Universe Today Podcast

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Episode 546: One Year, Almost 1,000 Planetary Candidates. An Update On TESS Aug 09, 2019

Show notes

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Telescope launched back in April, 2018. After a few months of testing, it was ready to begin mapping the southern sky, searching for planets orbiting stars relatively nearby.

We’re just over a year into the mission now, and on July 18th, TESS has shifted its attention to the Northern Hemisphere, continuing the hunt for planets in the northern skies.

As part of this shift, NASA has announced a handful of fascinating new planets turned up by TESS, including a couple of worlds in categories which have never been seen before.

Farewell Kepler, Welcome TESS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiBqpsedsHE

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-tess-mission-completes-first-year-of-survey-turns-to-northern-sky
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/new-explorer-mission-chooses-the-just-right-orbit
https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1587/tess-finds-its-smallest-planet-yet/
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/multimedia/images/tiny-planet-kepler-37b.html
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/confirmation-of-toasty-tess-planet-leads-to-surprising-find-of-promising-world
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-tess-mission-scores-hat-trick-with-3-new-worlds

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Episode 544: Q&A 94: Can Solar Sails Explore The Outer Solar System? And More... Aug 08, 2019

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I answer a question about solar sails, what geologists might learn from lunar rocks, if Earth could survive inside Jupiter, could gas giants be closer to the Sun, and more.

Dark Site Finder:
https://darksitefinder.com/map/

Videos mentioned:
What is an Electric Sail? Another Exotic Way to Explore the Solar System - https://youtu.be/-pIl_cv3OkA
Oldest Rock From Earth Was Found On The Moon (Of All Places) - https://youtu.be/0h_ckjhGdjs
What are Globular Clusters? Relics of the Early Universe - https://youtu.be/BjzptXhpsz8

Timecodes:

00:15 Solar sails to the outer Solar System?
01:57 What could geologists learn from more lunar rocks?
04:01 Could Earth survive inside Jupiter?
05:49 Would gas giants change if they were closer to the Sun?
08:01 What if aliens have different laws of physics?
10:19 Best places to put a telescope
12:03 Difference between globular clusters and dwarf galaxies
13:31 Water shielding for a rover
15:16 Do I play RPGs
17:32 Should science be outcome-based?
19:33 Could you orbit the Moon more closely?
21:17 Site to avoid light pollution

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 Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/

Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 543: What Are Light Echoes? Using Reflections Of Light To See Even Further Back In Time Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

When we look outward into space, we’re looking backwards in time. That’s because light moves, at the speed of light. It takes time for the light to reach us.

But it gets even stranger than that. Light can be absorbed, reflected, and re-emitted by gas and dust, giving us a second look.

They’re called light echoes, and allow astronomers another way to understand the Universe around us.

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/arecibo-radar-returns-with-asteroid-phaethon-images
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/lroc-20100413-apollo15-LRRR.html
https://www.spacetelescope.org/videos/heic0617a/
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/light-echoes-give-clues-to-protoplanetary-disk
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-nicer-mission-maps-light-echoes-of-new-black-hole
https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2017/news-2017-42.html
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1814a/

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Episode 542: How Habitable Is Titan? NASA Is Sending The Titan Dragonfly Helicopter To Find Out Aug 02, 2019

Show notes

There are few places in the Solar System which are as fascinating as Saturn’s moon Titan. It’s a world with a thicker atmosphere than Earth. Where it’s so cold that it rains ammonia, forming lakes, rivers and seas. Where water ice forms mountains.

Like Europa and Encleadus, Titan could have an interior ocean of liquid water too, a place where there might be life.

Titan’s got layers, and fortunately, there’s an awesome new mission in the works to explore it: the Titan Dragonfly mission.

Links to episodes I mention:
Drilling under the ice on Europa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxU1VSSka4M
Everyday Astronaut talks about Titan Dragonfly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkS2dP7eiEU
Missions to Titan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzg78ySwIn4

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/saturn-moons/titan/exploration/?page=0&per_page=10&order=launch_date+desc%2Ctitle+asc&search=&tags=Saturn&category=33#dutch-astronomer-christiaan-huygens-discovers-titan
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/cassini/mission/spacecraft/huygens-probe/
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-usgs-landsat-8-satellite-pinpoints-coldest-spots-on-earth
https://nai.nasa.gov/teams/can-8/jpl-titan/
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasas-dragonfly-will-fly-around-titan-looking-for-origins-signs-of-life

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Episode 545: Q&A 93: When Will The Space Junk Return To Earth? And More... Aug 01, 2019

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I explain how long it'll take for space junk to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere, would it be possible to put advertising in space, and why panspermia is appealing as a hypothesis.

01:04 When will the space junk return to Earth?
03:14 Why don't we clean up the junk?
06:50 Can we advertise in the night sky?
08:36 Why is pansperimia appealing as a hypothesis?
10:53 Crewed space station dedicated to astronomy?
13:25 Best way to reduce light pollution?
16:08 What factors are important for life?
18:41 Can a star and black hole orbit each other?
20:41 How does time dilation work?
24:46 What will happen if Starship works?
28:49 How do galaxies collide if everything is expanding?
30:10 Why are Saturn's rings fading away?

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 Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/

Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 541: Why Is The Moon’s South Pole So Important? It’s All About Water Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

As NASA prepares to return to the Moon by 2024 as part of its Artemis program, the agency is focusing its efforts on exploring the Moon’s polar regions. These are areas of the Moon which seem to have a lot of water mixed in with the regolith.

Some of these craters are permanently in shadow, and might still have large quantities of water, that’s accessible to human and robotic explorers. This is a critical resource, and the Moon might be just the place to help humanity as it pushes out to explore the rest of the Solar System.

