Shows / Universe Today Podcast
Universe Today Podcast
Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.
Episodes
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] Fighting Moon and Mars Dust with An Electric Shield
Dust is a big problem for Moon and Mars. It sticks to everything, breaks things, covers solar panels. So, how do you solve this problem? One possible solution…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Moon Infrastructure // End of Breakthrough Starshot // Moon Lava Tube Robots
Building infrastructure on the Moon, Earth gets a new quasi-satellite, a black hole has wandered away from the center of its galaxy, and a tour through star…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] 3I/ATLAS Comet Special
How can we realistically tell if 3I/ATLAS is an alien spaceship or not? Can we turn an interstellar comet into a transmitter? Would the government suppress…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Naming Planet X, Cats in Space, Stars Blocking Galaxies
Who will name Planet X if/when it is discovered? How will cats deal with the toilet situation if they go to space? Can a star block an entire galaxy? And in…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Hiding Earth from Aliens, Truth About Pyramids, Crashing Into a Black Hole
Can we make Earth invisible for possible alien invaders? What's the deal with the pyramids and their alignment to stars? Can an interstellar ship casually…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] HUGE “Life on Mars” Announcement // 3I ATLAS Grows a Tail // JWST Looks at TRAPPIST-1e
Has Perseverance found signs of life on Mars? Webb scans TRAPPIST-1e for signs of an atmosphere. 3I/ATLAS grows a tail, and could get a mission. And on Space…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Flammable Titan, Jupiter Gravitational Lens, Max Photon Energy | Q&A 352
What's the highest energy a photon can have? Is Titan just a huge fire hazard floating in space? How do they measure the masses of planets with just…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] 3I/ATLAS Is NOT Normal // JUICE Lost Contact // Mars' Lumpy Interior
3I/ATLAS is very different from any comet we’ve ever seen before, Mars is filled with fragments from ancient impacts, ESA loses contact with JUICE right before…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Showstopper for Mars Missions, Vera Rubin vs Aliens, Space Whales
Which is a bigger showstopper for a human Mars mission: food or radiation exposure? Does Vera Rubin leave any chance for aliens to still sneak upon us? Can…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Flat Galaxies, Future of The Space Race, Mining Mars
Why are galaxies and star systems flat? What does the future of the space race look like? Are we going to Mars to mine it? And in Q&A+, what sparked my…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] "WOW!" Signal Gets an Update // Starship IFT-10 // JWST Finds No Atmospheres
The Wow signal was even more Wow. Starship Flight 10 makes it space and returns to Earth, more red dwarf planets get crossed off the list as lacking an…
Universe Today Podcast[Starship Special] Full Analysis of IFT-10 with Scott Manley and Marcus House
The boys are back! Discussing all the things that happened during Starship IFT-10. Why didn't they catch the Super Heavy booster? What did explode near the…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Fermi Paradox Special
Can the difficulty of interstellar travel the answer to the Fermi paradox? Or maybe it's the fact that we can only apply it to our galaxy and not further? Or…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] How Close Are We To Building A Practical Skyhook
We definitely won't see a space elevator built in any foreseeable future. But there is a similar but much more practical approach – a skyhook. How close are we…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Dangerous Supernova, Astronomy's Blind Spot, Space Race to Mars
When is a supernova too close for comfort? Will USA's Moon race against China accelerate a race towards a Mars base? How can we see the Oort cloud? And in…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Origin of Ryugu and Bennu // JWST's Big Discovery // A Star Ate a Black Hole
Ryugu and Bennu are related, a star tried to eat a black hole and it didn’t go well, using moons to save fuel, and China tests its new human lunar lander. In…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Starships on Mars, Molten Salt Moon Batteries, Observable Universe
Why do people believe Starships will go to Mars? Can we use molten salt batteries on the Moon? What's the difference between the Universe and the Observable…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] Fighting Light Pollution from Satellites with Ultra Black Paint
Satellites are causing light pollution. Every year there a more of them. So, why don't they just paint them all vantablack, the ultra-black coating that…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Living on Venus VS Mars, Biosphere 2 for Mars, Dangers of Space Junk
Is living in the clouds of Venus better than living in sub-surface habitats on Mars? Can we really lock ourselves from orbit with space junk? Should we build…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] JWST's Results from TRAPPIST-1d // Water from 3I/ATLAS // Biggest Black Hole Ever Found
Finally, Webb’s analysis of TRAPPIST-1d, new Hubble images comet 3I/ATLAS, the most massive black hole ever discovered, why Mars sand is so dangerous. And in…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] The Infinity Galaxy: First Evidence of a Direct Collapse Supermassive Black Hole?
