How big can iron planets get before collapsing into black holes? Why is the Moon floating away from Earth? Will Mars bases have glass domes? How will the asteroid mining race unfold? Will we create rings of satellites around the Earth? All this and more in this week's Q&A! 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 01:00 [Tatooine] How big can rocky planets get? 03:51 [Coruscant] How big can an iron planet get? 08:13 [Hoth] Why is the Moon floating away? 11:43 [N...
Apr 18, 2023•37 min
JUICE launches to Jupiter and its moons. A new JWST image of supernova remenant Cassiopea A. Machine learning cleans up the Universe, and improves images of a black hole’s event horizon. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:17 JUICE Launch to Jupiter 02:13 JWST's view of Cassiopea A https://www.universetoday.com/160883/its-time-for-supernova-remnant-cassiopeia-a-to-get-the-jwst-treatment/ 04:02 AI helping Astronomy https://www.universetoday.com/160913/machin...
Apr 14, 2023•18 min
Active volcanism. Plate tectonics. Retaining the atmosphere without a magnetosphere. There's so much to learn about Venus! In this interview I'm discussing all these things with Dr Paul Byrne, Planetary Evangelist and Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Washington University in St. Louis 🐥 Professor Paul Byrne on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThePlanetaryGuy 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:14 Why Venus? 00:05:32 The big questions...
Apr 13, 2023•1 hr 14 min
What are the risks of returning samples from Mars? What happens if you bring two stars together? Which galaxies can be seen with the naked eye? What is the system behind naming stars and exoplanets? All this and more in this week's Q&A! 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 01:19 [Tatooine] Can we bring viruses from Mars? 07:42 [Coruscant] What is the maximum size limit for black holes? 12:03 [Hoth] What happens when two stars come together? 15:26 [Naboo] Wh...
Apr 12, 2023•41 min
What are Fast Radio Bursts? Did we get a step closer to answering this question by associating some of them with a Kilonova event? What Cosmology questions can we solve by studying FRBs? Discussing all these things with Dr Clancy James from Curtin University. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 01:41 Second Kilonova event 03:37 FRB connection to neutron star collisions 13:13 Mechanism behind Fast Radio Bursts 23:12 How to observe and study FRBs 29:12 Repeating...
Apr 10, 2023•42 min
Meet the crew of Artemis 2, we might have the perfect date for a Mars mission, and astronomers discover an ultramassive black hole. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:14 Meet the Crew of Artemis-2 https://www.universetoday.com/160806/meet-astronauts-fly-around-moon-artemis-ii/ 02:14 A Perfect Year to Go To Mars https://www.universetoday.com/160753/2033-is-the-perfect-year-to-send-humans-to-mars-with-a-bonus-venus-flyby/ 05:37 An Ultra-Massive Black Hole ht...
Apr 07, 2023•19 min
There's an effect called photophoretic propulsion. You could have seen it in a Crookes radiometer. One of the NIAC awards of 2023 was granted to a team that hopes to use this effect to develop a propulsion system. This can allow flying in altitudes nothing else can fly and possibly even explore other worlds. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 👉 More about the NIAC grant: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2023/Photophoretic_Propulsion_Enabling_Mesosphere_E...
Apr 06, 2023•35 min
How complex must a telescope be to use the solar gravitational lens? How would we approach mining asteroids? How to detect magnetic fields outside the solar system? What is the size limit for a planet? All this and more in this week's Q&A. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:52 [Tatooine] What is the size limit for a planet? 03:51 [Coruscant] How complex must a telescope be to use the solar gravitational lens? 08:19 [Hoth] How would we approach mining a...
Apr 05, 2023•30 min
The United Arab Emirates are making good progress in space exploration. Their Hope mission is orbiting Mars since 2021. Their Rashid rover is on its way to the Moon. They are also planning a mission to the Asteroid belt. In this interview, I'm discussing UAE's current progress as well as future missions with Mohsen Al Alwahdi, the Director of the Space Missions Department at UAE Space Agency. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:50 UAE's Hope mission at Mars...
Apr 02, 2023•20 min
We finally got JWST data about TRAPPIST-1. An Earth-sized rogue planet was found. More information about China’s plans for the Moon. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:13 JWST reveals Trappist-1 data https://www.universetoday.com/160716/finally-jwsts-data-on-the-first-trappist-1-planet-survey-says-it-sucks/ 02:02 Kazakhstan Seizes Russia’s Facility at Baikonur https://www.universetoday.com/160720/kazakhstan-seizes-russias-launch-facility-at-baikonur/ 03:53...
