A new mission can make solar eclipses on demand, what do supernovae and stellar flybys do to Earth’s climate, how asteroid 2024 YR4 will make the mother of all meteor showers, and Starship 36 explodes during testing. And on Space Bites+, how we could use a space elevator to extract water from Ceres. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 💥 NSF's video: https://youtu.be/71AwkBt3_ts?si=Yzn_NNyumC9VakFu 💥 Scott Manley's video: https://youtu.be/0C_L-...
Jun 20, 2025•22 min
Can a giant asteroid knock the Moon from its orbit? How good does a telescope need to be to see the Oort cloud? What are the odds of a rogue planet hiding nearby in our Solar system? And in our extended Q&A+ version, can we be sure that we're alone in the Universe? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/univer...
Jun 19, 2025•18 min
This is an interview with me for the Worldviews Podcast. 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/yj0Gi7d0zm4?si=NYLERm4yquBpkqbb 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Introduction 01:25 Fraser’s upbringing into science 04:59 Proud career moments 06:01 Space misconceptions 09:05 Black Holes 11:05 From planes flying to flying into space 13:05 Topics Fraser has changed his mind about 19:35 Aliens are not real 29:40 Greatest space discoveries of the century 34:12 Discoveries on...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 7 min
We never came back to Uranus after the Voyager 2 flyby in 1986. It's time to come back. But what will it take to organise a mission to Uranus? What priorities will it have and when can it launch? Finding out in this interview. 😍 [Interview+] Same video. No YT ads. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr. Amy Simon https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/bio/amy.a.simon 00:00 Intro 02:11 What have we learned since Voyager 05:58 Requests for the mission 15:59 Planning a modern-day mission 24...
Jun 16, 2025•43 min
This is an interview with me done by Salman Hameed @ Kainaat Astronomy in English. Salman Hameed has a PhD in astronomy and is Charles Taylor Chair and Professor of Integrated Science & Humanities at Hampshire College, and a member of the Five College Astronomy Department (FCAD) in Massachusetts, USA. He is also the CEO of the non-profit Kainaat Studios. You can find more information about Kainaat Studios here: https://www.kainaatstudios.com/ 🚀 YouTube episode: https://youtu.be/99CeM9GmUqk?...
Jun 15, 2025•58 min
Have we finally found the source of ultra-high energy cosmic rays? Our first look at the Sun’s south pole, New Glenn slips again, what kind of damage would rockets do to the ozone layer? And in Space Bites+, a pair of quasars that dominated Cosmic Noon. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🌌 Zone of Avoidance interview: https://youtu.be/BpaEskYuBk0 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 00:00 Intro 00:23 S...
Jun 13, 2025•22 min
At what point we should just admit defeat and give up on our search for dark matter? Should we be sending a lot of cheap space probes instead of a single expensive one? If the Universe is rotating, where is the axis? And in our Q&A+ version, how to make a friend fall in love with Astronomy? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://w...
Jun 12, 2025•21 min
For a long time the central part of our galaxy was mostly hidden from us because of all the dust. It was even called the Zone of Avoidance. But with better telescopes and modern techniques we can peer inside and reveal what's hiding. Even build 3D-maps of the region. 😍 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr Cara Battersby https://battersby.physics.uconn.edu/ 📜 3D Structure of our Galaxy’s Central Molecular Zone https://centralmolecularzone.github...
Jun 10, 2025•37 min
The White House pulls Jared Isaacman’s nomination, the 2026 NASA budget is released, the Hubble Tension might not be a problem after all, the Milky Way and Andromeda might not merge after all. And on SpaceBites+, which ozone isn’t a good biosignature. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 00:00 Intro 00:22 No Jared for NASA https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/05/trump-pu...
Jun 06, 2025•23 min
How big does a planet has to be to make it impossible to fly a rocket from it? Why are aliens always portrayed expansionistic? Can a supernova make us all go extinct? And in our extended Q&A+ edition, is terraforming Mars necessary for finding life there? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00...
Jun 05, 2025•19 min
What's the difference between a nova and a supernova? What's the mechanism behind their explosions? What instruments are used to observe them at the moment? Finding out in this interview. 😍 [Interview+] Same video. No YT ads. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Cameron Pfeffer https://www.cameronpfeffer.space/ 🟣 Dr. Chris Ashall’s supernova research group https://chrisashall.com/my-group/ https://csp.obs.carnegiescience.edu/ 00:00 Intro 01:30 What is a Type-1a supernova 07:55 Obser...
Jun 04, 2025•42 min
How much of our atmosphere is lost to space and should we be actively replenishing it? Is there an exact copy of Earth out there hiding in the Universe? Can we use the Sun to send messages? And in our extended Q&A+ version, how the advancements in AI will change astronomy? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/uni...
Jun 03, 2025•18 min
Launching Breakthrough Starshot light sail probes to Alpha Centauri requires a lot of new tech, including the actual light sails. How do you make the optimal material to maximize the size with minimising mass? Finding out in this interview. 😍 [Interview+] Same video. No YT ads. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Lucas Norder https://www.tudelft.nl/en/staff/l.norder/ 📜 Pentagonal photonic crystal mirrors: scalable lightsails with enhanced acceleration via neural topology optimizati...
Jun 02, 2025•32 min
China’s asteroid sample return mission launches, searching for a companion star for Betelgeuse, the 9th flight test wraps up for Starship and Superheavy, and Webb takes its longest exposure yet. And in SpaceBites+, is Venus hiding deadly asteroids. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 00:00 Intro 00:30 Mystery object discovered https://www.universetoday.com/articles/st...
