Podcasts · Science

Universe Today Podcast

Fraser Cain

300 episodes

Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.

Episodes page 6 of 6

  1. [Q&A] End of Expansion of the Universe, Hypervelocity Stars, Retrograde Planets

    · 20 min

    Do we predictions when will the Universe stop its expansion? Did we find hypervelocity stars in M31? What does it mean when planets go retrograde? And in Q&A+ could the Big Bang be a white hole? 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video.…

  2. [Interview] Modern Day Space Enigmas. Fast Radio Bursts

    · 38 min

    FRBs are a great example of a modern day space mystery. We've seen a lot of them. We know a fair amount about them. But we still don't really know for sure how do they work and what's their true source. Some of them…

  3. [Space Bites] Betelgeuse Has a Companion // Blow Against Planet X // Huge SMBH Discovery

    · 23 min

    Betelgeuse has a companion star, Vera Rubin discovered the third interstellar object accidentally, the first evidence of direct collapse supermassive black holes, and in Space Bites+ developing plans to help humanity…

  4. [Q&A] Concerns About China, Book to a Movie, Space Set SciFi

    · 18 min

    Should we be concerned about China's progress in space? Is their progress held back by a lack of cultural freedom? Which space-set book story desperately needs a movie adaptation? and in Q&A+, the best space-set movie…

  5. [Q&A] Destination Venus, Drilling Europa's Ice, Shape of The Universe

    · 19 min

    How can we realistically get under the ice of Europa? Why Venus is such an under appreciated destination for spacecraft? What is the shape of the Universe? And in Q&A+ what would happen to Jupiter if it became a rogue…

  6. [BONUS] The Sky Isn’t the Limit. Interview with me on The Last Easy Mile Podcast

    · 1 h 10 min

    This is an interview with me on The Last Easy Mile podcast with Josh Farahi. Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_FR_ZvPc3U&ab_channel=TheLastEasyMilePodcast THE LAST EASY MILE:…

  7. [Space Bites] Earth in a Void // Ancient Stellar Flyby // Resonance with Uranus

    · 21 min

    Is the Earth at the center of a giant void? Did a star fly through the Solar System billions of years ago messing up the orbits of some objects? Comet 3i/ATLAS is the oldest comet ever seen. Look at the picture to…

  8. [Q&A] Best Possible Space Mission, Sea Launches, Sun's Siblings

    · 22 min

    What would be the best possible space mission if budget restrictions didn't exist? Why don't we launch all rockets from ships in the sea? Where are the stars that formed with our Sun? And in Q&A+ where is the center of…

  9. [Interview] How to Find Your Way Home in Space

    · 46 min

    If you were dropped in a random place in space, how would you find your way home? New Horizons tackled this problem with a first interstellar navigation demonstration. Using parallax in real time to determine its…

  10. [Q&A] Enforcement of Space Treaties, Mars vs O'Neil Cylinders, India's Space Ambitions

    · 16 min

    Can somebody really enforce any space treaties and do they make any sense? What's a better future, colonies on Mars or on giant rotating spaceships? What's India's space program been up to lately? And in Q&A+, would I…

  11. [Space Bites] Double Supernova // Impossible Rings // Dark Brown Dwarfs

    · 19 min

    A star detonated as a supernova, twice. Trump chooses his new NASA Administrator. Why deflecting asteroids is much more complex than we thought.And on Space Bites Plus, how your flight home could signal an alien…

  12. [Q&A] Dust VS Interstellar Travel, Nuclear Reactors on the Moon, My Favourite Lagrange Point

    · 19 min

    Will dust make interstellar travel impossible? Is Oumuamua unique in its weird cigar-like shape? How many nuclear reactors will we need on the Moon? And in Q&A+, does studying the Universe have no endgame? Answering…

  13. [Q&A] Vera Rubin & Planet 9 SPECIAL

    · 18 min

    Will there be a northern hemisphere version of Vera Rubin? Or maybe we can put one straight in space? Can Vera Rubin detect alien spacecraft if they ever visit? And if it finds planet 9, how fast will we be sending a…

  14. [Interview] Revealing the Secrets of Cosmic Dark Ages

    · 59 min

    What are the cosmic dark ages and what do we know about them? Why are the so hard to study? How can the Dark Age Explorer help with it and why does it need to go on the far side of the Moon? Finding out in this…

  15. [Space Bites] A THIRD Interstellar Object // Pack of Quasars // Tianwen-2 Looks Back

    · 19 min

    Astronomers have discovered a third interstellar object. NASA missions are getting prepared to be shut down. The most massive white dwarf has been found. And in Space Bites Plus, a capsule containing human remains and…

  16. [Q&A] Absent Planets from Our Solar System, Interstellar Black Holes, Non-Conventional Theories

    · 21 min

    Which type of planet that's not in the Solar System is the most interesting? Can we detect an interstellar black hole? Should science journalists report about non-conventional science theories? And in our extended Q&A+…

  17. [Q&A] Confidence in SpaceX, New Pale Blue Dot, A Day on Gas Giants

    · 18 min

    Did the recent streak of Starship failures change my confidence is SpaceX's future success? How can we measure the rotation of gas giant planets? Is there a chance Voyagers can make another Pale Blue Dot image? And in…

