Vampire star devours brown dwarf & Einstein Probe reveals neutron phase - Space News (Oct 8, 2026)

Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: - Discover the Future of AI Audio with ElevenLabs - https://try.elevenlabs.io/tad - Invest Like the Pros with StockMVP - https://www.stock-mvp.com/?via=ron - KrispCall: Agentic Cloud Telephony - https://try.krispcall.com/tad Support The Automated Daily directly: Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theautomateddaily Today's topics: Vampire star devours brown dwarf - Astronomers have observed a low-mass 'vampire' star in the system ZTF J0440+2325 steadily siphoning material from a close-orbiting brown dwarf. It is the first time this kind of mass transfer has been seen at such low masses, offering a new window into compact binary evolution. Einstein Probe reveals neutron phase - China's Einstein Probe captured nearly ten minutes of soft X-ray emission after a short gamma-ray burst. The signal reveals a hidden phase of neutron star mergers that may point to a short-lived hypermassive neutron star remnant. Webb finds atmosphere on lava world - The James Webb Space Telescope found strong evidence that the lava world HD 3167 b retains an atmosphere despite its molten surface. The result challenges ideas about atmospheric loss on ultra-hot rocky exoplanets and offers clues about early Earth and Venus. Three CMEs bring aurora chances - Three coronal mass ejections from sunspot region AR4549 are heading toward Earth, with NOAA forecasting up to G2 geomagnetic storm levels. Northern lights may be visible across northern North America between October 8 and 11. Draconid meteors peak under dark skies - The Draconid meteor shower from Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner peaks on October 8 and 9 under dark skies ahead of the new moon. The Draconids are best seen in the early evening, and no telescope is needed. Perseverance finds new Martian strata - NASA's Perseverance rover has identified unexpected geological layers at the Margin region of Jezero Crater. The strata suggest a more complex history of lake and river activity on ancient Mars and help refine the search for past habitability. Crew-12 returns, Crew-13 arrives fast - SpaceX Crew-12 heads home after nearly eight months on the International Space Station, while ESA's Sophie Adenot sets a European record of 200 consecutive days in space. Crew-13 arrived in a record 7 hours and 55 minutes, led by Jessica Watkins, the first Black woman to command an orbital crew. Nuri rocket deploys fifteen satellites - South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket completed its fifth f