In this week's questions show, I explain why we should be excited for both Starship and Artemis. Do we have a cognitive bias when thinking about advanced civilizations? Should humans or robots explore space? And more... Watch Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Follow Dr. Pamela Gay on Twitter: https://twitter.com/starstryder 00:30 Why should Artemis bother? Starship is better 04:34 Do we have a cognative bias when thinking about aliens? 08:55 Do I have a bob...
Mar 05, 2020•29 min
Mars has been the destination for so many of our spacecraft, and for good reason, it’s probably the most Earthlike place in the Solar System, with water ice on its surface and reservoirs of the liquid beneath the surface. If we’re going to find life, Mars might be the place. But the tiny moons orbiting Mars, Phobos and Deimos, are scientifically fascinating on their own, and so far, a mission has never reached them. Last week, Japan announced that they’ve greenlit their Martian Moon eXploration ...
Mar 03, 2020•10 min
No guest this week, just a live QA with me. I counsel people on how to be patient when living on Elon Musk time, what is NASA interested in with the Moon, what's the purpose of human space exploration, and more. 01:23 Starship prototype failure 04:29 Elon Musk time 05:45 Any lunar surface mission objectives? 08:10 What's the purpose of human space exploration? 09:34 How long have I been running Universe Today? 11:45 Did Starship go higher than SLS will ever go? 13:48 Kirk or Picard? 14:44 Is the...
Mar 03, 2020•1 hr
After almost 50 years since the Apollo Moon landing missions ended, NASA announced that they’re going to return to the surface of the Moon with their Artemis mission, ideally taking the first lunar footsteps in 2024. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine asked for additional funding to achieve this goal, and the other branches of government haven’t been as enthusiastic about this plan. So don’t be surprised if the landing date slips to 2028 or even farther. But NASA is moving forward on its archite...
Mar 02, 2020•15 min
No guest this week, just a live QA with me. We talked about what China is up to on the Moon and what comes next. How well have we mapped the surface of the Moon. Why has NASA chosen to build the Artemis mission differently from the Apollo missions, and more... Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universe...
Mar 02, 2020•59 min
In this week's questions show, I talk about how we're in a new space race, and what this means for returning to the Moon. Of course, lots of follow up answers about the Fermi Paradox. Could Betelgeuse release gravitational waves if it explodes? And what is our responsibility if we are truly alone in the Universe? Follow Dr Jessie Christiansen on Twitter https://twitter.com/aussiastronomer 00:24 New space race 05:27 How can I say that aliens don't exist? 07:07 Lack of evidence isn't evidence of n...
Feb 21, 2020•29 min
In this week's live Q&A, and talk about whether or now we're going to need a Prime Directive in the future like Star Trek, and why aliens might have one already, could life exist on a red dwarf, and if balloons could be used to launch rockets. 04:25 Did Solar Probe break orbit? 05:45 Why do we pronounce Dutch words in our English way? 08:09 Will NASA need more money to get to the Moon? 10:54 What will it take to get into the space industry? 14:21 Do we do book reviews on Universe Today? 15:1...
Feb 21, 2020•1 hr
It’s hard to really wrap your mind around the vast distances between stars. The fastest spacecraft ever launched into an interstellar trajectory right now is Voyager 1. If it was directed at the nearest star, it would take tens of thousands of years to make the journey across the interstellar gulf. Even so, groups like Breakthrough Starshot and Icarus Interstellar are working on plans right now to try and send spacecraft to other stars, ideally within our lifetimes. But we can see how quickly te...
Feb 21, 2020•10 min
Near the end of 2019, astronomers watching the red giant Betelgeuse noted how much the star had dimmed, continuing to steadily fade for months. It’s a variable star, and it’s known to get dimmer and brighter, but the big surprise is that it’s still continuing to dim, recently passing magnitude 1.56 and still getting dimmer. This is unprecedented in the decades that astronomers have been watching the star. The world’s biggest telescopes are on the case, and the European Southern Observatory relea...
Feb 21, 2020•7 min
On February 9, 2020, the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Florida on top of an Atlas V 411 spacecraft. The spacecraft’s mission is to fly inside the orbit of Mercury, on a tilted orbit that takes it above and below the Sun, capturing images of the Sun’s poles for the first time. This is just a year and a half after the launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which will fly even closer. Together, the two spacecraft will measure the Sun from every angle up...
