      This Week in Space (Audio)By TWiT
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6
      • 4.6

      4.6

      134 ratings

      More shows like This Week in Space (Audio)

      View all
      This Week in Tech (Audio) by TWiT

      This Week in Tech (Audio)

      3,016 Listeners

      Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science by The Planetary Society

      Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

      1,339 Listeners

      Astronomy Cast by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

      Astronomy Cast

      2,866 Listeners

      The 365 Days of Astronomy by 365DaysOfAstronomy.org

      The 365 Days of Astronomy

      337 Listeners

      Universe Today Podcast by Fraser Cain

      Universe Today Podcast

      540 Listeners

      Ask a Spaceman! by Paul M. Sutter

      Ask a Spaceman!

      805 Listeners

      Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries by Professor Fred Watson and Andrew Dunkley

      Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries

      223 Listeners

      SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy by Stuart Gary

      SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

      316 Listeners

      Are We There Yet? by Central Florida Public Media

      Are We There Yet?

      354 Listeners

      Main Engine Cut Off by Anthony Colangelo

      Main Engine Cut Off

      282 Listeners

      Houston We Have a Podcast by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

      Houston We Have a Podcast

      1,229 Listeners

      Off-Nominal by Jake Robins, Anthony Colangelo

      Off-Nominal

      83 Listeners

      Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe by iHeartPodcasts

      Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

      2,309 Listeners

      The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

      The Supermassive Podcast

      284 Listeners

      The Astrophysics Podcast by Paul Duffell

      The Astrophysics Podcast

      43 Listeners