My guest today is Dr. Chenoa Tremblay, a Post Doctoral Researcher at the SETI Institute. Dr. Tremblay and her team used the Murchison Widefield Array to scan the core of the Milky Way for any sign of signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. https://twitter.com/chenoachem 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universetoday.com/audio iTunes: https://universetoday.com/itunes Spotify...
Feb 23, 2022•58 min
In this week's questions show, I explain how astronomy would be different if we didn't have space telescopes, what was the Universe like shortly after the Big Bang?, and what if James Webb detects oxygen in the atmosphere of another planet? 00:00 Start 00:45 What if we couldn't build space telescopes? 05:01 Did the Universe act like a big star after the Big Bang? 06:30 If James Webb detects oxygen, does that mean life? 10:59 Will James Webb pictures be colorized? 14:45 Do I believe the Big Bang ...
Feb 23, 2022•38 min
In this week's questions and answers show, I explain why people might see extraterrestrials as a threat. What could we learn about astronomy if we lived at the center of a supervoid, and how far away are we from the Big Bang? 00:00 Start 01:10 Why do we assume extraterrestrials are evil? 07:40 Could we see anything from within a supervoid? 09:40 What if we lived near the Big Bang? 10:25 Will James Webb ever look at Earth? 11:34 What's the benefit of helium 3? 14:47 Can we take animals to Mars? 1...
Feb 14, 2022•39 min
In this week's episode, I explain why James Webb is actually the perfect telescope for detecting advanced civilizations, could we hide the Earth from snooping aliens, could spacecraft go into polar orbit around the Sun? And more... 00:00 Start 00:39 Could James Webb Detect a Type 2/3 Civilization? 05:31 How can Earth hide from aliens? 07:10 Polar orbit around the Sun? 09:41 Could dark matter be alien robots? 11:25 Could iterative design work for JWST? 14:28 Could Betelgeuse have planets? 16:01 C...
Feb 11, 2022•41 min
My guest today is Dr. Andrei Lobanov, a staff astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Bonn, Germany. Dr. Lobanov was part of a team that just took the highest resolution image ever seen of a blazar, using a network of space and ground-based radio telescopes. https://www3.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/staff/alobanov/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universetoday.com/audio...
Feb 11, 2022•1 hr
My guest today is Dr. Jillian Scudder, a PhD astrophysicist and assistant professor at Oberlin College. In addition to her teaching and research work, Dr. Scudder also answers space and astronomy questions on her blog and in her newly updated book: Astroquizzical. https://www.jillianscudder.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universetoday.com/audio iTunes: https://universetod...
Feb 03, 2022•1 hr
In this week's QA, I talk about how we can see individual stars in a galaxy like Andromeda, how we know the Universe is bigger than we can observe, and whether black holes are solid objects or infinitely dense singularities. 00:00 Start 01:07 Can we see the stars in Andromeda? 03:21 How do we know the Universe is bigger than we can see? 09:24 Are black holes solid? 12:03 How did the Moon form out of debris? 13:49 Are there pieces of Earth on other worlds? 15:49 When will we see the first picture...
Feb 02, 2022•37 min
In this week's episode, I talk about the possibility of a copy of the Hubble Space Telescope, if satellites could relay information like a mesh network, and if it's even possible for plants to survive on the surface of Mars. 00:00 Start 01:22 Could we launch a copy of Hubble? 03:34 Could satellites relay information like a mesh network? 06:17 Could plants survive on Mars? 08:52 Could Planet 9 be dark matter? 11:12 Do globular clusters ever collapse into disks? 12:36 Are there any new questions a...
Jan 26, 2022•38 min
My guest today is Andreas Hein, Executive Director, Chairman Technical Research Committee of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies. Andreas is part of a team working to develop practical missions for interstellar exploration. https://i4is.org/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universetoday.com/audio iTunes: https://universetoday.com/itunes Spotify: https://universetoday.com/sp...
Jan 18, 2022•57 min
In this week's Questions Show I explain why James Webb doesn't have any cameras on board, what the Universe is expanding into, and what is the point of building big telescopes when we're trapped in the Solar System? 00:00 Start 06:35 Why build big telescopes? 00:35 Are there cameras on board James Webb? 04:17 What is the Universe expanding into? 09:01 When will we see the first image from James Webb? 10:05 Have I ever done a Messier Marathon? 12:33 Capabilities-driven exploration of the Moon? 16...
