Episode 484: Open Space 24 - Going The Speed of Light With Dr. Paul Sutter
Today I hang out with astrophysicist Dr. Paul Sutter to talk about space and his new book, Your Place in the Universe. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 29, 2019•1 hr 1 min
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Episodes
Episode 483: 370: Can There Be Life On Planets Around Red Dwarf Stars?
As astronomers find more and more planets around other stars, the big question we want to know is: are they habitable, could there be life there? Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 23, 2019•9 min
Episode 482: QA 76: Can You Come To A Dead Stop In Space? And More... Featuring Launch Pad Astronomy
In this week's QA, I answer if it's possible to come to a dead stop, will Mars be more habitable when the Sun expands as a red giant, is there a stellar mass black hole nearby, and more... Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 22, 2019•25 min
Episode 481: Open Space 23 - Space and Futurism With Isaac Arthur
In this week's live QA, I sit down with Isaac Arthur. He talks about the challenges of futurism, how he creates so much amazing content, and a new suggestion for the Prime Directive: Don't Be a Jerk. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 21, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Episode 480: 369: Many New Fast Radio Bursts Found, Including Another Repeater
One of the big mysteries in astronomy is unfolding right before our eyes: fast radio bursts. And now a new Canadian radio telescope has come online, detecting many new bursts, including the second ever seen repeating. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 17, 2019•10 min
Episode 479: QA 75: Have We Already Infected Mars with Bacteria? And More...
In this week's questions show, I wonder if we've already infected Mars with our Earth life, why we assume aliens build Dyson Spheres, and if you could link up 5 Hubble telescopes together. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 15, 2019•25 min
Episode 478: Open Space 22: Photonic Propusion, Canada in Space, Big or Small Rockets, and More...
This week's Live QA was just me, no guest. Which gave us lots of time to get into your questions. We talked about photonic propulsion systems, the future of small rockets and whether space elevators will work better on the Moon or Mars. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 15, 2019•1 hr 1 min
Episode 477: 368: Searching for Technosignatures. Evidence of Intelligent Alien Civilizations
Are we alone in the Universe? It’s one of the most difficult and important questions that humanity can ask. As Arthur C. Clarke noted, it’s equally terrifying whether the answer is yes or no. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 10, 2019•12 min
Episode 476: QA 74: Can We Be Ready for the Next Oumuamua? And More...
In this week's questions show, I wonder what we'd do if we actually found life, if we can be ready for the next interstellar asteroid, why the Mars 2020 rover is going to help with sample return and more. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 08, 2019•23 min
Episode 475: Open Space 21: Live QA with John Michael Godier
This week I'm joined by sci-fi author and science writer John Michael Godier. We talk about the latest space news and what's happening with John's new Event Horizon Channel. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 07, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Episode 474: 367: Project Dragonfly. A Laser-Powered Probe to Alpha Centauri
The distances between stars are so vast, it’s hard to wrap your mind around it. Even our far flung Voyagers have barely reached interstellar space, and would take tens of thousands of years to get to even the nearest star. But scientists and engineers are considering what it would actually take to send a spacecraft to another star. It’s called Project Dragonfly, and would use existing or near future technologies to send a 3,000 kg spacecraft to Alpha Centauri within 100 years. Support Universe T...
Jan 06, 2019•11 min
Episode 473: QA 73: Is SETI Pointless? And More...
In this week's questions show, I wonder if moons could be geostationary, if we could detect Hawking radiation, if SETI is pointless, and why I'm always talking to people like they're 11. as the Sun. In fact, this star is a virtual twin of the Sun and it’s actually pretty close. Well, astronomical speaking. Support Universe Today Podcast
Jan 01, 2019•21 min
Episode 472: 366: One of the Sun's Sibling Stars Has Been Found. And It's Actually Pretty Close
Thanks to the hardworking Gaia spacecraft, astronomers think they’ve located a star that formed from the same solar nebula as the Sun. In fact, this star is a virtual twin of the Sun and it’s actually pretty close. Well, astronomical speaking. Support Universe Today Podcast
Nov 29, 2018•9 min
Episode 471: QA 72: Escaping an Extinction Event and More...
In this week's questions show, I wonder how well we'll be able to survive various extinction scenarios, can mobile apps help you learn the night sky? What would we do if Tunguska happened today? And more... Support Universe Today Podcast
Nov 22, 2018•24 min
Episode 470: 365: Is Oumuamua a Solar Sail Spacecraft from Another Star? Probably Not
It’s been about a year since the mysterious interstellar asteroid (or maybe comet) Oumuamua passed through our Solar System. It was going so fast and was so far away that astronomers could see very little before it was off and away into deep space again. Support Universe Today Podcast
Nov 19, 2018•11 min
Episode 469: QA71: Could We React to An Incoming Asteroid? And More...
