Galactic Revelations, Cometary Wonders & Moon Mysteries: #487 - First Edition of 2025

Space Nuts Episode 487: Rethinking the Universe - Dark Energy, Comet Atlas, and Pluto's Moon MysteryJoin Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson as they welcome the newest member to the team and kick off the first episode of 2025 with groundbreaking discussions and cosmic revelations. This episode is packed with intriguing topics, including a revolutionary paper challenging our understanding of dark energy, a mesmerizing comet lighting up our skies, and a fresh perspective on how Pluto acquired its moon, Charon.Episode Highlights:- Dark Energy Debate: Explore the bold new paper suggesting the universe might not have dark energy and isn't expanding as we thought. Fred Watson and guest Professor Jonti Horner delve into the implications of this paradigm-shifting research and what it means for the future of cosmology.- Comet C/2024 G3 Atlas: Discover the celestial wonder of Comet Atlas, a once-in-160,000-year event. Learn about its journey close to the sun and how you can catch a glimpse of this spectacular comet in the night sky.- Pluto's Moon Charon: Uncover the fascinating story behind Pluto's largest moon, Charon. Jonti Horner explains the new theory of a gentle collision that might have led to Charon's capture, providing fresh insights into the dynamics of our solar system.- Astronomical Events of 2025: Get a sneak peek into the best celestial events to look forward to this year, including lunar eclipses and meteor showers.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 Music Music, 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.If you'd like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/aboutStay 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 - Andrew Dunkley returns to Space Nuts with Professor Fred Watson02:21 - Professor Jonti Horner is filling in for Fred for next month04:38 - New research suggests the universe has no dark energy and isn't expanding13:31 - Andrew Dunkley: The dark energy model fits the, uh, data better16:21 - C 2024 G3 Atlas was discovered in 202422:51 - Fred says people should look out for comet in the evening sky next week27:05 - This is an interesting story about how Pluto got its moon34:02 - The encounter between Theia and Pluto lasted 10 hours, Fred says36:43 - This year is absolutely terrible for eclipses of the sun40:09 - Andrew Dunkley: Thanks to Professor Fred Watson and Professor Jonti Horner✍️ Episode ReferencesUniversity of Southern Queensland[https://www.usq.edu.au/](https://www.usq.edu.au/)University of Canterbury[https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/](https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/)Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society[https://academic.oup.com/mnras](https://academic.oup.com/mnras)Dark Energy Survey[https://www.darkenergysurvey.org/](https://www.darkenergysurvey.org/)Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)[https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/](https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/)Space.com[https://www.space.com/](https://www.space.com/)Stellarium[https://stellarium.org/](https://stellarium.org/)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/space-nuts-astronomy-insights-cosmic-discoveries--2631155/support.