Space Mirrors Spark Controversy, Hidden Space Junk Revealed, and Black Hole Energy Breakthrough

episode

Astronomy Daily: Latest Space News not yet transcribed

▲ 0

Transcript

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet Upvotes decide what gets transcribed next — 0 so far. Sign in to upvote

More from Astronomy Daily: Latest Space News

From Comet Closures to Space Station Shifts: Your Daily Astronomy Update 10 min · 20 Dec 2025

All episodes from Astronomy Daily: Latest Space News →

Report any issue

Source

Recorded14 Jul 2026

Publisherspreaker.com ↗

Handlerec:19281048

Show notes

Astronomy Daily — S05E140 | Tuesday 14 July 2026 | Hosts: Anna & Avery Space mirrors are officially cleared for launch — and astronomers are sounding the alarm. In today's episode, Anna and Avery unpack the FCC's approval of Reflect Orbital's Eärendil-1, the first of a proposed constellation of sunlight-reflecting satellites, and what tens of thousands of orbital mirrors could mean for the night sky. Then it's off to the geostationary belt, where astronomers using clever image-stacking — with help from Siding Spring Observatory and the ANU — have revealed a minefield of invisible debris, most of it in no public catalogue. Also on the show: physicists in New York recreate black hole energy extraction on a benchtop, validating a 50-year-old Penrose prediction with 'synthetic rotation'; the Extremely Large Telescope in Chile turns on its axis for the very first time — 3,500 tonnes floating on 80 microns of oil; and University of Sydney's Dr Manisha Caleb and colleagues lay out how the Square Kilometre Array will turn fast radio bursts into a survey tool for the invisible universe. Plus a quick Starship Flight 13 update (now NET Thursday 16 July after a full 33-engine static fire), the story of Avi Loeb's appointment to chair the White House UAP Science Advisory Council, and a skywatch built around tonight's super new Moon. Stories & sources • 01. FCC approves Reflect Orbital Eärendil-1 space mirror — SpaceNews / Space.com / Engadget • 02. Faint debris "minefield" in geosynchronous orbit (DebrisWatch II, Journal of the Astronautical Sciences) — University of Warwick / Phys.org / Space.com • 03. Penrose superradiance via synthetic rotation (Nature) — CUNY ASRC / EurekAlert / Phys.org • 04. ELT completes first full rotation of its 3,500-tonne structure — ESO Picture of the Week / Space.com • 05. Fast radio bursts as cosmological probes with the SKA (Caleb et al.) — Universe Today / arXiv • 06. Starship Flight 13 slips to NET 16 July; full 33-engine static fire complete — Space.com • 07. Avi Loeb appointed chair of White House UAP Science Advisory Council — Space.com / AP coverage Skywatch highlights • Tonight (14 July): super new Moon — darkest skies of the month; Milky Way core overhead for southern observers • Evenings: Venus blazing in the west in Leo; crescent Moon joins Regulus & Venus on 16–17 July • Pre-dawn: Saturn high with rings tilted ~9°; Mars passes 5° north of Aldebaran on 14 July Visit astronomydaily.io for all episodes and the free newsletter. Follow @AstroDailyPod. Astronomy Daily is part of the Bitesz.com Podcast Network.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-space-news-updates--5648921/support.Sponsor Details:Ensure your online privacy by using NordVPN. To get our special listener deal and save a lot of money, visit www.bitesz.com/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Become a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click HereThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.