Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today Podcast
Fraser Cain
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Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.
[Q&A+] Fermi Paradox Special (Vol. 2)
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:29Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ouw_AobGQ2MCosmoQuest Artemis Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUhAPm8PNdY CosmoQuest: https://cosmoquest.org/ What could the great filter be? How visible is the human race to outside observers? How would astronomy work in a cosmic void? And in Q&A+, what would happen if a black hole suddenly approached?00:00 Intro 00:26 [@moosekeeto] What could the Great Filter be? 02:17 [@wookalarcentral] What do cosmic coincidences mean? 04:24 [@MikeD_] Could advanced civilizations communicate in a way we can't detect? 06:05 [@doogle4144] How 'visible' is the Human race? 08:56 [@mmorgan7212] How would astronomy work if we lived in a cosmic void? 13:40 [@AEFisch] Why do scientists call a black hole a singularity? 16:28 New citizen science project
Apr 23
18 min
[Interview+] We Don't See Supernovae In The Milky Way. Nobody Knows Why
🟣 Guest: Dr. John Banovetz https://www.bnl.gov/world/📜 Uncovering the Next Galactic Supernova with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.12094We should be getting 1-2 supernovae per century in a galaxy like the Milky Way. Yet, the last one observed was about 1000 years ago? Where are all the galactic supernovae? Why don't we see enough of them. Can Vera Rubin help? Finding out in this interview.00:00 Intro 01:41 Supernovae in the Milky Way 09:33 Why don't we see the supernovae 13:32 Vera Rubin 24:37 Working with the data pipeline 39:10 Current obsessions 41:08 Final thoughts
Apr 22
43 min
[Q&A+] Moon Base Basics, HWO Targets, Mars Nuclear Reactor
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:16Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gac8HkEO9AEHow will we power the Moon bases? Which places will be the primary targets for the Habitable World Observatory? Which nuclear reactor is the new NASA proposal about? And in Q&A+, how long will it take to clear the L2 Lagrange point?00:00 Intro 00:26 [@Noonyuh] Could moonquakes or marsquakes cause problems for humans? 02:44 [@rJaune] Are there promising battery technology? 04:08 [@1000dots] Which nuclear reactor will NASA use for its new Mars mission? 09:20 [@smkolins] Is anyone setting up a public access list of new finds of Vera Rubin? 11:24 [@TestingTesting-1234] Where will HWO look first? 14:46 [@Matthew...1979] Could we see other planets in realtime? 16:16 [@C.Lo.87] How long to clear out L2? 17:22 Previously hidden contentFull livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/6oMnUsxwsQM
Apr 21
19 min
[Space Bites+] Fresh Lunar Crater // 3D-Map of The Universe // Stardust on Venus
BONUS STORY STARTS AT 20:55Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VHLROLaOCFcThere's a new scar on the moon. The Artemis II astronauts return home safely. A new survey has just wrapped up its scan for dark energy. Supermassive black holes ready to merge. And in Space Bites Plus, astronomers find one of the oldest stars in the universe.00:00 Intro 00:20 New Scar on The Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-moon-just-got-a-new-scar 02:20 Artemis 2 Recap https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-world-welcomes-the-crew-of-artemis-ii-home 04:33 DESI 5-year observations https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/04/15/desi-completes-planned-3d-map-of-the-universe-and-continues-exploring/ 07:34 SMBHs about to merge https://www.universetoday.com/articles/two-monsters-one-galaxy-and-a-collision-100-years-away 10:04 Reuse of the New Glenn's booster https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/04/16/blue-origin-hot-fires-its-first-previously-flown-booster-prepares-for-weekend-launch/ 11:14 Blue Alchemist https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/from-moon-dust-to-moon-colonies/ 12:32 Demarcation of Stars and Planets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/wheres-the-dividing-line-between-a-star-and-a-planet-ask-the-jwst 14:53 Vote results 15:51 Stardust in the clouds of Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/stardust-in-the-clouds-of-venus 17:25 More NASA Nuclear Missions https://www.universetoday.com/articles/exploring-the-moons-shadowy-craters-with-nuclear-powered-rovers 19:35 Most Powerful Telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-universes-most-powerful-telescope 20:55 BONUS STORY https://www.universetoday.com/articles/student-team-finds-one-of-the-oldest-stars-in-the-universe-that-migrated-to-the-milky-way22:45 Even more space news
Apr 17
26 min
[Q&A+] Understanding Universe's Scale, Mars Missions, Colonizing Gas Giant Moons
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 19:38Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N1yFECYcRYsHow can you wrap your head around the true scale of the Universe? Will humanity ever colonize gas giant moons? Can ISS missions compare to future Mars missions? And in Q&A+, did JWST produce any good science papers?00:00 Intro 00:25 [@chiroptile2881] Will humanity ever colonize the gas giants' moons? 04:32 [@nickstokes9386] How can you comprehend the scale of the Universe? 08:16 [@SantiagoT75] Is space less beautiful for our human eyes? 11:32 [@nephilim20111] Do ISS missions compare to future Mars missions? 19:38 [@derrickdibble3860] Any good papers been released from JWST?22:36 Interviews with scientists
