S02E49: Stellar Mysteries: Luminous Spots, Solar Eclipses, and Cosmic Showers

**Show Notes: Astronomy Daily Podcast - Series 02, Episode 49***Host:* Tim Gibbs *AI Newsreader:* Hallie**Highlights:**1. **Introduction:** - Date: Friday, 13th October 2023. - Tim Gibbs addresses recent technical issues and missed episodes.2. **Astronomical Phenomenon - Luminous Spots:** - The Swicky Transient Facility in California detected a transient event. - Observations were made using the Gemini soft telescope, a very large array in New Mexico, the Chandra telescope, and the Hubble Space Telescope. - The event was identified as a luminous fast blue optical transient (luminous spot) named "The Finch". - Luminous spots are bright, short-lived, and their nature remains a mystery. - The Finch's location is unique, being distant from two nearby galaxies.3. **Upcoming Solar Eclipses:** - Two solar eclipses are expected: October 14, 2023 (annular) and April 8, 2024 (total). - Explanation of the three types of solar eclipses: total, annular, and partial. - Midsy Adams from NASA shares her experiences of total eclipses. - Safety reminder: Use solar viewing glasses during the eclipse. - The "Ring of Fire" will be visible in multiple countries, starting in Oregon at 9:13 AM PT on October 14th. - NASA's interactive map can help track the eclipse.4. **Cosmic Ray Extensive Air Showers:** - Osaka Metropolitan University scientists have developed a method to observe cosmic ray extensive air showers with precision. - The Subaru telescope in Hawaii can capture these showers in high resolution. - The team analyzed images from 2014-2020 and identified 13 with extensive air showers. - This method can help in understanding dark matter and the universe's transition.5. **Safety Reminder:** - Always use proper glasses when viewing a solar eclipse.6. **Jokes by Hallie:** - "Why did the sun go to school? To get a little brighter." - "Why are chemists excellent for solving problems? Because they have all the solutions."7. **Closing Notes:** - Episodes available on spacenuts.io, bytes.com, and Space Nuts podcast. - Join the conversation on the Space Nuts podcast group on Facebook.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-latest-space-news--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.astronomydaily.io/nordvpn. You'll be glad you did!Get the best secure and private email on the planet. Stop your Government, google and who knows who else spying on every email you write. Do what we did and use ProtonMail. They beleive in privacy and there are no ads in their business model...yet they still provide a free forever service. Check them out and get out special deal at www.astronomydaily.io/protonmailBecome a supporter of Astronomy Daily by joining our Supporters Club. Commercial free episodes daily are only a click way... Click Here