Apr 02, 2023•19 min
In this interview, I'm talking with Theresa Benyo and Lawrence Forsley from NASA. They are authors of a Lattice Confinement Fusion Reactor that got a NIAC award this year. A reactor like this could help us melt through the ice on Europa and Enceladus and have other interesting applications in space missions. The extended version also includes additional questions from Matt Williams: https://youtu.be/decKMi2FBxk 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 👉 More about the NIAC pr...
Mar 30, 2023•42 min
Why don't we send microscopes on space probes to search for life? How do black holes even form? Can Chat GPT or similar systems help Astronomy? How will we use Starship when it starts to fly? 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 01:04 [Tatooine] How can black holes even exist? 04:43 [Coruscant] How to dock to a spinning space station? 08:12 [Hoth] Why not send microscopes on space probes? 11:18 [Naboo] Where's the green screen? 13:25 [Kamino] Why didn't Mars ge...
Mar 28, 2023•39 min
We know about thousands of exoplanets by now. But it's still a mystery, whether there are planets in the Alpha Centauri binary system, which is just next door to us. My guest today, Professor Peter Tuthill, is the Mission Leader for the TOLIMAN Telescope mission, which is designed to find those answers. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 01:29 Are there planets at Alpha Centauri 08:22 How can we know they are there 11:20 TOLIMAN Telescope 30:04 JWST experimen...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 1 min
iSpace reaches the Moon, Relativity Space’s 3D printed rocket fails to reach orbit, a mission will search for habitable worlds at Alpha Centauri. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday ☄️ EARLY ACCESS: Searching for Habitable Planets at Alpha Centauri with the TOLIMAN Mission https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/811359865 👉 NIAC 2023 Interviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmmM_Ft5DzAbrwzXHB8ED0rf 👉 More interviews: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ...
Mar 24, 2023•18 min
There are radio wavelengths that we can't see from Earth. And to observe them from space, we need a truly huge telescope. Mary Knapp and her team proposed a project that can allow us to build such a telescope and they just recently got a NIAC grant for it. 👉 More about the NIAC award: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2023/Great_Observatory_for_Long_Wavelengths/ 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 01:20 Haystack Observatory 02:48 NIAC proposal ...
Mar 23, 2023•43 min
Scientists came up with a method to produce concrete on the Moon and Mars using potato starch. In this interview, I'm talking with Dr Aled Roberts, who is the Principle Investigator of this research. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 01:06 Building materials from biomaterials 07:06 Challenges of building on the Moon and Mars 10:20 From human blood to potato starch 19:02 How to implement the tech 26:46 DNA manipulation 32:36 Alternative applications 38:00 Out...
Mar 22, 2023•39 min
Can we build star-tram-like launch facilities in space? What will JWST see next? Can red or brown dwarfs be the source of dark matter? Should SpaceX just be the only launch service for the USA so they can save money? 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 01:51 [Tatooine] Can we build star-tram-like launch facilities in space? 09:34 [Coruscant] Can red or brown dwarfs be the source of dark matter? 13:09 [Hoth] Can we see an Earth-sized planet orbiting a Sun-like ...
Mar 21, 2023•39 min
James Webb recently found six examples of galaxies that are too big too early. This discovery can significantly change our understanding of the early Universe. In this interview, I'm talking with Dr Joel Leja, who is a part of the team behind the research. 👉 More about the discovery: https://www.universetoday.com/160243/six-galaxies-that-are-too-big-too-early/ 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 01:35 What it's like using JWST 02:40 Universe-Breaking Galaxies...
Mar 20, 2023•28 min
Venus has active volcanoes, we get a glimpse of NASA’s new lunar exploration suits, and scientists build a completely flat telescope lens. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:13 Active Volcano Found On Venus https://www.universetoday.com/160579/potentially-active-volcanoes-have-been-found-on-venus/ 02:56 Vulcan Is No More https://www.universetoday.com/160579/potentially-active-volcanoes-have-been-found-on-venus/ 04:09 $1B to Deorbit the ISS https://www.nasa...
Mar 17, 2023•21 min
In this interview, I'm talking with Heidi Newberg. Her team won a NIAC grant that will investigate building a telescope that will be hunting for Earth-like worlds. The project is called DICER, which stands for Diffractive Interfero Coronagraph Exoplanet Resolver. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 🌌 Milky Way @ home: https://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/ 👉 More about the NIAC project: https://www.universetoday.com/160089/if-an-earthlike-planet-is-within-30-light-years-...
