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Mar 12, 2025•16 min
Universe Today Podcast
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Episodes
[Q&A] Galaxies Made from Antimatter, Transparency of Science, Favourite Lagrange Point Reveal
Is it possible that some of the galaxies out there are made of antimatter? How transparent is science research across the world? Which of the Lagrange points is my favourite? And in our free bonus question on Patreon, how big can of a moon can the Earth sustain? All this and more in this Q&A show.
Mar 11, 2025•17 min
[Space Bites] Starship Explodes (Again) // Moon Lander Failed (Again) // Voyager Switching Off Instruments (Again)
Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lands safely on the Moon, Athena… doesn’t, and another lunar mission goes missing. NASA shuts down more instruments on the Voyagers, and Europa Clipper makes a flyby of Mars. Starship explodes again. And in the free Patreon edition, how Vera Rubin could find another flyby target for New Horizons.
Mar 07, 2025•19 min
[Q&A] Asteroids on the Moon, JWST VS Age of The Universe, Astronomy on ISS
Did James Webb break the age of the Universe? Can we watch asteroids that are about to hit the Moon? How much of actuation astronomy is done on the ISS? Plus, in our extended version on Patreon, what shape do black holes take? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A.
Mar 06, 2025•16 min
[Q&A] Dangers from De-Orbiting ISS, Beyond Mars, Breaking News
Is there a risk of contaminating Earth with space-resistant bacteria when de-orbiting the ISS? What would be the next big outpost when humanity reaches Mars? What's the real shape of Lagrange points? Plus, in our bonus part on Patreon, could there be life in lava tubes. Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Mar 05, 2025•20 min
[Interview] Extremely Rare Supernova. This is Exactly Why We Need Vera Rubin
Astronomers saw a rare type of supernova in the galaxy NGC 2891. Finding out what was so special about it and why is it a perfect example of why we need the Vera Rubin Telescope as soon as possible. 🟣 Guest: Dr. Charlotte Angus https://charlotte-angus.com/
Mar 04, 2025•32 min
[Space Bites] New Explanation Mars' Color // Big Moon Launch // Space Refuelling Test
The asteroid threat is down to zero, whatever happened to that star that was supposed to go nova, more landers are launched to the Moon. Plus in our extended version on Patreon, how Venus’s atmosphere could protect life in its clouds.
Feb 28, 2025•20 min
[Q&A] What if Mars Had Air, Destiny of Stars, Fraserverse Movies
Would we have colonized Mars by now if it had air? What is the ultimate fate of stars? What's the point of talking about the density of black holes? And which movies would go into the Fraserverse? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Feb 27, 2025•23 min
[Q&A] SpaceX Consuming NASA, Earth Hoarding Asteroids, Tracking X37
Will SpaceX eventually consume NASA? Are there asteroids at Lagrange points in front and behind the Earth? Can we track the Space Force's secret X37 shuttle? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Feb 25, 2025•20 min
[Space Bites] First Ever Strange Star // Fireworks from Sgr A* // Most Energetic Neutrino Ever
A massive new release of Type 1a supernova data, did astronomers see a strange star form? huge spiral arms of comets in the Oort Cloud, and the highest energy neutrino ever detected. Plus in our extended version on Patreon, how scientists could get real data on UAPs.
Feb 21, 2025•20 min
[Q&A] Dying in Space, Cancelling SLS, Getting My Mind Blown
What will we really lose in case SLS actually gets cancelled? Would nuclear rockets bring a significant enough improvement to space travel? Do we even know how to die in space? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Feb 20, 2025•19 min
[Q&A] Terraforming Exoplanets, Dark Matter Annihilation, Finding Life in Other Galaxies | Q&A 296
Does dark matter annihilate with normal matter? Should we be searching for signs of life in other galaxies? Do we know how to terraform exoplanets? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A.
Feb 18, 2025•24 min
[NIAC 2025] Exploring Enceladus with a Hopping Robot
Moving across the surface of Enceladus can be more tricky than you think. Rough icy terrain can be hard for wheels. No atmosphere makes helicopters impossible. Thus, hopping and jumping might be the answer! 🟣 Guest: Dr. Justin Yim https://publish.illinois.edu/novelmobilerobotslab/
Feb 17, 2025•31 min
[Space Bites] Odds of An Asteroid Strike // Dark Matter Domination // Radiation Protection with Hydrogel
James Webb finds the smallest asteroids in the main belt, astronomers double the chances of that asteroid strike in 2032, using hydrogel to protect astronauts from radiation, and material from Alpha centauri is already streaming into the Solar System.
Feb 14, 2025•18 min
[Q&A] Most Exciting NIAC Project, Grains of Sand vs Stars, Total Solar Eclipse Going Away
Which NIAC project would be the best to bring to life? Are there really more stars than grains of sand on Earth? Is the solar eclipse going away from us? What's on my shelf behind me? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:26 Is the total solar eclipse going away? 02:24 Will Starship and New Glenn bring more space observatories? 04:36 Which NIAC award is the most exciting? 06:48 Are there places in the Un...