In this week's questions show, I wonder if we'll have enough time to respond to an asteroid or comet, if we're going to fill the asteroid belt with space junk and if antimatter engines are the best way to explore space. Support Universe Today Podcast
Nov 12, 2018•16 min
Episode 468: 364: The Search for Neutrinos. Catching These Elusive Particles in a Gigaton of Ice
In the pristine icy environment of Antarctica, there’s a telescope, embedded into an ancient glacier. The telescope is observing the Universe, directly through the Earth, using a cubic kilometer of ice to capture elusive particles called neutrinos. Support Universe Today Podcast
Oct 24, 2018•13 min
Episode 467: QA 70: What is Space Itself? And More Featuring Dr. Paul Sutter
We recorded this week's episode of the QA show from inside the Carnival Magic cruise ship, as part of our summer Astrotour. I saved up a bunch of tough questions for Dr. Paul Sutter, including: what is space itself? Could we use negative mass to destroy black holes? What would you see falling into a black hole, and more... Support Universe Today Podcast
Oct 01, 2018•25 min
Episode 466: Open Space 20: Live QA with Casey Dreier from the Planetary Society
Casey Dreier is the Planetary Society's Director of Space Policy, helping to advocate for planetary science with the US government. He's probably the best person I know to talk about the state of US space policy and the future of crewed and robotic spaceflight. Support Universe Today Podcast
Oct 01, 2018•1 hr
Episode 465: QA 69: Can We Detect Random Particles With The LHC? And More With Dr. Pamela Gay
We recorded this episode of the QA live in front of a real audience as part of our Astronomy Cast 500 celebration. I took some rough questions and threw them at Pamela Gay, my co-host in Astronomy Cast. Will the Large Hadron Collider randomly detect particles passing through it? and more. Support Universe Today Podcast
Sep 21, 2018•32 min
Episode 464: 363: A Return Mission to Pluto? This Time to Stay
New Horizons gave us the best views we could have hoped for of Pluto. But it was only a single glimpse of half the world. What's New Horizons up to next? And what plans are in the works to return to Pluto and Charon? Support Universe Today Podcast
Sep 20, 2018•12 min
Episode 463: QA 68: What If It's Really a Vast Government Conspiracy? And More...
In this week's questions show, I explain how I'd react if it turned out the government was hiding evidence of aliens. How we communicate with Mars when it goes behind the Sun, and why we should bother building space telescopes any more. Support Universe Today Podcast
Sep 12, 2018•23 min
Episode 462: Open Space 19: QA with Anton Petrov. Surf a Gravitational Wave, Building Sea Dragon and More...
For tonight's live QA, I'll be joined by Anton Petrov, a math and science teacher who talks about space and astronomy on his YouTube channel, often simulating events in Universe Sandbox to show how they work. Support Universe Today Podcast
Sep 10, 2018•1 hr 2 min
Episode 461: 362: How Are We Searching For Dark Matter? And How Do We Even Know It’s Real?
Whenever I mention dark matter in anyway in the Guide to Space, or in a questions show, I get a bunch of responses that have essentially the same point. Astronomers are just speculating, why do they even think dark matter is a thing? Support Universe Today Podcast
Aug 30, 2018•16 min
Episode 460: Open Space 18: When Will Betelgeuse Go Supernova? And more...
In this week's live QA, I answer questions about when Betelgeuse will go supernova, how bad are the fires here in British Columbia, and which planets I'd like us to send probes to. Support Universe Today Podcast
Aug 27, 2018•1 hr
Episode 459: QA 67: Is Anywhere Else Perfectly Habitable? And More... Featuring Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder
In this week's questions show, I explain why we don't know of any perfectly habitable worlds in the galaxy. Why we don't know if the Universe is finite or infinite, and why we call it "micro gravity" and not "zero gravity". Support Universe Today Podcast
Aug 22, 2018•18 min
Episode 458: Open Space 17: Live QA with Fraser
No guests this time, just a live QA with Fraser. Support Universe Today Podcast
Aug 20, 2018•59 min
Episode 457: 361: Making the Atmosphere Disappear. The Power of Adaptive Optics
The Earth’s atmosphere keeps us safe from the harsh environment of space, but it also obscures our view into the cosmos. No matter how powerful a telescope you build, the turbulence of the atmosphere limits your resolution. But astronomers and engineers have an amazing technology that allows a telescope to peer into space as if the atmosphere isn’t even there, producing images from here on the ground which are as sharp and clear as if the telescope was out in space. It’s called adaptive optics, ...
Aug 16, 2018•11 min
Episode 456: QA 66: What If SpaceX Went Bankrupt? and More...
In this week's questions show, I wonder what would happen if SpaceX failed as a company, why New Horizons can't search for Planet 9, and I ask for your suggestions for new names to call dark matter and dark energy. Support Universe Today Podcast
Aug 14, 2018•24 min
Episode 455: Open Space 16: Live QA with Professor Avi Loeb, Breakthrough Starshot
Professor Avi Loeb is one of the hardest working astrophysicists in the field, writing a blistering number of academic papers on fascinating topics like the Fermi Paradox, the habitability of other worlds, black holes, and the history of the early universe. He's also one of the people working on the Breakthrough Starshot project to send tiny probes to other star systems. Support Universe Today Podcast
Aug 13, 2018•1 hr 2 min
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