  18. [Space Bites] Vera Rubin's ONLINE // Huge LISA Update // Record-Breaking JWST Exoplanet

    · 26 min

    The first pictures from Rubin are finally here, construction begins on the LISA mission, Webb directly images a Saturn-sized exoplanet, and do pulsar have mountains? And in Space Bites+, a fast radio burst is coming…

  19. [Q&A] SMBH Images, Primordial Gravitational Waves, Terraforming Tidally-Locked Planets

    · 21 min

    Does terraforming a tidally-locked planet make any sense? Are the images we got of our galaxy's supermassive black hole fake? Can we observe gravitational waves that came before the CMB? And in Q&A+ who is currently…

  20. [Q&A] JWST Image Artefacts, TRAPPIST-1 Planets from the Surface, Liquid Glass Space Telescopes

    · 16 min

    Why doesn't NASA remove the artefacts from JWST images? How would TRAPPIST-1 planets look from their surface? Why don't they just form space telescope lenses from liquid glass in space? And in Q&A+ what shape does the…

  21. [Interview] Improving Nuclear Power Generators for Future Space Missions

    · 45 min

    Solar power has its limits. Some space missions will need an alternative source of power like RTGs. How can we make them better? Which fuel is optimal for them and why? How to convert heat into electricity? Finding out…

  22. [Space Bites] Artificial Solar Eclipses // Mother of All Meteor Storms // Vera Rubin's First Light

    · 22 min

    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.…

  23. [Q&A] Seeing the Oort Cloud, Rogue Planet Nearby, Knocking the Moon Away

    · 18 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,…

  24. [Bonus] No Aliens?! Space Journalist Fraser Cain on Astronomy, Space Discoveries, Sci-Fi

    · 1 h 07 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…

  25. [Interview] Planning a Mission to Uranus

    · 43 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…

  26. [Bonus] The Challenge/Promise of AI & Science Communication 🧠📢

    · 58 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…

  27. [Space Bites] Sun’s Pole Revealed // Sun Shade vs Climate Change // Source of Cosmic Rays

    · 22 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…

  28. [Q&A] Giving Up on Dark Matter, Swarm of Cheap Probes VS Single Expensive One, Rotating Universe

    · 21 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?…

  29. [Interview] Unveiling The Most Obscured Part of Our Galaxy

    · 37 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…

  30. [Space Bites] Resolution for Hubble Tension // Milkdromeda Might Not Happen // Failed Lunar Landing

    · 23 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…

  31. [Q&A] Getting Stuck on a Planet, Dangerous Supernovae, Expansionistic Aliens

    · 19 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…

  32. [Interview] All You Need to Know About Type 1a Supernovae

    · 42 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…

  33. [Q&A] Replenishing Lost Atmosphere, Copy of Earth, Betelgeuse Supernova

    · 18 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+…

  34. [Interview] Punching NanoHoles in Light Sails Can Bring Us Closer to Alpha Centauri

    · 32 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…

  35. [Space Bites] Mysterious Object Discovered // Starship Explodes Again // China's Asteroid Sample Return

    · 21 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…

  36. [Q&A] De-Radioactivating Van Allen Belts, Super Gravity Assists, Algorithms and Clickbait

    · 18 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…

  37. [Interview] Can Sweating Heat Shields Solve Re-Entry Problems for Reusable Rockets?

    · 54 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…

  38. [Q&A] Extending JWST's Life, Views from Dragonfly, Roadblock to Mars

    · 18 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…

  39. [Interview] 3 Key Technologies to Start Terraforming Mars in Our Lifetime

    · 56 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…

  40. [Space Bites] Dangers of A Super Solar Storm // Jupiter Twice The Size // Crazy Moon Landing System

    · 21 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…

  41. [Q&A] My Favourite Space Image, Shape of Oort Cloud, The Concept of Aliens

    · 19 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?…

  42. [Q&A] Lasers VS Space Junk, Missions Overdelivering, Asteroids Already Mined

    · 21 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…

  43. [Interview] How Liquid Water Can Hide on Mars

    · 35 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…

  44. [Space Bites] Eyes for Plato // Water Ice in Another Star System // Venus Tectonics

    · 19 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…

  45. [Interview] How Quantum Coronagraphs Will Help Us See Earth-Like Planets Around Sun-Like Stars

    · 41 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…

  46. [Q&A] Cubesats VS Big Missions, EM Protection from Space Radiation, Discovering Exomoons

    · 20 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,…

  47. [Q&A] Why Keep Voyagers Alive, Life with No DNA, Confidence in the Distant Ladder

    · 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…

  48. [Interview] How KSP Helps Designing Real-Life Space Mission

    · 39 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…

  49. [Space Bites] Spying on Spy Satellites // Official NASA Budget Cuts // Dragonfly Milestone

    · 19 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…

  50. [Q&A] Smoking Gun Biosignatures, Dyson Spheres vs Warp Drives, Adopting the Metric System

    · 20 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,…

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