Shows / Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today Podcast
Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.
Episodes
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 391: 337 - Life Beneath the Ice
Forget rocky worlds like Earth and Mars. New discoveries about icy worlds like Europa and Enceladus make them the ideal candidates for the search for life in…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 390: 336 - What Do We Do With Dead Spacecraft
We try to avoid thinking about it, but spacecraft are machines that break down and eventually fail. Some can last for years, others decades, but in the end…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 389: QA 40: When Will the Big Rip Happen and more...
In this QA episode, Fraser wonders when the Big Rip might happen, could there be binary galaxies, what it would be like to live in higher gravity.Support…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 388: 335 - Why Did Mars Lose Its Atmosphere?
Mars is in the spotlight now, as both SpaceX and NASA are preparing their long range plans to send humans to the Red Planet. But Mars is an inhospitable…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 387: 334 - Interstellar Asteroid
On October 25, 2017, astronomers from NASA’s Minor Planet Center sent out an announcement that they needed help confirming the trajectory of an interesting…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 386: QA 39: Galactic Escape Velocity and More... Featuring Astronaut Terry Virts
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains why almost everything in the Solar System is spinning in the same direction, is there a limit to how massive…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 385: 332 - Can We Protect Astronauts
Space is our future, but space is also a deadly place, with poisonous radiation and an increased risk of cancer. We’re protected here on Earth thanks to our…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 384: 333 - How Do Planets Shift Orbits
We once thought our Solar System was normal, average. How wrong we were, how varied the planetary systems are out there. It turns out, the migration of planets…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 383: QA 38: Measuring a Black Hole’s Spin and more. Featuring Andy Weir Author of the Martian
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains how astronomers measure the spin rate of black holes, other uses of gravitational slingshots, and why everyone is…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 382: QA 37: Why Am I Such a SpaceX Hater (or Fanboy)? And More...
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains his thoughts on SpaceX, what he does for his regular job, and wonders if you could use a black hole to perform…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 381: 331 - What Is Eternal Inflation
In order to get the large scale structure of the Universe we see today, cosmologists have proposed the idea of inflation, that the Universe expanded an…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 380: 330 - Going Back To The Moon
On October 5th, 2017, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that NASA is going back to the Moon. He didn’t provide any other details, just some kind of…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 379: QA 36: Growing Plants in Lunar Regolith? And More
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders if we’ll be able to grow crops in lunar soil, if the Moon has been changing over time, and what title does Elon…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 378: 329 - What Is An Electric Sail
We’re all familiar with the idea of solar sails to explore the Solar System, using the light pressure from the Sun. But there’s another propulsion system that…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 377: 328 - Kilonova
Astronomers have made the groundbreaking detection of two neutron stars colliding in a galaxy 130 million light years away. They detected the gravitational…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 376: 327 - Where Do Comets Come From
Some comets orbit the Sun on a regular basis, but others come in from deep space, a region known as the Oort Cloud. What causes them to make this journey, and…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 375: QA 35: Best Place for a Telescope? And More
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders where would be the best place to put a really powerful telescope, why a kilonova is important, and what happens…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 374: QA 34: Will Ice Protect Us From Radiation? And More
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders if the Earth will get new moons, if dark energy is getting more diluted over time, and if the ice on Jupiter’s…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 373: 326 - SpaceX Goes All in On The Big Freaking Rocket
Elon Musk gave us an update on SpaceX’s plans to send humans to Mars, going all in on their new launch vehicle: the BFR.Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 372: 325 - Deep Space Gateway
NASA is working on developing a space station in a cis-lunar orbit that will serve as the jumping off point to exploring the Solar System; it’s known as the…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 371: QA 33: Should We Sweep the Moon? And More, Featuring Scott Manley
In this week’s question show, Fraser searches for the most energetic collisions in the Universe, whether we should vacuum up dust on the Moon, and are there…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 370: 324 - What Are Globular Clusters?
One of the most beautiful and scientifically interesting objects in space are the globular clusters, containing hundreds of thousands of stars. What are they…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 369: QA 32: Why Can’t James Webb Be Repaired? And More
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains why James Webb can’t be repaired if anything goes wrong, why we even need space telescopes in the first place…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 368: 323 - Intermediate Mass Black Hole Discovered
Astronomers have been searching for mid-weight black holes, and now they’ve found one, right here in the Milky Way.Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 367: 317 - What Missions Have Been Cancelled
Over the past decades, many missions have been canceled. What alternative history could we have had if these projects had gone through?Support Universe Today…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 366: 318 - Where Are The Voyagers Now
We’re nearly at the 40th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Voyager spacecraft. And they’re still going! Let’s remember these amazing missions.Support…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 365: 319 - What Are The Van Allen Belts
The Van Allen Belts surround the Earth with deadly radiation. What can we do to get past them and escape into deep space?Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 364: 321 - Rise Of The Supertelescopes Part 2
In part 2 of this series, we look at the supertelescopes heading to space in the next few decades.Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 363: 320 - Rise Of The Supertelescopes Part 1
Astronomy is about to get much much more exciting, with a whole new class of enormous telescopes developed on Earth and in space. How much more powerful? What…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 362: 322 - Supermassive Black Holes Or Galaxies
It’s a mystery that’s puzzled astronomers for years. Which came first, supermassive black holes or the galaxies that surround them?Support Universe Today…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 361: QA 31: Is Contacting Aliens Our Worst Mistake? And More
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders if science is the best tool we’ve got, if communicating with aliens is a wise idea, and how he feels about people…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 360: QA 30: Is the Earth Increasing or Decreasing in Mass? And More
In this week’s question show, Fraser answers questions about dark matter black holes, the magnetospheres of exoplanets and whether the Earth is increasing or…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 359: QA 29: Are Generational Ships Possible? And more...