Feb 13, 2020•9 min
In this week's questions show, I explain why I've got such a skeptical view about the search for aliens if there might be multiple great filters, and why NASA doesn't just go back and use Apollo hardware to return to the Moon? Follow Dr. Wright on Twitter: https://twitter.com/astro_wright 00:40 Are there multiple Great Filters? 02:35 Could we refuel ships in space to land on Mars 06:01 Could we put a light on the Moon to prove what we landed there? 08:18 Will James Webb Launch? 09:52 What will i...
Feb 13, 2020•28 min
You’re looking at the highest resolution image that has ever been taken of our Sun, using the brand new Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope in Maui. These lighter regions are convection cells, blobs of hot gas the size of Texas which have carried heat from deep below the surface of the Sun, releasing it into space. The darker lines are cooler regions, where the material is sinking back down into Sun. This image is just a demonstration of the incredible power of this 4-meter observatory, which will j...
Feb 11, 2020•9 min
In this week's questions show, I answer when the cosmic microwave background will shift into radio waves, what the Sun would sound like if space was filled with air, and limits of our knowledge about planets through simulations. Visit James Davenport's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg6zx6fQG_Xo639TIjwJSZA 00:45 When does the CMB turn into radio waves? 03:49 Sounds in space 06:06 How much can we learn about planets through simulations? 09:16 What does clearing an orbit me...
Feb 11, 2020•26 min
In this week's life Q&A, I explain why we don't send animals to space any more, why I don't think we'll ever travel faster than the speed of light, and how graveyard orbits work. 00:35 Why don't we send animals to space anymore? 06:02 Will faster than light travel ever possible? 07:34 What are graveyard orbits? 09:05 Should we go to the Moon or Mars? 12:49 High resolution images of the Sun 14:44 How do you refine metal in space? 16:11 Will SLS use pre-flown RS-25 engines 20:48 How will the I...
Feb 04, 2020•1 hr
On Sunday, January 19th, 2020, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying its newly designed Crew Dragon spacecraft. 84 seconds into flight, at the moment of maximum aerodynamic pressure, the capsule fired its eight SuperDraco thrusters, detaching from the top of the rocket and flying ahead. Moments after, the Falcon 9 rocket exploded in midair, destroying a completely good rocket, but the capsule was completely safe, jettisoning its trunk and landing gently in the ocean a few minutes later. Nob...
Feb 04, 2020•16 min
In 2006, astronomers spotted the telltale sign of a supernova detonating in the galaxy NGC 1260, located about 240 million light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. As telescopes around the world turned their collective light-gathering power on the expanding explosion designated as SN 2006gy, they realized they were seeing something very unusual. This clearly wasn’t a regular supernova. It grew to be 100 times brighter than the typical stellar explosion and lasted much much longer. More ...
Jan 31, 2020•10 min
In this week's questions show, I explain if we'd be able to see a nuclear bomb explode on the Moon, have we already passed the Great Filter, and where we could put DNA to keep it safe in the Solar System. 00:22 Could we see a nuclear bomb on the Moon? 02:18 Have we already passed the great filter? 05:28 Where could we put our DNA to keep it safe? 07:52 Could rogue planets explain dark matter 09:12 Will Betelgeuse create a nebula? 10:35 ET will use quantum mechanics? 12:04 What if there isn't wat...
Jan 30, 2020•27 min
Whenever I talk about the search for life in the Universe and its emphasis on water, I get comments that scientists aren’t being creative enough. Why does life rely on water? Couldn’t there be lifeforms which are completely different from life on Earth? Isn’t that the textbook definition of alien? Astrobiologists have only scratched the surface in their search for life in the Universe, and they’re going after the low-hanging fruit. Since life on Earth can be found wherever there’s water, why not...
Jan 28, 2020•13 min
In this week's questions show, I wonder whether any aliens out there would be nice to us or try to wipe us out. What would be their motivations? Why are planets turning in the wrong direction? Would Betelgeuse generate gravitational waves? XKCD Solar System Changes https://m.xkcd.com/2258/ Phil Metger's take: https://twitter.com/DrPhiltill/status/1220519840315736064 Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https:...
Jan 28, 2020•1 hr
In 2015, scientists discovered the telltale signal from ripples of spacetime sweeping over the Earth. It was the very first direct detection of gravitational waves, generated by the merger of two massive black holes 1.3 billion light-years away. This discovery was the culmination of decades of research and construction of huge instruments called interferometers to detect the warping of spacetime caused by gravitational waves. Today, the most advanced detectors, the LIGO/VIRGO collaboration, have...
