Solar Storm Hits Early! Plus China's Reusable Rockets & Exoplanet Magnetic Shields

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily,

your daily dose of space and astronomy news.

I'm Anna.

And I'm Avery.

Today is Tuesday, January 20th,

2026, and we've got a fantastic lineup of stories

covering everything from solar storms to

Chinese space technology,

and some fascinating discoveries about how

young stars shape their cosmic neighborhoods.

That's right.

We're going to dive into some breaking news

about the sun's latest outburst.

There's been quite a development there

that Aurora Chasers definitely need to hear about.

Plus, China continues to make impressive strides

in reusable rocket technology with the Long March 12B,

and we'll get a sneak peek

at their upcoming Shuntian Space Telescope

that sets arrival some of the best observatories in orbit.

We'll also journey into the Orion Molecular Cloud

to see how baby stars are literally carving out

their homes in space.

Check out this week's busy launch schedule

and explore a fascinating new theory

about how some exoplanets might protect themselves

from deadly radiation.

So, grab your coffee, settle in,

and let's get started with today's astronomy daily.

All right, Avery.

Let's jump right into our top story.

And this one's developing even as we speak.

The sun threw a massive tantrum this weekend

and Earth is already feeling the effects.

That's right, Anna.

On Sunday, January 18th,

the sun unleashed a powerful X.1.9-class solar flare

from Sunspot Region AR-4341.

For our listeners who might not be familiar,

X-class flares are the most powerful category

of solar eruptions,

and this one came with a particularly energetic friend.

A coronal mass ejection or a CME, right?

Exactly.

This CME was what forecasters call a full halo event,

meaning it was aimed directly at Earth.

The interesting twist here

is that it arrived much sooner than predicted.

Space weather forecasters initially expected it to hit

sometime within 24 hours of the flare,

but it actually slammed into Earth's magnetosphere yesterday,

January 19th at 2.38 pm, Eastern time.

And I'm guessing from the reports I've been seeing,

this wasn't a gentle arrival.

Not at all.

The CME triggered severe G4 geomagnetic storms.

According to Noah's Space Weather Prediction Center,

this is actually a pretty rare event.

We're also dealing with an S4 severe solar radiation storm

that's ongoing.

Now, for those wondering why this matters,

let's talk about what makes a CME geo-effective or not.

It's all about magnetic field orientation, isn't it?

That's the crucial factor.

When a CME arrives,

if its magnetic field is oriented southward,

what scientists call a negative BZ component,

it can connect with Earth's northward pointing magnetic field.

Think of it like opening a door.

The southward orientation essentially

allows solar wind energy to pour into our magnetosphere,

triggering deal magnetic storms.

And in this case, that door was wide open.

Exactly.

Data from the DSCOVR and A-space craft,

which monitor the solar wind upstream of Earth,

confirmed that southward BZ component.

That's what made this storm so potent.

So what does this mean for people on the ground?

Obviously, there's this spectacular side with auroras,

but there are practical concerns, too.

Right. The good news is that this storm

could push the northern lights much further south than usual.

According to NOAA's scales,

G4 storms can make auroras visible

as far south as Alabama and northern California.

But there are some downsides.

These storms can disrupt GPS navigation,

affect satellite operations,

increase atmospheric drag on spacecraft,

and potentially impact power grids

and high-frequency radio communications.

And the flare itself caused immediate problems

when it erupted, correct?

Yes, the X-doubt 1.9 flare triggered strong R3 level

radio blackouts across the sunlit side of Earth,

with the Americas taking the biggest hit.

Radio blackouts happen because the intense X-rays

and extreme ultraviolet radiation from the flare,

ionize the upper atmosphere, disrupting radio signals.

For our aurora chasers out there,

what's the forecast looking like?

Well, geomagnetic storm conditions

are expected to continue through at least today, January 20th.

The best viewing times are typically

between 10 PM and 4 AM local time.

Of course, you'll want to get away from city lights

and find the darkest location possible.

And keep in mind, you need clear skies to see them.

Betigning is interesting, too, isn't it?

We're well into solar maximum.

We are, solar cycle 25 has been particularly active,

and we're seeing the effects.

The sun has been consistently active throughout late 2025

and into 2026 with multiple X-class flares and CMEs.

This is exactly the kind of activity

we expect during solar maximum.

It's yet another reminder that our star

is a dynamic, powerful force.

What's fascinating to me is how much we've learned

about predicting these events,

even if this one arrived earlier than expected.

Absolutely, space weather forecasting has come a long way.

But CMEs are still notoriously tricky.

Their speed, direction, and crucially,

their magnetic orientation all factor

into how they'll interact with Earth.