May 30, 2025•21 min
Can we make the Van Allen belts safe to fly through? Why not get a super gravity assist from the Sun? Can we predict the next supernova in the Milky Way? And in our extended Q&A+ version, what's going on with the ocean rocks producing electricity at the bottom? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:30 [Marcus Mark] Can we drain the Van Allen belts from radioactive particles? 01:17 [Sean] Can we ...
May 30, 2025•18 min
Heat shields are one of the trickiest problems left to solve before we can have truly reusable spacecraft. So far we've seen different solutions, like ablative materials or ceramic tiles. But can a sweating heat shield be a solution? Finding out in this interview. 😍 [Interview+] Same video. No YT ads. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr. Hassan Saad Ifti https://nal.tamu.edu/ 📜 Could Sweating Spacecraft Make Re-Entry Easier? https://www.universetoday.com/articles/could-sweating-...
May 28, 2025•54 min
Can we refuel James Webb at L2 when it runs out of propellant? What will the Dragonfly octocopter see on the surface of Titan? Will discovering life on Mars stop us from going there? And in our extended Q&A+ on Patreon, what are space things I'm hoping to see in my lifetime? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon....
May 27, 2025•18 min
Terraforming Mars is usually considered in the realm of science fiction. But actually we have technology to start doing it in our lifetime and achieve some meaningful results it a timescale of tens of years, not thousands. What are they? Finding out in this interview. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis https://www.erikadebenedictis.com/ 📜 The Case for Mars Terraforming Research https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02548-0 00:...
May 26, 2025•56 min
Jupiter could have been twice as big in the past, the challenges of landing on the Moon, the record for the farthest galaxy has been broken. And in our Patreon edition, how the location of gas plays a role in star formation. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/129128649 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 00:00 Intro 00:19 Jupiter was 2 times bigger https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-study-suggests-that...
May 23, 2025•21 min
When did humans first think of aliens? Why is Oort cloud a sphere when the Solar System is a disk? Which space image is my favourite? And in our Q&A+ on patreon, is search for life only limited to looking for water? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:30 [Paige Potter] When did ...
May 22, 2025•19 min
Which space mission would I save from cancellation if I could? Is fighting space junk with lasers a good idea or not? What if we find asteroids that have already been mined? And in our Q&A+ on patreon, how do we measure masses of black holes ? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00...
May 20, 2025•21 min
So far we couldn't find liquid water on Mars. But there are still places where it can hide from us. One of them is pockets under the ice. How can it exist there and which possible ways do we have to detect it? Finding out in this interview. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr. Aditya Khuller https://apl.uw.edu/people/profile.php?last_name=Khuller&first_name=Aditya 00:00 Intro 01:51 Liquid water on Mars 08:16 Habitability 11:57 Where on Mars could liquid w...
May 19, 2025•35 min
ESA’s PLATO mission gets its eyes installed, Webb finds water ice in another star system, could it be dark matter and not dark energy that’s evolving over time? And in our longer [Space Bites+] on Patreon, researchers have found that hardy bacteria are evolving to thrive in spacecraft clean rooms. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:20 Plato gets its eyes https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-plato-mission-just-got-dozens-of-...
May 16, 2025•19 min
Our current tech doesn't allow us to block light from Sun-like stars to see Earth-like planets. The brightness difference is just too high. One of the ways we can achieve it is with quantum coronagraphs. What are they and how do they work? Finding out in this interview. 👉 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads. FREE https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Nico Deshler https://github.com/NicoDeshler 📜 Experimental Demonstration of a Quantum-Optimal Coronagraph Using Spatial Mode Sorters htt...
May 14, 2025•41 min
Why risk sending big space missions instead of swarms of cubesats? Can NASA protect future Mars astronauts from radiation with EM-rockets? How close are we to discovering our first exomoon? And in our Q&A+ version, which sci-fi tech is the closest to becoming a reality? Answering all that and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoda...
May 14, 2025•20 min
Is keeping the Voyagers active a waste of money and time on the Deep Space Network? Could you play catch with a baseball-mass black hole? How confident are we in the distance ladder? And in our Q&A+ version, does it make sense to film a movie in space? Answering all that and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:2...
May 13, 2025•20 min
The Kerbal Space Program is a fun game, but also an incredible tool for simulating a realistic space exploration program. According to a new paper, people playing the game can help develop innovative ideas that can turn into real missions, especially with the development and integration of reusable rockets like Starship and New Glenn. 👉 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads. FREE https://patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Rodrigo Schmitt https://rodrigo-schmitt.github.io/ 📜 Design of space syste...
May 12, 2025•39 min
The official NASA cuts are here. Several missions reach big milestones. The Solar Gravitational Lens will be challenging to use, and in our special bonus version on Patreon, [Space Bites+] an additional story about New Horizons scanning the clouds of hydrogen around the Solar System. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:19 NASA budget cuts are official https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-white-house-releases-its-2026-budget-request-for-nasa-cuts-to-sl...
May 09, 2025•19 min
Which evidence will be a definite smoking gun when it comes to finding extraterrestrial life? Why is a Dyson sphere more realistic than warp drives? Will America ever adopt the metric system? And in our Q&A+ version, will China be collaborating with other nations in space? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.co...
May 08, 2025•20 min
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May 06, 2025•22 min
