JWST reads alien geology, Io is FAR more powerful than we thought, and a meteor shower peaks TONIGHT

JWST reads alien geology, Io is FAR more powerful than we thought, and a meteor shower peaks TONIGHT

May 5, 2026 · 18 min · Season 5 · Episode 96

About this episode

In this episode, Anna and Avery discuss significant space news including JWST's study of an exoplanet, Io's volcanic output, and the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.

Sponsor Link: When you're ready to secure you online life, do what we did, get NordVPN and by using our special link, you can save a heap of money. The best for less! To take up our special offer and check out the details, Click Here Episode Summary In this episode of Astronomy Daily, Anna and Avery cover six major space and astronomy stories: the James Webb Space Telescope's historic first direct study of a rocky exoplanet's surface; a dramatic upward revision of Io's volcanic heat output; the release of the FLAMINGO cosmological simulation dataset; a new technique for finding planets in binary star systems; the discovery of a novel state of matter inside ice giants; and how to watch tonight's Eta Aquarid meteor shower live online. Story Links & References Story 1 — JWST Exoplanet Surface Study Nature Astronomy: LHS 3844 b thermal emission spectrum — doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02860-3 Space.com coverage: space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope/james-webb-space-telescope-directly-studies-an-exoplanets-surface-for-the-1st-time Story 2 — Io Volcanic Power Revised arXiv pre-print: arxiv.org/abs/2605.00100 | Phys.org…

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