Jan 24, 2020•15 min
In this week's questions show, I explain why it doesn't make sense to send a microscope to Mars, how we could use a black hole to see a reflection of Earth and see dinosaurs, and why we don't just send a solar sail down to the Sun. Featuring Stella Kafka from the American Association of Variable Star Observers https://www.aavso.org/ 00:42 Why no microscopes to Mars? 02:38 Could we see a reflection of Earth? 04:37 Send a solar sail to the Sun? 07:03 How will red dwarfs die? 08:51 Do radio telesco...
Jan 23, 2020•31 min
We’ve now passed the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, and all eyes are back on the Moon. NASA is planning to return to the Moon by 2024 with its Artemis mission, the Chinese have put the Moon firmly in their plans for space exploration, and even SpaceX thinks the Moon is the perfect destination to test out the capabilities of its Starship. But what can you do with the Moon? Refuel spacecraft with resources drawn from the lunar regolith? Mine its helium 3 for your fusion reactors? Build...
Jan 21, 2020•12 min
This week I'm joined by Professor Greg Eghigian, from Penn State University to talk about the history of UFO sightings and claims of alien contact. You can read a recent essay by Dr. Eghigian on Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine: https://www.airspacemag.com/space/year-ufos-180973965/ And learn more about his work here: https://history.la.psu.edu/directory/gae2 Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://i...
Jan 21, 2020•1 hr
On Monday, January 6th, 2020, another SpaceX Falcon 9 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, carrying another 60 Starlink internet communications satellites, bringing the full size of the constellation to 180. With just three launches, SpaceX becomes the largest satellite operator in the world. But the company is just getting started. They’re planning to do this again every couple of weeks during 2020, bringing the total number of satellites in the constellation to about 1440, which is enough to provi...
Jan 17, 2020•11 min
In this week's questions show, I've got another expert guest answerer. Space News reporter and Space Review editor Jeff Foust answers your tricky spaceflight questions. Could we attach telescopes to Starlinks? What impact will these megaconstellations have on astronomy? What can humans do that robots can't? And more... Check out Jeff's work at: https://spacenews.com/ https://www.thespacereview.com/ 00:30 Could there be airtight caves on Mars containing atmosphere? 01:26 Why would we actually wan...
Jan 16, 2020•9 min
Thanks to our good friends at Oceanside Photo and Telescope, our livestreaming telescope is back online. I featured a couple of quick pics I took with the telescope during a test stream on Twitch Sunday night. I also answered questions about our trip to the AAS in Hawaii, if it's possible to make a more powerful telescope out of smaller telescopes, and why the ISS doesn't have an artificial magnetosphere. 02:20 New pictures from the telescope 04:30 American Astronomical Society meeting in Hawaii...
Jan 14, 2020•1 hr
Once again, at the AAS Meeting in Hawaii, I got a chance to sit down with another astronomer to talk about their research. This time it was Dr. David Kipping from Columbia University's Cool World's Lab. We talked about how easy it'll be for aliens to know our planet is inhabited, and some ways we might be able to hide the evidence of our existence. Check out Cool Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGHZpIpAWJQ-Jy_CeCdXhMA Follow David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/david_kipping Our Book i...
Jan 14, 2020•24 min
At the American Astronomical Society's meeting Honolulu I got a chance to talk with Adam Frank about new research he's worked with Caleb Scharf, Jonathan Carroll-Nellenback and Jason Wright about the Fermi Paradox. They calculated how difficult it would be for aliens traveling at 10% the speed of light to settle the entire Milky Way, and it turns out, it's not as simple as you might think. Visit Adam Frank's website: https://www.adamfrankscience.com/ Read the article at Scientific American here:...
Jan 12, 2020•15 min
In this week's Open Space QA, I respond to complaints about my Betelgeuse video, wonder about alien civilizations stuck in heavy gravity, and consider whether we could terraform Earth to make it better. 03:30 Betelgeuse video comments 08:30 Can gravitational waves travel at the speed of light 11:45 Can we terraform Earth to a better place? 13:38 Could there be civilizations stuck in heavy G? 15:39 Artemis or capture a NEO? 18:12 Could other planets have oil? 19:17 Is math universal? 21:38 What a...
Jan 12, 2020•1 hr
This week's questions show was recorded at the 235th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Honolulu, Hawaii. I was lucky enough to have 3,500 astronomers, space scientists and others to talk with. Ethan Siegel from "Starts with a Bang" is back, and this time he's answering your questions about space and astronomy. Visit his blog here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/#5bfca02e2c5e Follow Ethan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StartsWithABang Want to be part of the questions ...
Jan 12, 2020•19 min