How did supermassive black holes get so big so early? There are two main models for that, and JWST just got a huge boost for the one that suggests they can…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] New Moons for Mars, Black Hole Jets, Best Case Scenario for Europa Clipper
What would happen if we moved a jovian moon to Mars? What are black holes spitting out as those jets? What's the best case scenario for Europa Clipper's search…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Black Hole Size Limit, Economies of Scale for Space Missions, Favourite Galaxy
Is there an upper size limit for black holes? Why don't we build multiple identical missions to increase the chance of success? Is the Universe considered…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] New Planet at Alpha Centauri // Webb Ultra Deep Field // Six Mars Helicopters
A Planet Found at Alpha Centauri. Webb Revisits the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Little Red Dots don't break the laws of physics. In Space Bites Plus, showing that…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Aiming an Asteroid at The Moon, Mars Babies, Absolute Stillness
Could we aim asteroid YR4 at the Moon on purpose? What would happen to babies born and raised on Mars? Should we use water as an insulation layer for our…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Escaping a Black Hole, Detecting an Warp Drive Ship, JWST True Orbit
If nothing escapes a black hole, how does gravity escape? Could we detect a faster-than-light spaceship cruising through the Solar System? What does JWST…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Weakening Dark Energy // Lunar Radio Telescope // Fuel Depots for Space
More evidence that dark energy is weakening, cosmic rays could keep life alive under the ice, NASA is building fuel depots in space, and a radio telescope is…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Deflecting Gravitational Waves, Destruction from Comets, Religious AI
Do gravitational waves deflect like waves on the water? Which type of comet would cause the most destruction for Earth? Will we see humans on Mars in our…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] End of Expansion of the Universe, Hypervelocity Stars, Retrograde Planets
Do we predictions when will the Universe stop its expansion? Did we find hypervelocity stars in M31? What does it mean when planets go retrograde? And in Q&A+…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] Modern Day Space Enigmas. Fast Radio Bursts
FRBs are a great example of a modern day space mystery. We've seen a lot of them. We know a fair amount about them. But we still don't really know for sure how…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Betelgeuse Has a Companion // Blow Against Planet X // Huge SMBH Discovery
Betelgeuse has a companion star, Vera Rubin discovered the third interstellar object accidentally, the first evidence of direct collapse supermassive black…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Concerns About China, Book to a Movie, Space Set SciFi
Should we be concerned about China's progress in space? Is their progress held back by a lack of cultural freedom? Which space-set book story desperately needs…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Destination Venus, Drilling Europa's Ice, Shape of The Universe
How can we realistically get under the ice of Europa? Why Venus is such an under appreciated destination for spacecraft? What is the shape of the Universe? And…
Universe Today Podcast[BONUS] The Sky Isn’t the Limit. Interview with me on The Last Easy Mile Podcast
This is an interview with me on The Last Easy Mile podcast with Josh Farahi.Video version…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Earth in a Void // Ancient Stellar Flyby // Resonance with Uranus
Is the Earth at the center of a giant void? Did a star fly through the Solar System billions of years ago messing up the orbits of some objects? Comet 3i/ATLAS…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Best Possible Space Mission, Sea Launches, Sun's Siblings
What would be the best possible space mission if budget restrictions didn't exist? Why don't we launch all rockets from ships in the sea? Where are the stars…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] How to Find Your Way Home in Space
If you were dropped in a random place in space, how would you find your way home? New Horizons tackled this problem with a first interstellar navigation…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Enforcement of Space Treaties, Mars vs O'Neil Cylinders, India's Space Ambitions
Can somebody really enforce any space treaties and do they make any sense? What's a better future, colonies on Mars or on giant rotating spaceships? What's…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Double Supernova // Impossible Rings // Dark Brown Dwarfs
A star detonated as a supernova, twice. Trump chooses his new NASA Administrator. Why deflecting asteroids is much more complex than we thought.And on Space…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Dust VS Interstellar Travel, Nuclear Reactors on the Moon, My Favourite Lagrange Point
Will dust make interstellar travel impossible? Is Oumuamua unique in its weird cigar-like shape? How many nuclear reactors will we need on the Moon? And in…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Vera Rubin & Planet 9 SPECIAL
