An Atmosphere That Shouldn't Exist + 12,000 Artemis II Photos

About this episode

Anna and Avery discuss remarkable discoveries in space, including an unexpected atmosphere around a tiny world and the release of thousands of Artemis II photos.

Sponsor Link: When you're ready to upgrade your online security, do what we did and get NordVPN . And right now we have a great deal for you that will save you lot's on money. There's never been a better time. To check out the deal Click Here! Wednesday 6 May 2026 | astronomydaily.io | @AstroDailyPod Episode Summary In today's episode, Anna and Avery explore six remarkable stories from across the cosmos: a tiny frozen world beyond Pluto surprises scientists with an atmosphere it should never have; NASA drops twelve thousand stunning photographs from the Artemis II mission and Artemis III preparations accelerate; Blue Origin's uncrewed moon lander Endurance passes its toughest test; new research confirms the sun actively speeds up the descent of space debris; radar-equipped drones emerge as a key tool for mapping buried Martian ice; and Comet PanSTARRS makes its debut in southern skies. Stories in This Episode 1. The Atmosphere That Shouldn't Exist Japanese astronomers have detected a thin atmosphere around trans-Neptunian object 2002 XV93 — a Kuiper Belt body just 500 km across. Published in Nature Astronomy, the discovery challenges long-held assumptions about which bodies can…

People in this episode

Hosts: Anna, Avery

Topics covered

• atmosphere discovery
• Artemis II mission
• space debris
• Martian ice mapping
• Comet PanSTARRS

Keywords

• Kuiper Belt
• cryovolcanism
• space exploration
• moon lander
• Comet PanSTARRS

Sponsors

NordVPN

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NASA, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

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