We often don't know the full picture

until spacecraft like DSCOVR sample them directly

when they're almost at our doorstep.

Well, if you're in the northern tier states of the US

or Canada, keep your eyes on the sky tonight.

This could be a spectacular display.

Gifting gears from solar fireworks to human engineering,

let's talk about China's latest achievement

in reusable rocket technology.

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation

has successfully conducted a static fire test

of the Long March 12B.

This is China's follow-up to the Long March 12A,

which we covered when it made its maiden flight

back in late December 2025, right?

Exactly.

And if you recall, that first flight was partially successful.

The second stage successfully delivered its payload

to orbit, but the reusable first stage

crashed near the intended recovery area and Gansu Province.

So there's definitely been some lessons learned.

Let's talk specs.

What can you tell us about the Long March 12B?

It's a fairly substantial vehicle.

The rocket stands approximately 70 meters tall.

That's about 230 feet with a diameter of four meters.

Both stages use liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants,

which is interesting because it's the same propellant combination

that SpaceX uses in their Falcon 9.

And in terms of capability?

In its baseline configuration, the Long March 12B

can lift about 20 metric tons to low Earth orbit.

That puts it firmly in the heavy medium lift category.

When fully fueled, the entire vehicle

has a lift-off mass of around 700 tons.

Though what exactly did this static fire test accomplish?

The test, which took place Friday at the Jiuquan

Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China,

was all about validation.

Round teams ignited the first-stage engines

and sustained combustion for a period

while monitoring performance and control parameters.

They were verifying fueling procedures, ignition sequences,

and making sure all the propulsion and support systems

work smoothly under planned conditions.

And the reusability aspect, how does that work?

This is where it gets really interesting.

The first stage is designed to separate

from the second stage during flight.

Then flip itself around for reentry

using aerodynamic grid fins for guidance.

Picture those waffle-like fins you see on Falcon 9 boosters.

Then, it uses deployable landing legs

to touchdown vertically at a designated landing zone.

Though it's very much following the SpaceX playbook.

It is, though China has been developing

this technology independently.

The goal is the same, though.

Reusability to cut mission costs and increase launch cadence.

This is especially important for China's commercial space

sector and their growing satellite constellation projects.

And you mentioned the Long March 12A's landing attempt failed.

Are they incorporating what they learned from that

into the 12B?

Absolutely.

Engineering teams are still investigating

what went wrong with that December landing attempt.

And the lessons from that mission

are being fed directly into refinements

for the Long March 12B's reentry and landing systems.

That's actually a really important part

of the development process.

So when might we see an actual launch of the Long March 12B?

Based on this successful static fire test,

we're probably looking at flight tests in the near future.

They still need to do more ground testing and verification,

but successful engine testing is a major milestone

on the path to orbital flight.

It's interesting to watch multiple countries and companies

working on reusable rocket technology.

It really does seem to be the future of spaceflight.

No question.

When you can land and reuse your first stage,

which is the most expensive part of the rocket,

the economics of space access changed dramatically.

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China positioning themselves with both the 12A

and 12B shows they're committed to competing in this arena.

Dying with China's space program,

let's look ahead to what could be

one of the most capable space telescopes ever launched.

The Chinese Space Station Telescope, known as Shuntian,

is gearing up for launch as soon as early 2027.

And scientists just completed something pretty important,

a full end-to-end observation simulation

to test how the telescope will perform once it's in orbit.

Let's start with the basics.

How big is this thing?

Shuntian features a two meter primary mirror.

That's about 6.6 feet across.

For comparison, that's slightly smaller than Hubble's

2.4 meter mirror.

But here's where it gets interesting.

Shuntian is designed specifically as a survey instrument.

And in that role, it's going to be far more capable than Hubble.

How so?

It's all about field of view.

Shuntian's field of view is about 300 times larger than Hubble's.

That means it can survey the sky much more efficiently.

Combine that with a 2.5 billion pixel camera

and the ability to observe from near ultraviolet

to near infrared wavelengths, and you've

got yourself an extremely powerful sky surveying machine.

That's impressive.

What will it be looking for?

The science goals are pretty ambitious.

According to the National Astronomical Observatories

under the Chinese Academy of Sciences,

Shuntian should make major contributions

across multiple fields.

Cosmology, galaxy formation and evolution,

the structure and evolution of our own Milky Way,

and studies of stars and planets.

I've also heard it might help us understand dark matter

and dark energy.

Exactly.

Those are two of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics.

And a wide field survey telescope like Shuntian

is perfectly suited to contribute to that research.

By mapping large areas of the sky

and observing how galaxies cluster and move,

scientists can gather evidence about the nature of dark matter

and dark energy.

