Bedtime Astronomy

New experiments suggest that molten rock deep inside Earth can absorb and store large amounts of dissolved oxygen under extreme pressure.

As magma rises toward the surface, falling pressure may release this stored oxygen into the atmosphere. The discovery could offer a new explanation for ancient changes in Earth's oxygen levels and reshape our understanding of the planet's geological history.

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Astronomers investigated GRB 260310A, a strange cosmic explosion that produced a surprisingly bright afterglow despite its weak initial gamma-ray burst.

Observations revealed that the explosion came from a massive star, but Earth viewed its powerful jet from an unusual side angle. A delayed X-ray brightening also exposed a complex structure, with an ultrafast central jet surrounded by a slower, wider outflow. The discovery could help explain how many powerful stellar explosions remain hidden from our view.

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

This episode includes AI-generated content.

How do giant planets end up orbiting dangerously close to their stars? New simulations suggest that supersonic shock waves in their atmospheres can drain orbital energy, driving planets inward.

Depending on the intensity of these disruptions, a planet may settle into a tighter orbit or lose much of its atmosphere. This mechanism could help explain the mysterious distribution of hot Jupiters and other giant exoplanets.

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Could comets have delivered the ingredients for life on early Earth? A University of Cambridge study challenges this long-standing theory, suggesting that high-speed impacts may have destroyed fragile organic molecules before they could trigger prebiotic chemistry.

Mars may have offered more favorable conditions, but the findings raise new questions about how life’s essential building blocks first appeared.

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

This episode includes AI-generated content.

Astronomers analyzing data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have identified a massive icy object beyond Neptune that could be a new dwarf planet.

Provisionally named 2026 ED138, the distant world remained hidden among crowded background stars until advanced search algorithms revealed its movement across a decade of archival images. If future observations confirm its shape, it could become another recognized member of the solar system’s dwarf planet family.

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

This episode includes AI-generated content.