But it might also be an illusion. We really won’t know until we look up close.

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/50-years-ago-lunar-landing-sites-selected
https://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/
https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/1336/what-thickness-depth-of-water-would-be-required-to-provide-radiation-shielding-i
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3480
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/lro-sheds-light-on-lunar-water-movement
https://www.nasa.gov/ames/LCROSS
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/inside-dark-polar-moon-craters-water-not-as-invincible-as-expected-scientists-argue
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/chang-e-landers-a-closer-look
https://www.isro.gov.in/gslv-mk-iii-m1-chandrayaan-2-mission/launch-kit-glance
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2017/1207-koreas-first-lunar-mission.html
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-12-new-lunar-science-technology-investigations
https://www.astrobotic.com/2019/7/1/astrobotic-awarded-5-6-million-nasa-contract-to-deliver-autonomous-moon-rover
http://www.planetary.org/explore/projects/planetvac/
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-07/uom-nsu071119.php
https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2019/07/Stories/NASA-picks-Nagihara-instrument-moon-landing

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Episode 540: Planetary Society Deploys LightSail 2’s Solar Sail. What Does The Future Hold For Solar Sails? Jul 26, 2019

Show notes

Where you can travel in space depends on how much propellant you’ve got on board your rocket and how efficiently you can use it. But there’s a source of free propellant right here in the Solar System - the Sun - which is streaming out photons in all directions. You just need to catch them.

And right now, the Planetary Society’s new LightSail 2 spacecraft is testing out just how well it’ll work.

Light Sail 2 Photos:
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-team-continues-tweaks-tests.html

Episode on Breakthrough Starshot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FWcEtXgK2g&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&index=146

Episode on Project Dragonfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=598UtgxFd1E&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&index=23

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-maximum-speed-a-chemical-rocket-can-achieve
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-has-launched.html
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-team-continues-tweaks-tests.html
https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/6.2014-4435
https://www.nasa.gov/content/nea-scout
https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2018/pdf/1406.pdf
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2017/20170925-solar-sail-dsg.html

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Episode 539: Q&A 92: Can We Accelerate At 1G Like In The Expanse? Featuring Sophia Gad-Nasr Jul 24, 2019

Show notes

In this week's QA, I tackle constant acceleration. Do we have anything that can accelerate at 1G for long periods of time? Why are there different sized stars? And do the heavier elements come from supernovae or colliding neutron stars?

Check out Sophia on Twitter at:
https://twitter.com/astropartigirl
https://astropartigirl.com/

Traveling for billions of light years in a human lifetime
https://youtu.be/4tjQ8o8j-O8

00:00 Continuous thrust at 1G?
02:25 How can bigger stars form?
03:56 Heavy elements from supernovae?
07:00 OWL versus E-ELT
09:34 Time dilation from living on Mars
12:55 Do Uranus' moons rotate around its equator?
14:38 Attach a telescope to ISS?
18:23 Terrified about the Sun
21:42 Do neutron stars turn into black holes
23:06 Why do astronomers call elements metal?
25:40 Can we find dark matter everywhere?

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/

Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 538: Searching For The Red Edge. How The Earth's Forests Are Telling The Aliens Where We Live Jul 23, 2019

Show notes

People are always worried that alien civilizations will detect the transmissions from our old radio shows and television broadcasts, and send in the invasion fleet. But the reality is that life itself has been broadcasting the existence of life on Earth for 500 million years.

Blame it on the plants.

In addition to filling the atmosphere with oxygen, plants give off a very specific wavelength visible in infrared radiation. It’s the kind of signal that other civilizations could search for as they’re scanning the galaxy.

It’s what we’ll be looking for too.

But don’t just blame the plants. Other forms of life have been giving off signals too, signals we can search for as we discover new exoplanets and wonder if they have life there.

Information on ESA's ARIEL mission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCTGIxmM-e4

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/365715a0.pdf
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/asteroid-bound-spacecraft-finds-signs-life-earth
https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1907/1907.05245.pdf
https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/07/exoplanet-evolution-astronomers-expand-cosmic-cheat-sheet
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~kchance/EPS238-2014/refdata/Seager-red-edge-2005.pdf
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1905/
https://arielmission.space/
https://www.astrobio.net/news-exclusive/earthshine/

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Episode 537: Catching The Next Interstellar Asteroid Or Comet. ESA's Comet Interceptor Mission Jul 23, 2019

Show notes

On October 19th, 2017 astronomers detected the first interstellar asteroid (or maybe comet) passing through the Solar System: Oumuamua. It had a brief encounter with the inner Solar System and then hurtled back out into interstellar space.

Once astronomers noticed it, they directed the world’s telescopes on the object, but it was too far away to reveal anything more than a faint dot.

Until now, we’ve only been able to study objects in our own Solar System. We have no idea what the rest of the Milky Way is like.

But we were too late to catch it, no spacecraft was ready to make a quick intercept.

Well, scientists aren’t going to make that mistake again. The European Space Agency announced their plans to build a comet interceptor. A spacecraft that will lurk out at the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point, waiting for a long-period comet or interstellar object to pounce on, and give us the first close up view ever.

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
http://www.cometinterceptor.space/
https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Giotto_overview
http://sci.esa.int/rosetta/2279-summary/
http://www.astro.uwo.ca/~wiegert/phd/Wiegert_phd.pdf
https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-the-sun-absolutely-destroy-the-fastest-comet-in-the-solar-system
http://sci.esa.int/cosmic-vision/61416-esa-s-new-mission-to-intercept-a-comet/
http://www.cometinterceptor.space/mission.html
http://www.cometinterceptor.space/uploads/1/2/3/7/123778284/comet_interceptor_executive_summary.pdf
https://i4is.org/what-we-do/technical/project-lyra/

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