Jan 18, 2022•35 min
My guest today is Dr. Joanna Barstow, a Royal Astronomical Society Research Fellow at University College London. Dr. Barstow specializes in planetary science, studying the atmospheres of planets both inside and beyond the Solar System. She's also a member of the ARIEL science team, an upcoming mission that will categorize the atmospheres of exoplanets. https://www.ucl.ac.uk/astrophysics/people/joanna-barstow 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 P...
Jan 18, 2022•54 min
In this week's final 2021 QA, I explain why landing on the Moon could make it difficult for other spacecraft to land, if binary planets could exist, and if there are plans to do a JWST version of the Hubble Deep Field. 00:00 Start 00:29 Can spacecraft land on the Moon or Mars without a landing pad? 03:29 Could binary planets exist? 06:25 Will we ever have certainty? 09:15 Can black holes absorb dark matter? 10:48 Will James Webb redo the Hubble Deep Field? 12:54 Water in Valles Marineris? 15:12 ...
Dec 31, 2021•34 min
My guest today is Dr. Michael Zemcov, an associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Dr. Zemcov has proposed putting a telescope out beyond the orbit of Saturn to capture the clearest possible view of the Universe, away from the light-polluted inner Solar System. https://theconversation.com/a-small-telescope-past-saturn-could-solve-some-mysteries-of-the-universe-better-than-giant-telescopes-near-earth-169805 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.unive...
Dec 21, 2021•57 min
My guest today is Andrea Lin, a graduate student at the Eberly College of Science at Penn State University. Andrea is working with the NEID Spectrograph, a brand new instrument that will eventually be capable of detecting Earth-sized worlds orbiting sunlike stars. https://science.psu.edu/astro/people/apl5194 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universetoday.com/audio iTunes: https:...
Dec 21, 2021•42 min
In this week's Questions and Answers show, I explain how an infinite Universe could be the ultimate answer to the Fermi Paradox, where the energy for tidal heating comes from, and why are there always so many asteroid scare stories in media? 00:00 Start 00:43 Can a satellite remain in one spot? 03:56 Does an infinite Universe solve the Fermi Paradox? 06:41 Where does tidal heating energy come from? 08:43 Is an asteroid going to hit us soon? 11:35 Are galaxies traveling faster than light? 13:13 I...
Dec 21, 2021•37 min
In this week's live questions and answers show, I explain why NASA doesn't build standardized rovers, how we know the Universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old, and which are the best (and worst) entry-level telescopes to get. Mars Magnetosphere story https://www.universetoday.com/153368/an-absolutely-bonkers-plan-to-give-mars-an-artificial-magnetosphere/ 00:00 Start 00:28 When will NASA make standard models of rovers? 04:28 Is the Universe older than 13.8 billion years? 07:06 What are th...
Dec 06, 2021•41 min
In this week's live questions and answers show, I speculate what kind of civilization could be permanently stuck on the surface of their planet, if rival nations could shoot down each other's spacecraft, and how do I really feel about the Space Launch System? 00:00 Start 01:01 How much gravity makes spaceflight impossible? 04:40 Could a rival shoot down a rocket during launch? 07:07 Should I apologize for advocating for SLS? 11:50 Do photons experience time? 13:42 Can you see Earth's lights from...
Dec 01, 2021•31 min
My guest today is Dr. Alex Teachey, a Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics (ASIAA) in Taipei, Taiwan. Alex specializes in searching for moons orbiting extrasolar planets: exomoons. Learn why these could be some of the most interesting places to search for life in the Universe. https://alexteachey.wordpress.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ═══════════════════════...
Nov 30, 2021•57 min
In this week's episode, I answer questions about the speed of supernovae, if a black hole can pull itself apart, is there really no way to repair James Webb, and more... 00:00 Start 00:41 What are the timescales for a supernova? 02:59 Could a black hole spin itself apart? 05:37 Will James Webb launch on time? 07:10 What do I think about Apophis? 09:24 Can a magnetar collapse into a black hole? 12:43 When will we reach the Kessler Syndrome/ 16:26 Would we try to fix James Webb? 19:27 Will there b...
Nov 30, 2021•34 min
In this week's live Q&A, I explain what would happen if we build a particle accelerator around the entire Moon (and what would happen if it generated a black hole), if you can ice skate on Pluto, and is it better to do sample return missions or explore with rovers and landers. Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here. 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday...