In this week’s QA, Fraser worries about artificial super intelligence, getting flung out of the Milky Way.Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 358: 313 - What Happens During a Solar Eclipse
North America is preparing itself for the August Eclipse, so we thought it would be a good time to explain how eclipses work and what’s going on as the Moon…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 357: 315 - How Do We Protect Earth From Asteroids Part 2
Once we know where all the dangerous asteroids are, how do we prevent one from hitting Earth?Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 356: 314 - How Do We Protect Earth From Asteroids Part 1
We know we live in a cosmic shooting gallery. Who’s got their eyes on the sky, and how will we prevent an asteroid strike if we find a dangerous space…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 355: 316 - Where Will The Space Launch System Take Us
NASA is working on the most powerful rocket ever built: the Space Launch System. What could it be used for to explore the Solar System?Support Universe Today…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 354: QA 28: Dealing with Conspiracy Theories and More...
In this week’s questions show, Fraser explains how the Apollo astronauts got past the Van Allen Belt, bulking up brown dwarfs, and how to deal with conspiracy…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 353: QA 27: Asteroid as a Space Ship and more...
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks using an asteroid for a space ship, colonizing the whole galaxy, and whether you’ve got dark matter all around you.Support…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 352: 312 - Why Haven't We Gone Anywhere
It’s been half a century since humans first set foot on the Moon? Why haven’t we gone back? Will we ever go anywhere interesting in space?Support Universe…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 351: QA 26: Faster Than Light Into the Past?
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks about black holes consuming dark matter, if traveling faster than light moves you backwards in time, and what those big pools…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 350: 311 - Is Time To Go Back To Uranus And Neptune
We’ve only seen Uranus and Neptune one time up close. There are now some mission ideas in the works that might take us back.Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 349: 310 - Is Human Hibernation Possible
We know trips in space will take a long time. Can we go to sleep for the journey and then wake up when we arrive?Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 348: QA 25: Is It Wrong to Dismantle Planets and More...
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks about how spacecraft deal with orbital debris, the ethics of dismantling planets, the age of life in the Universe. With special…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 347: 309 - Seeing Gravity
We’ve now had multiple detections of gravitational waves, opening up a whole new field: gravitational astronomy. We talk about the detections made so far, and…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 346: 308 - Flying Into The Sun
NASA is planning a mission to get as close as possible as we can to the Sun and reveal its mysteries.Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 345: QA 24: Are Aliens Testing Us and More...
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks about how aliens might be testing our morality, traveling faster than light to go back in time, and alternatives to the Big…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 344: 307 - Construction Tips From A Type 2 Engineer Part 1
Fraser Cain and Isaac Arthur team up again to bring you another epic collaboration. This time, it’s a 2-part series of construction tips from an engineer from…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 343: QA 23: Black Hole Lagrange Points and More...
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks about capturing comets, finding Lagrange Points around black holes, and what would happen if you crashed a whole lot of oxygen…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 342: 306 - How Do We Know The Universe Is Flat
Cosmologists tell us that the Universe is flat. It sure feels like 3-dimensions. What does this even mean, and how do we know it’s true?Support Universe Today…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 341: 305 - Can We Own Space
Owning land here on Earth is nice and legal. But what about a plot of land on the Moon or Mars? When can I buy some ice on Europa?Support Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 340: QA 22: China’s Human Space Exploration and More...
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks about the Chinese space exploration efforts, rotating space stations with artificial gravity and why he’s always standing in a…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 339: 304 - What Was Cosmic Inflation
The Big Bang was a tremendous theory, but it had a few problems. In 1980 Alan Guth developed the revolutionary theory of cosmic inflation, and astronomers have…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 338: 303 - How Far Away Is Fusion Power
The Sun uses its enormous mass to crush hydrogen into fusion, releasing enormous energy. How long will it be until we’ve got this energy source for…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 337: QA 21: How Could We Destroy a Galaxy and More...
In this week’s QA, Fraser proposes ways to destroy the Milky Way, wonders what might happen if a warp drive ship passes through a planet, and how you could…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 336: 302 - The Mars Project
In a special two part episode, Fraser collaborates with space historian Amy Shira Teitel at Vintage Space to investigate what spaceflight advances could have…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 335: 301 - Are There Dark Matter Galaxies
We know there’s dark matter, and there are galaxies, but are there galaxies entirely made up of dark matter? Astronomer Sarah Pearson joins Fraser to talk…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 334: 300 - How Fast Are Stars Moving
The stars look static in the sky, but are they moving? How fast, and how do we know? What events can make them move faster, and how can humans make them…
Universe Today PodcastEpisode 333: QA 20: Going Skydiving on Mars and More...
In this week's QA, Fraser contemplates the horror of advertising in space, setting off nukes to counteract global warming, and what it would be like to go…