Apr 16
25 min
[Interview+] Extracting Even More Gravitational Waves from The Pulsar Timing Array
BONUS PART STARTS AT 27:40Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nX5Ou28VGwQLISA Interview https://youtu.be/AUS8A9J3d5g LIGO Interview https://youtu.be/_jmQVH9L8vI 🟣 Guest: Dr. Chiara Mingarelli https://www.chiaramingarelli.com/ 📜 Fingerprints of Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Pulsar Timing Arrays https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.05722 00:00 Intro 01:41 Pulsar Timing Array 09:27 Detecting individual mergers 18:31 What's next? 27:40 Alternative ways of detecting black holes 41:14 Final thoughts
Apr 16
32 min
[Q&A+] Eliminating Night Darkness, Voyagers' Lifetime, JWST's Planets
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:57Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1rUTV39wcwMCan we eliminate darkness at night with an orbital reflector? How long do the Voyagers have left? Why didn't JWST inspect some of the potential ocean worlds? And in Q&A+, could we see the Great Attractor unobscured? 00:00 Start 00:26 [@Asmo-RL] Why are Mars and Venus un the habitable zone though clearly uninhabited? 03:52 [@GigaSigma1] Can we put a reflector in orbit to eliminate darkness at night? 07:03 [@MLBrilliance] Can we see the Great Attractor unobscured? 11:01 [@bigglestintin] ow long will voyager 2's power last? 15:57 [@everythingcompute] Why didn't JWST look at Kepler 22B? 20:11 Outro
Apr 14
24 min
[Interview+] Phobos Might Already Be Destroyed and Reformed. Possibly Multiple Times
BONUS PART STARTS AT 37:54Watch here (with no ads and a bouns part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JMP7N_Dkga0In the recent years we found out that a lot of asteroids are rubble piles. And we will be finding more of them. But it appears that Phobos might have a lot of characteristics of rubble piles. Which could have some really interesting consequences.🟣 Guest: Dr. Harrison Agrusa https://hagrusa.github.io/ 📜 Tidal disruptions of rubble piles: The case of Phobos https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.2191200:00 Intro 02:02 Rubble pile asteroids 17:39 DART mission aftermath 21:45 Best ways to deflect an asteroid 25:01 Phobos 37:54 LUCY mission 47:32 Current obsessions 50:54 Final thoughts
Apr 14
52 min
[Space Bites+] "Accidental" Moon Photo // New NASA Budget Cuts // New Class of Stars
BONUS STORY STARTS AT 20:03Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TV_kJYQctvkArtemis 2 is going well. The White House proposes to cut back NASA's budget. Webb looks at two protoplanetary systems. An entirely new class of stars. And in Space Bites Plus, Japan is planning a comet return mission.SLS IR Video00:00 Intro 00:18 Artemis 2 is going really well https://www.universetoday.com/articles/artemis-ii-mission-shares-first-photo-of-earth https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasa-releases-images-of-artemis-iis-flight-behind-the-moon 07:20 NASA Budget Cuts Amid Artemis 2 and Ignition Announcements https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-skinny-budget-and-what-does-it-mean-for-nasa 09:36 Two Planets Forming https://www.universetoday.com/articles/webbs-picture-of-the-month-features-two-planet-forming-disks-and-a-few-possible-planets 11:00 New Class of Star https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-new-class-of-star-merger-remnant 13:34 Idea for a Mercury Rover https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-mercury-rover-could-explore-the-planet-by-sticking-to-the-terminator 16:09 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 16:44 SuperCDMS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/supercdm-experiment-reaches-critical-temperature-bringing-it-one-step-closer-to-detecting-dark-matte 18:22 JWST's Hidden Treasure https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-spies-once-hidden-treasures-in-the-w51-starbirth-crche 20:03 BONUS STORY https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jaxa-plans-to-bring-back-pristine-early-solar-system-samples-from-a-comet21:22 Most influential space moments
Apr 10
26 min
[Q&A+] Moon Atmosphere, Habitable Quasars, Sun's Red Giant Phase
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:22Will Jupiter system become habitable? How much atmosphere could the Moon hold onto? Do quasars have a habitable zone? And in Q&A+, is transpirational cooling better than a heat shield?00:00 Intro 00:24 [@Shrouded_Gh05t] Do I think Europa or Titan has life on it? 03:42 [@GadZookz] If Venus had a moon would it be any different? 05:17 [@jamesmnguyen] What's the max atmosphere The Moon could hold onto? 06:44 [@Storm-Krow] Could current students work with James Webb or ELT? 09:49 [@PhoenixWarp1] Would Jupiter or Saturn become habitable during Sun's red giant phase? 10:49 [@ThexBorg] Do quasars have a habitable zone? 13:22 [@irwin2335] Transpirational cooling, better than a heat shield? 15:15 Outro
Apr 10
18 min
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