Episode
Cosmic Secrets in Ocean Rocks, Record-Breaking Ariane Launch, and a Salty Pink World Revealed
- Published
- Jun 21, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 782
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- http://astronomydaily.io
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Summary
This weekend's Astronomy Daily wraps up the biggest stories from across the cosmos, starting with two completely fresh discoveries — a 1976 ocean rock that's turned out to hold atomic-scale proof of an ancient neutron star collision, and a record-breaking rocket launch from Europe's Ariane 6. Then we wind back through the week for our four biggest headlines: a new crew for Artemis III, JWST's salty 'Pink Planet' discovery, an update on the daring Swift Observatory rescue mission, and China's Tianwen-2 closing in on its target asteroid. Story 1: A Kilonova's Fingerprint, Found in a 1976 Ocean Rock • A rock sample dredged from the Pacific seafloor in 1976 has been found to contain a few hundred atoms of plutonium radioisotopes. • The plutonium originated from a kilonova — a collision between two neutron stars — that occurred over 100 million years ago. • Stellar debris from the merger settled to Earth and was slowly incorporated into a ferromanganese crust on the ocean floor. • Isotope ratios provide the strongest physical clues yet to what created the elements and roughly when the merger occurred. • Study published 18 June 2026. Story 2: Ariane 6 Smashes Its Own Heaviest-Payload Record • On 17 June 2026, an Ariane 64 rocket launched 36 Amazon Leo satellites from French Guiana (mission VA269 / LE-03). • First flight of new P160C solid boosters — about a metre longer than the previous P120C, holding up to 156 tonnes of propellant each. • Boosters deliver roughly a 10% performance increase, raising Ariane 64's LEO capacity to approximately 22 tonnes. • The mission broke the 13-year record for heaviest payload ever launched by an Ariane rocket, previously held by the 2013 ATV 'Albert Einstein' resupply flight. • Eighth Ariane 6 launch overall; 100th Amazon Leo satellite dep…