The Case of the Martian Meteorite

Somewhere in the Sahara Desert, someone picked up an unusual, rose-colored stone. It wasn't particularly impressive to look at, but scientists would eventually discover that this little rock had traveled across millions of miles of space, survived a violent escape from another planet, and preserved evidence of events more than four billion years old.

It came from Mars.

In this episode, we're investigating the remarkable science of Martian meteorites. How can researchers identify a rock from another planet with such confidence? What do the Viking landers have to do with meteorites discovered on Earth? And what kind of cosmic catastrophe could send a piece of the Martian crust hurtling across the solar system?

Along the way, we'll revisit one of the biggest astronomy stories of the 1990s: the sensational announcement that a Martian meteorite might contain evidence of ancient microbial life. We'll also examine the newly studied Teghaza 001 meteorite, whose minerals preserve clues to the earliest chapters of Martian history, including the role of water on the young Red Planet.

Then, we'll turn our attention to one of the world's most famous paintings. New astronomical research suggests that Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night may have been inspired by a particular arrangement of the Moon, Venus, and the stars of Taurus in July 1889. Could modern astronomy help solve a 137-year-old artistic mystery?

Finally, in our night sky report for November 8–14, 2026, we'll explore excellent dark-sky observing conditions around the new Moon, the Northern Taurid meteor shower, Saturn in the evening sky, Jupiter and Mars drawing closer before dawn, and some of autumn's finest celestial sights, including the Pleiades, Hyades, Andromeda Galaxy, and Orion Nebula.

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