Nov 23, 2021•22 min
My guest today is Dr. Boris Goncharov, a researcher at the Gran Sasso Science Institute. Boris is part of the team using the precise signals from pulsars as a way to detect gravitational waves. This technique could be sensitive enough to even detect merging supermassive black holes. http://bgoncharov.com/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universetoday.com/audio iTunes: https://u...
Nov 09, 2021•46 min
My guest today is Dr. Mary Voytek, the director of NASA's Astrobiology Program since 2008. Dr. Voytek and others from NASA are proposing a new 7-step framework on how they could report on the discovery of life beyond Earth. We'll discuss this new framework as well as the latest challenges in the search for life across the Universe. https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/directory/voytek-mary/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ═══════...
Nov 09, 2021•59 min
In this week's questions show, I answer if you could have a planet made entirely of water, is it our duty to spread life in the Universe? Could Planet 9 be a brown dwarf? And more... 00:00 Start 01:35 Could you have a planet made only of water? 04:23 Is it our duty to spread life into the Universe? 07:43 Could a civilization harvest energy from tidal flexing? 10:01 Where could you survive without a spacesuit? 12:18 How do space stations get decommissioned? 14:41 Could Planet 9 be a brown dwarf? ...
Nov 09, 2021•27 min
In this week's questions show, I answer questions about ice on rockets, the maximum gravitational slingshot, could black holes pull you out of black holes, and more... 00:00 Start 00:30 Why is iron the heaviest element produced in stars? 04:31 Why does ice fall off the outside of rockets? 06:02 What is the maximum gravitational slingshot? 09:36 Could a black hole pull you out of another black hole? 10:21 What is the deadliest distant object? 11:59 Could NASA rent space from Orbital Reef? 13:49 C...
Nov 01, 2021•30 min
My guest today is Dr. Justin Simon, a planetary scientist within the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Division at the Johnson Space Center. He specializes in measuring meteorites and samples collected by spacecraft. We'll be talking about what it takes to sample the surface of Mars and other worlds: https://ares.jsc.nasa.gov/people/bios/justin-i-simon/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ═════════════════════...
Nov 01, 2021•55 min
In this week's questions show, I theorize how long life can survive in the Universe, could we detect a wormhole in the Solar System, what's happening with the Chinese Space Agency? And more... 00:00 Start 00:53 How long can life survive? 04:11 Will a black hole leave a remnant after it evaporates? 06:01 Will we detect biosignatures or technosignatures first? 09:35 Will Lucy make it? 11:29 Could red dwarf stars could become less hectic with time? 14:42 Where does energy go if the Universe becomes...
Oct 25, 2021•34 min
My guest today is Dr. Nikku Madhusudhan, a PhD astronomer at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Madhusudhan is one of the researchers who investigated the habitability of "hycean worlds"; ocean worlds with a thick hydrogen ocean. These worlds are completely alien to anything we have in the Solar System, and yet, could have a much wider region that remains habitable than terrestrial planets. https://people.ast.cam.ac.uk/~nmadhu/Nikku_Madhusudhan/Home.html 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ═══════════════════════════...
Oct 18, 2021•55 min
My guest today is Dr. Hiro Ono, the Group Leader of the Robotic Surface Mobility Group for NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Dr. Ono is been awarded a NIAC prize to develop a rover that could crawl into the fascinating vents on Enceladus, to search for evidence of life on this icy world. https://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/people/Masahiro_Ono/ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ https://www.universetoday.com/ 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: https://universetod...
Oct 18, 2021•55 min
In this week's live questions and answer show, I explain how astronomers measure the distance to gravitational wave events, how clean are spacecraft sent to Mars, and would it be possible to have a sample return mission from Titan? https://www.universetoday.com/150507/a-titan-mission-could-refuel-on-site-and-return-a-sample-to-earth/ 00:00 Start 00:25 How do we calculate the distance of gravitational waves? 03:36 Have Mars spacecraft been sterilized? 05:54 Is a sample return mission possible fro...
Oct 18, 2021•28 min
In this week's Questions and Answers show, I explain how we'll get the matter to build stuff out in space, what about the matter for a Dyson Sphere? How long will the International Space Station survive? And More... 00:00 Start 00:45 Could we create matter from photons? 03:57 Where are we going to get the matter for a Dyson Sphere? 07:56 What do I think about GPT-3? 11:32 How long will ISS survive? 14:32 What do I think of Foundation? 16:56 Am I a big ripper or big cruncher? 20:37 When will Jame...
Oct 06, 2021•33 min