Feb 13, 2025•17 min
[NIAC 2025] NASA Just Funded A Project to Blow Space Structures Out Of Glass
NASA just funded a NIAC project to study the possibility of building large structures on the Moon, on Mars and in space out of glass. Blowing glass bubbles similarly to how it's done on Earth. 🟣 Guest: Dr. Martin Bermudez https://www.skyeports.com/
Feb 12, 2025•46 min
[Q&A] Space Junk Blocking Orbit, Fine-Tuning Problem, State of Media | Q&A 294
Will space debris prevent us from accessing orbit and when could it happen? Is the Universe with all its rules just a lucky accident? What does "The Publisher of Universe Today" even do? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Feb 11, 2025•23 min
[NIAC 2025] Our Best Venus Map Is 36 Years Old. NASA Wants to Fix it With Balloons
Venus has a thick layer of clouds that obscures our view of the surface. To tackle that, this NIAC project suggests launching a balloon with a tether that will go below the cloud layer and help us image Venus surface. 🟣 Guest: Dr Benjamin Hockman https://www-robotics.jpl.nasa.gov/who-we-are/people/benjamin_hockman/
Feb 10, 2025•34 min
[Space Bites] Potential City-Killer Asteroid // Largest Structure in The Universe // Moon Canyons
A new asteroid with a 1% chance of hitting Earth in 2032, the European Space Agency is building a Lunar Lander platform, the largest structure in the Universe has been discovered, and how far away could we detect ourselves?
Feb 07, 2025•18 min
[Q&A] China VS USA Mars Sample Return, Who Controls JWST, Science VS AI
Who will get sample from Mars first? Who controls the James Webb Space Telescope? Does space radiation rule out panspermia? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Feb 07, 2025•21 min
[NIAC 2025] Using Metamaterials to Build A Starshade in Space
We all want to see potentially habitable exoplanets around Sun-like stars. But to do that you need a starshade. Something to cover the star and reveal the faint planets around it. What can we build these structures from to make them rigid and strong enough? Finding out in this interview. 🟣 Guest: Christine Gregg Dynamically Stable Large Space Structures via Architected Metamaterials https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/dynamically-stable-large-space-structures-via-architected-metamateria...
Feb 05, 2025•28 min
[Q&A] Shape of Craters, Max Size for a Telescope, Atmospheres of Black Holes
Why are most craters circular, no matter which angle the meteor falls? Is there a size limit for a telescope before diminishing returns take place? Can black holes have atmospheres? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Feb 04, 2025•21 min
[NIAC 2025] NASA Just Funded This Project. Assembling Large Structures in Space
Space Docks are everywhere in science fiction. It's the most logical way to build big constructions in space. So, NASA funded a futuristic project that studies the possibility of assembling structures in space. 🟣 Guest: Dr Vojtech Holub https://thinkorbital.com/
Feb 03, 2025•31 min
[NIAC 2025] NASA’s First Step To A Cloud City on Venus
The MOXIE experiment on the Perseverance rover showed that creating oxygen on other planets is possible. Now, we can apply the same logic to Venus. This could allow the creation of constantly floating balloons, leading to cloud cities in the future.
Feb 02, 2025•35 min
[Interview] Here's Why We Need A Venus Exploration Program
Venus is closer than Mars. It's more Earth-like. We can bring back samples from it. But it's chronically underexlored. This is why we need a Venus Exploration Program! 🟣 Guest: Dr Paul Byrne https://arxiv.org/pdf/2412.06830
Feb 01, 2025•1 hr 2 min
[Space Bites] Building Blocks of Life // Giant Volcanic Activity of Io // Bacteria Outside the ISS
The building blocks of life have been found in asteroid samples, the most volcanic activity ever seen on Io, astronauts are searching for bacteria on the outside of the space station, and Ingenuity found surprisingly fast wind speeds on Mars.
Jan 31, 2025•20 min
[Q&A] Biggest Possible Crowbar, Sun Illusion, Measuring Temperature on the Moon
How big can a space crowbar be? Why does the Sun look bigger near the horizon? How do we measure temperature on the Moon? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.
Jan 30, 2025•20 min
[Interview] Alien Atmosphere Inspector. The Pandora Telescope
NASA is launching a new telescope this year called Pandora. It'll be specifically inspecting atmospheres of exoplanets. It even uses spare parts from JWST. Learning more about the Pandora telescope in this interview. 🟣 Guest: Dr Ben Hord https://pandorasat.com/
Jan 29, 2025•40 min
[Q&A] Riding a Comet, Moon Ore Veins, Internet on Mars
Did we find ore veins on Moon or Mars? Can we see astronomical objects in 3D? Can we catch a ride on a comet? How will the internet work on Mars? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A.
Jan 28, 2025•21 min
[Interview] An Ultimate Guide to TRAPPIST-1 System
What's going on with the TRAPPIST-1 system? Did James Webb find atmospheres or not? Do any of the planets have a chance to be habitable? When should we expect more information? Answering all these questions in this interview. 🟣 Guest: Megan Gialluca https://depts.washington.edu/astrobio/wordpress/profile/megan-gialluca/
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 13 min
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