Will there be a northern hemisphere version of Vera Rubin? Or maybe we can put one straight in space? Can Vera Rubin detect alien spacecraft if they ever…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] Revealing the Secrets of Cosmic Dark Ages
What are the cosmic dark ages and what do we know about them? Why are the so hard to study? How can the Dark Age Explorer help with it and why does it need to…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] A THIRD Interstellar Object // Pack of Quasars // Tianwen-2 Looks Back
Astronomers have discovered a third interstellar object. NASA missions are getting prepared to be shut down. The most massive white dwarf has been found. And…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Absent Planets from Our Solar System, Interstellar Black Holes, Non-Conventional Theories
Which type of planet that's not in the Solar System is the most interesting? Can we detect an interstellar black hole? Should science journalists report about…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Confidence in SpaceX, New Pale Blue Dot, A Day on Gas Giants
Did the recent streak of Starship failures change my confidence is SpaceX's future success? How can we measure the rotation of gas giant planets? Is there a…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Vera Rubin's ONLINE // Huge LISA Update // Record-Breaking JWST Exoplanet
The first pictures from Rubin are finally here, construction begins on the LISA mission, Webb directly images a Saturn-sized exoplanet, and do pulsar have…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] SMBH Images, Primordial Gravitational Waves, Terraforming Tidally-Locked Planets
Does terraforming a tidally-locked planet make any sense? Are the images we got of our galaxy's supermassive black hole fake? Can we observe gravitational…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] JWST Image Artefacts, TRAPPIST-1 Planets from the Surface, Liquid Glass Space Telescopes
Why doesn't NASA remove the artefacts from JWST images? How would TRAPPIST-1 planets look from their surface? Why don't they just form space telescope lenses…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] Improving Nuclear Power Generators for Future Space Missions
Solar power has its limits. Some space missions will need an alternative source of power like RTGs. How can we make them better? Which fuel is optimal for them…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Artificial Solar Eclipses // Mother of All Meteor Storms // Vera Rubin's First Light
A new mission can make solar eclipses on demand, what do supernovae and stellar flybys do to Earth’s climate, how asteroid 2024 YR4 will make the mother of all…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Seeing the Oort Cloud, Rogue Planet Nearby, Knocking the Moon Away
Can a giant asteroid knock the Moon from its orbit? How good does a telescope need to be to see the Oort cloud? What are the odds of a rogue planet hiding…
Universe Today Podcast[Bonus] No Aliens?! Space Journalist Fraser Cain on Astronomy, Space Discoveries, Sci-Fi
This is an interview with me for the Worldviews Podcast.📺 VIDEO VERSIONhttps://youtu.be/yj0Gi7d0zm4?si=NYLERm4yquBpkqbb🦄 Support us on Patreon…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] Planning a Mission to Uranus
We never came back to Uranus after the Voyager 2 flyby in 1986. It's time to come back. But what will it take to organise a mission to Uranus? What priorities…
Universe Today Podcast[Bonus] The Challenge/Promise of AI & Science Communication 🧠📢
This is an interview with me done by Salman Hameed @ Kainaat Astronomy in English.Salman Hameed has a PhD in astronomy and is Charles Taylor Chair and…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Sun’s Pole Revealed // Sun Shade vs Climate Change // Source of Cosmic Rays
Have we finally found the source of ultra-high energy cosmic rays? Our first look at the Sun’s south pole, New Glenn slips again, what kind of damage would…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Giving Up on Dark Matter, Swarm of Cheap Probes VS Single Expensive One, Rotating Universe
At what point we should just admit defeat and give up on our search for dark matter? Should we be sending a lot of cheap space probes instead of a single…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] Unveiling The Most Obscured Part of Our Galaxy
For a long time the central part of our galaxy was mostly hidden from us because of all the dust. It was even called the Zone of Avoidance. But with better…
Universe Today Podcast[Space Bites] Resolution for Hubble Tension // Milkdromeda Might Not Happen // Failed Lunar Landing
The White House pulls Jared Isaacman’s nomination, the 2026 NASA budget is released, the Hubble Tension might not be a problem after all, the Milky Way and…
Universe Today Podcast[Q&A] Getting Stuck on a Planet, Dangerous Supernovae, Expansionistic Aliens
How big does a planet has to be to make it impossible to fly a rocket from it? Why are aliens always portrayed expansionistic? Can a supernova make us all go…
Universe Today Podcast[Interview] All You Need to Know About Type 1a Supernovae
What's the difference between a nova and a supernova? What's the mechanism behind their explosions? What instruments are used to observe them at the moment?…