Mar 16, 2023•49 min
How does Venus hold its atmosphere without a magnetosphere? Is the Sun moving to the Milky Way's centre? What happens when the space elevator cable snaps? Can we solve the Hubble Tension? All this and more in this week's Q&A! 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:47 [Tatooine] How does Venus hold its atmosphere without a magnetosphere? 03:58 [Coruscant] Which is the best target for the Solar Gravitational Lens telescope? 06:40 [Hoth] Why aren't there more...
Mar 14, 2023•37 min
Can there be habitable planets orbiting around red dwarfs? My guest, Mariano Battistuzzi, performed experiments to check it! So, can life survive in the conditions created by red dwarf stars? Let's find out in this interview. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:55 How bad are red dwarfs for life 04:20 Experiments to test habitability 13:10 Potential ecosystems near red dwarfs 18:57 Biosignatures to look for 21:20 Other extreme places 24:10 What's next 📺 VI...
Mar 14, 2023•28 min
The official verdict on Artemis 1. Canadian kids discovered something NASA didn’t know. Was there a Dark Big Bang? The next bright comet for 2024. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:11 SLS Good For Humans. Artemis 2 in 2024 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/analysis-confirms-successful-artemis-i-moon-mission-reviews-continue 02:23 Canadian Kids Discover Things About Space NASA Didn’t Know 03:58 Dark Big Bang https://www.universetoday.com/160285/the-universe-may...
Mar 10, 2023•20 min
Making habitats from available materials will be a big part of Mars missions. One of the 2023 NIAC awards explored the possibility of growing structures on Mars with the help of fungi and bacteria. We're discussing this project with Dr Congrui Jin. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 👉 More about the NIAC award: https://www.universetoday.com/159635/instead-of-building-structures-on-mars-we-could-grow-them-with-the-help-of-bacteria/ 00:00 Intro 01:21 Growing Structures on...
Mar 09, 2023•23 min
How long can a modern spacecraft last on Venus? How to develop electronics, batteries and other things that can survive these harsh conditions? What could the lifespan of such a mission be? We discuss all that with Dr Tibor Kremic from NASA Glenn Research Center. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 01:17 How bad Venus really is 03:27 What it takes to last on Venus 06:40 Chips that can survive on Venus 13:59 Batteries for Venus 18:45 Time-based measurements of ...
Mar 08, 2023•45 min
How many stars did our radio signals reach? How to visualize the expansion of the Universe? Can we save the Earth from the Sun's red giant phase? How can we tell that an object has interstellar origin? All this and more in this week's Q&A! 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 01:02 [Tatooine] If the Sun is white, are sunspots really black? 05:19 [Coruscant] How many stars did our radio signals reach? 08:51 [Hoth] How do gravitational assists work? 11:43 [Na...
Mar 07, 2023•37 min
How do you plan a trip through the Solar System? What are the orbital mechanics tools that can be used for that? How can all that be used to intercept an interstellar visitor like Oumuamua? 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:15 Orbital mechanics 00:08:50 Planning missions to outer planets 00:11:15 Special orbits 00:14:40 Gravitational assists 00:20:45 Going to the Sun 00:24:40 Lowest energy highways 00:27:44 Going to asteroids 00:34:10 Intercepting i...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Hubble shows us exactly what happened after DART’s impact, a new way to clean off lunar regolith, seeing the same supernova at three different times in a gravitational lens, and a new version of Starlink launches. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:15 Hubble's View of DART https://www.universetoday.com/160346/remember-the-dart-impact-hubble-made-a-movie-of-the-debris/ 01:54 Fixing Moon's Dust Problem https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2023/02/28/liquid-nit...
Mar 03, 2023•17 min
In this interview, I'm talking with Shawn Buckley who is the Senior Director of Engineering at Sierra Space. We talk about the development of their LIFE module, discuss how inflatable habitats can change space exploration and what part they play in humanity's space future. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 01:32 Burst tests 02:50 What is the LIFE Module 08:00 Working with NASA 09:11 Risks of inflatable habitats 15:33 Inside the module 18:39 Deployment in spa...
Mar 02, 2023•43 min
Could black holes collapse directly in the early Universe? How do two galaxies become one after they collide? How would you communicate time units to aliens? How much will Starship change the prices of space launches? All this and more in this week's Q&A! 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:50 [Tatooine] How do direct collapse black holes work? 06:20 [Coruscant] How can two galaxies form one? 08:34 [Hoth] How to communicate time units to aliens? 11:07 [...
Feb 28, 2023•39 min