Now, what makes Shuntian really unique

is how it will operate in relation

to China's Tiangong Space Station, right?

That's one of the coolest aspects.

Shuntian will fly independently in low Earth orbit,

co-orbiting with Tiangong, but doing its own thing.

However, and this is the really neat part,

it's designed to dock with a space station when needed.

Though astronauts can service it.

Exactly.

Just like NASA astronaut service Hubble five times

between 1993 and 2009.

According to recent video from China Central Television,

astronauts will be able to conduct space walks

to maintain, repair, or even upgrade the observatory.

This is a huge advantage because it extends

the operational life of the telescope

and allows for technology upgrades over time.

That's actually brilliant.

Hubble's servicing missions turned it from a disappointment

into one of the most productive scientific instruments

ever built.

Absolutely.

And China clearly learned from that example.

Being able to service a space telescope in orbit

is enormously valuable.

Tell us about these simulations they just completed.

The research team built what they call

an end-to-end simulation suite.

Basically, they created mock observations

that replicate the expected instrumental

and observational conditions.

They tested both the optical systems

and other observation systems to evaluate

the telescope's overall performance

before it ever leaves the ground.

That makes sense.

Better to find problems in simulation than after launch.

The results were published in the journal Research

and Astronomy and Astrophysics in early January.

This kind of validation work is crucial

for a mission of this scale and complexity.

When you say early 2027, how firm is that timeline?

It's a no earlier than timeline.

These large space telescopes are complex beasts

and schedules can slip.

But if everything stays on track,

we could see Shuntian launching on a long March 5B rocket,

sometime in the first half of 2027.

It's going to be really interesting

to see what Shuntian discovers once it's operational.

Having another major space telescope conducting surveys

will be fantastic for astronomy.

X, let's head out to one of the most famous star forming

regions in our cosmic neighborhood.

The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured some stunning new images

that reveal how baby stars are literally carving out space

for themselves in the surrounding gas and dust.

This is such a beautiful topic.

These are protostars, right?

Stars that haven't quite grown up yet.

That's right.

Protostars are young stellar objects

that are still in the process of accumulating mass

from the molecular clouds they're forming in.

They haven't started fusing hydrogen into helium yet,

which is what defines a main sequence star like our sun.

But even though they're not doing fusion,

they're far from quiet.

They're quite energetic, actually.

Incredibly so.

Protostars generate powerful winds and jets

that shape their surroundings in dramatic ways.

These jets and winds carve out bubbles

and caverns in the surrounding gas.

And astrophysicists have been trying

to better understand this feedback process.

What's driving these jets?

It's a fascinating process.

Material from the molecular cloud

first forms a disc around the protostar.

Not all of that material makes it onto the star itself.

Some gets accelerated to high speeds

along the star's magnetic field lines

and shot out from the poles as focus beams of mostly hydrogen.

So they're like cosmic fire hoses?

That's a good analogy.

And in addition to these focused jets,

protostars also produce wide-angle stellar winds

that flow in all directions.

These winds from young stars are actually far more powerful

than the solar wind from our sun

or other main sequence stars.

What did the Hubble images reveal?

The three new images show protostars at different stages,

all in the Orion molecular complex.

You can actually see the cavernous shapes

these young stars have carved out

from the surrounding gas.

It's quite striking visually.

These dark, sometimes intricate structures

against the glowing background of the nebula.

But there was a surprising finding in the research, wasn't there?

Yes, and it challenges some assumptions.

Researchers found that the cavities carved

by these jets and winds didn't grow larger

as the stars moved through their later formation stages.

You might expect the cavities to keep expanding over time,

but that's not what they observed.

So what does that tell us?

Well, the Orion molecular cloud

has been experiencing a declining star formation rate.

And these protostars also have lower rates

of mass secretion over time.

Scientists initially thought

maybe this could be attributed to the jets

and winds carving out all the available gas.

But the new findings suggest that's not the case.

The cavity sizes weren't the limiting factor.

So something else is controlling the star formation rate?

Exactly.

There must be other factors at play

in regulating how quickly stars form

and grow in this region.

It's a reminder that even in well-studied regions like Orion,

we're still learning the details of how star formation works.

I love that these images aren't just pretty pictures.

They're revealing actual physics.

That's what makes astronomy so exciting.

Every observation adds a piece of the puzzle.

In this case, we're learning that the feedback

from young stars through their jets and winds,

while dramatic and visually spectacular

might not be the main factor

controlling star formation in the region.

It's also interesting to think about our own sun

going through this phase billions of years ago.

Absolutely.

When the sun was young, it was in a cluster

with its siblings, probably in a molecular cloud,

much like Orion.

It would have had these same powerful jets and winds

shaping the gas and dust around it.

Eventually, the molecular cloud dispersed,

the star cluster broke up,

and the sun ended up as the solitary star we know today.

Orion is close enough that we can study these processes

in detail, which is really lucky for astronomers.

Very lucky.

At about 1,350 light years away,

it's one of the nearest large star forming regions.

We can resolve individual protostars

and their surrounding structures,

which gives us insights we can apply

to understanding star formation

throughout the galaxy and beyond.

All right, let's shift from natural cosmic phenomena

to human-made space activities.

We've got a busy week of launches coming up every.

We do indeed.

Seven launches from six different sites across the globe.

Let's run through them.

The week actually started this morning

with the Chinese launch, correct?

That's right.

The Changzang 12 rocket,

also known as Long March 12,

lifted off from commercial launch complex two

at Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan, China.

This was at 748 UTC,

carrying nine sat-net satellites to low Earth orbit.

The CZ-12 can lift about 12,000 kilograms to Leo,

and this was a demonstration

of China's commercial launch capabilities.

Moving on to tomorrow, what do we have?

Tomorrow, January 21st, we have Rocket Lab,

launching from New Zealand.

Their electron rocket will be carrying two satellites

for open cosmos as part of a secure broadband constellation

being built in the UK.

The mission is called the Cosmos will see you now

and lift off a scheduled for 1109 UTC

from their facility on the Mahia Peninsula.

Rocket Lab has really established

a solid cadence with electron.

They have.

This will be Electron's 80th mission.

That's a remarkable achievement for a small rocket.

The vehicle has proven itself reliable and capable,

especially for the small satellite constellation deployments.

It's Wednesday that gets particularly interesting

with the Esar Aerospace Launch.

Yes, this is Esar's second attempt

to launch their spectrum rocket

from the Andoya rocket range in Norway.

The mission is called Onward and Upward,

which is fitting given that their first attempt in March 2025

failed shortly after lift off due to an engine issue.

What's different this time?

Well, they've been investigating what went wrong

on that first flight and making refinements.

Spectrum is a two-stage rocket powered by aquila engines

using propane and liquid oxygen.

It's designed for the satellite constellation market

and can lift about 1,000 kilograms to Leo.

They're carrying several CubeSats

for the European Space Agency's boost program.

So fingers crossed for Esar on Wednesday.

What else?

Wednesday is also when SpaceX has their first Falcon 9

launch of the week.

They're launching 24 Starlink satellites

from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Lift off is currently targeted for 243 UTC

on January 22nd, which is 6.43 PM Pacific time on the 21st.

Vandenberg has been busy lately.

Very busy.

This mission will use Booster B1093 on its 10th flight,

landing on the drone ship.

Of course, I still love you in the Pacific.

It's another example of SpaceX's routine reuse.

This particular booster has previously flown

seven Starlink missions and two military missions.

Do we have a new shepherd launch from Blue Origin this week?

Correct.

Blue Origin is targeting Thursday, January 22nd,

at 1430 UTC.

That's 930 AM Eastern.

For new shepherd's 17th crewed mission,

designated NS-38.

This will be a suborbital flight from launch site 1

in West Texas, carrying six people

past the Carmen line and into space

for a few minutes of weightlessness.

New shepherd has really become a regular operation for them.

It has.

The capsule will separate from the booster,

which will return for a propulsive landing,

while the capsule lands under parachutes

with retro thrusters firing just before touchdown

to soften the landing for the crew.

And we're round out the week with...

Two more launches on Sunday, January 25th.

First, China will conduct a sea launch

of a Geolong-3 rocket from the South China Sea.

Details on the payload are still under wraps,

they'll likely release that information after the launch.

Lift off is scheduled for 630 UTC.

Sea launches are always interesting.

They are.

The Geolong-3 is a four-stage solid-fueled rocket

that launches from a maritime platform.

It's an interesting capability

that gives China flexibility and launch

as a myth and location.

And finally...

Sunday also brings SpaceX's second Falcon 9 launch of the week,

also from Vandenberg.

Another batch of 24 Starlink satellites heading to orbit

at 1517 UTC.

This one will use booster B0088 on its 13th flight,

another testament to booster reusability.

That's quite a week.

Seven launches from six sites.

It really shows how routine space access has become.

It does, and it's only going to get busier

as more commercial constellations come online

and more providers enter the launch market.

And may we wish them all successful launches.

Indeed.

Moving along, for our final story,

let's journey to distant worlds

and explore fascinating new theory

about how some rocky exoplanets

might protect themselves from deadly cosmic radiation.

This involves super-earth, right?

Those planets that are larger than our earth,

but smaller than ice giants, like Neptune?

Exactly.

Super-earths are actually the most common type of exoplanet

we've found in our galaxy,

which makes understanding them really important.

But here's an interesting problem.

Many of these worlds might not be able to generate

magnetic fields the way Earth does.

And magnetic fields are crucial

for protecting a planet's surface from harmful radiation.

Right.

Earth's magnetic field is generated by movement

in our liquid iron outer core

through a process called a dynamo.

But larger rocky worlds, like super-earths,

might have cores that are completely solid

or completely liquid,

neither of which can produce a magnetic field

through the same mechanism.

So how do they protect themselves?

That's where this new research

from the University of Rochester comes in.

They propose an alternate source,

deep layers of molten rock

called basal magma oceans or BMOs,

which exist at the boundary

between a planet's mantle and core.

Molten rock generating a magnetic field.

It sounds surprising,

but the key is what happens to rock

under the extreme pressures inside super-earths.

The research team, led by associate professor

Miki Nakajima, conducted laser shock experiments

and quantum simulations to recreate

the conditions deep inside these massive planets.

What did they find?

Under the crushing pressures found in super-earths

were talking planets three to six times the mass of Earth.

Molten rock becomes electrically conductive.

And if you have electrically conductive material

in motion, you can generate a magnetic field.

So these basal magma oceans could act like liquid metal cores

just using rock instead?

Essentially, yes.

The movement of this electrically conductive molten rock

could drive what they call a BMO dynamo.

And according to their models,

these dynamos could generate magnetic fields

that are actually stronger and longer lasting

than those produced by core dynamos like Earths.

That's remarkable how long could these fields last?

Billions of years, potentially.

That's important because for a planet to develop

and sustain life, you need stable protection

from radiation over very long time scales.

Now, Earth probably had a basal magma ocean

early in its history, right?

Yes, shortly after formation.

But Earth is relatively small.

So as it cooled, that magma ocean eventually solidified.

Super-earth, though, with their higher internal pressures

and temperatures could maintain these basal magma oceans

for much, much longer,

potentially throughout their entire lifetime.

This has pretty significant implications

for the search for habitable worlds.

Absolutely.

One of the factors in determining whether a planet

might be habitable is whether it has magnetic protection.

Without a magnetic field, a planet atmosphere

can be stripped away by stellar wind,

making it hard for life to survive on the surface.

If super-earth can generate magnetic fields

through basal magma oceans,

that potentially increases the number of worlds

that could harbor life.

How do we test this theory?

That's the exciting next step.

We need to actually detect and measure magnetic fields

around exoplanets, which is extremely challenging

with current technology.

But next generation telescopes and instruments

might be able to do it.

Professor Nakajima mentioned she can't wait

for future magnetic field observations

of exoplanets to test their hypothesis.

It's fascinating how interdisciplinary this research is,

combining experimental physics, quantum simulations,

and planetary evolution models.

That's what makes it so robust.

They weren't just working on theory.

They actually recreated the conditions inside super-ears

with laser shock experiments at the laboratory

for laser energetics at the University of Rochester.

Then they combined that with computational modeling

to understand how these conditions would evolve

over billions of years.

And this was challenging work for the team, wasn't it?

Very much so.

Professor Nakajima mentioned

this was her first experimental work.

Her background is primarily computational.

She credited support from collaborators

across various research fields

for making this interdisciplinary work possible.

It's a great reminder that some of the biggest

scientific questions require bringing together expertise

from multiple disciplines.

Absolutely.

Understanding planetary interiors,

magnetic field generation and habitability

requires geophysics, astrophysics, planetary science,

and material science all working together.

So the bottom line is, super-earths

might have a built-in radiation shield

that we didn't know about,

potentially making more of them candidates

for harboring life.

That's exactly right.

It expands our understanding

of what makes a planet potentially habitable

and gives us new things to look for

when we're evaluating exoplanets

as possible homes for life.

Well, that wraps up today's edition of Astronomy Daily.

From solar storms to baby stars,

Chinese space technology to hidden magma oceans

on distant worlds,

it's been quite a journey through the cosmos.

It really has.

And remember, if you're in the northern tier states

of the USA or Canada tonight,

keep an eye on the sky for those auroras

from that solar storm could be quite a show.

Thanks for joining us.

For the latest space and astronomy news

delivered fresh every day,

be sure to subscribe to Astronomy Daily.

You can find us on our website at astronomydaily.io

or search for us on your favorite podcast platform.

Until next time, keep looking up.

Clear skies, everyone.

Astronomy Daily.

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