Universe Today Podcast

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[Q&A] Starships on Mars, Molten Salt Moon Batteries, Observable Universe Aug 21, 2025

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Why do people believe Starships will go to Mars? Can we use molten salt batteries on the Moon? What's the difference between the Universe and the Observable Universe? And in Q&A+, what's the chance of hitting an stone during an interstellar voyage?

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00:00 Start
00:25 [Dean T] Why people believe that Starships will land on Mars?
05:01 [Michael Stanley] What is does "observable Universe" mean?
06:46 [Dixie Q] When will we be able to see into the Oort cloud?
07:39 [puffcrusader696] How big can a telescope mirror get?
09:31 [kLONDIKE69 NONE] Can we use molten salt batteries on the Moon?
10:12 [Andrea Lencione] Which classic scifi author was best at predicted the future?

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[Interview] Fighting Light Pollution from Satellites with Ultra Black Paint Aug 20, 2025

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Satellites are causing light pollution. Every year there a more of them. So, why don't they just paint them all vantablack, the ultra-black coating that doesn't reflect almost any light? Finding out in this interview.

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00:00 Intro
02:25 The problem of satellite pollution
08:35 Counter measures so far
11:36 Vantablack
24:15 Satellite project
33:42 Current obsessions
38:43 Final thoughts

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[Q&A] Living on Venus VS Mars, Biosphere 2 for Mars, Dangers of Space Junk Aug 19, 2025

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Is living in the clouds of Venus better than living in sub-surface habitats on Mars? Can we really lock ourselves from orbit with space junk? Should we build another version of Biosphere before going to Mars? And in Q&A+, is abiogenesis really unlikely?

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00:00 Start
00:29 [Mr Kyle] How do we distinguish the motions of galaxies and the expansion of the Universe?
02:14 [Melinda Green] Biosphere 2 before going to Mars?
03:38 [Adam Redwine] Are there any plans for Biosphere 3?
05:43 [A.SmollZz] Can we really trap ourselves on orbit because of space junk?
07:50 [Nick Stokes] What kind of space mission would I get on?
09:21 [name] Floating habitat on Venus VS sub-surface habitat on Mars
10:11 [Kyle] Hostile aliens
11:25 [Ken Sole] Rarest phenomena in our universe

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[Space Bites] JWST's Results from TRAPPIST-1d // Water from 3I/ATLAS // Biggest Black Hole Ever Found Aug 15, 2025

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Finally, Webb’s analysis of TRAPPIST-1d, new Hubble images comet 3I/ATLAS, the most massive black hole ever discovered, why Mars sand is so dangerous. And in Space Bites+, staring right down the jet of an actively feeding supermassive black hole.

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[Q&A] New Moons for Mars, Black Hole Jets, Best Case Scenario for Europa Clipper Aug 13, 2025

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What would happen if we moved a jovian moon to Mars? What are black holes spitting out as those jets? What's the best case scenario for Europa Clipper's search for life? And in Q&A+, how are we searching for Sun-like stars?

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00:00 Start
00:28 [Ademnon's Couch] What if we took one of Jupiter's moons to Mars?
03:28 [John Divita] How do gravitational slingshots work?
06:12 [Trevor] What is the best case scenario for Europa Clipper's search for life?
10:22 [Steve Babarik] What are black holes spitting out?
13:40 [Ahmad Canrang] What's the difference between a comet and a meteoroid?
15:21 [Santiago Kaderian] Does Canada use F or C?

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[Interview] The Infinity Galaxy: First Evidence of a Direct Collapse Supermassive Black Hole? Aug 13, 2025

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How did supermassive black holes get so big so early? There are two main models for that, and JWST just got a huge boost for the one that suggests they can form via a direct collapse of gas clouds. How did the researchers pull the first observations of a potential birth of a SMBH? Finding out in this interview.

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🟣 Guest: Dr. Pieter van Dokkum
https://physics.yale.edu/people/pieter-van-dokkum

📜 The JWST Might Have Found the First Direct-Collapse Black Hole
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-jwst-might-have-found-the-first-direct-collapse-black-hole

📜 The ∞ Galaxy: A Candidate Direct-collapse Supermassive Black Hole between Two Massive, Ringed Nuclei
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/addcfe

00:00 Intro
02:18 Supermassive black holes
11:57 The Discovery
21:38 Implications for cosmology
34:17 Current obsessions
42:35 Final thoughts

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[Q&A] Black Hole Size Limit, Economies of Scale for Space Missions, Favourite Galaxy Aug 12, 2025

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Is there an upper size limit for black holes? Why don't we build multiple identical missions to increase the chance of success? Is the Universe considered finite or infinite? And in Q&A+, is the Universe expanding or is everything else just shrinking?

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00:00 Start
00:28 [Ascendant Construct] Why don't we build multiple identical space missions at once?
01:36 [Lubo in China] My automated telescope
05:27 [Kasie Ream] Radiation in space
09:50 [Abdul Samad Kholia] Is space considered infinite?
11:56 [Brenda Kalt] Why changed our perspective on the Universe?
13:49 [Steven Lewis] How fast can a wired communication with the Moon be?
14:24 [Dark Jedi Order] My favourite galaxy
17:15 [paul wilson] How big can black holes get?

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[Space Bites] New Planet at Alpha Centauri // Webb Ultra Deep Field // Six Mars Helicopters Aug 08, 2025

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A Planet Found at Alpha Centauri. Webb Revisits the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. Little Red Dots don't break the laws of physics. In Space Bites Plus, showing that the Earth's magnetosphere was here for a long time.

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00:00 Intro
00:20 Planet at Alpha Centauri
02:58 Webb revisits Hubble's Ultra Deep Field
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/webb-revists-hubbles-classic-ultra-deep-field
04:23 NGC 6072 by JWST
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-traces-details-of-complex-planetary-nebula
05:45 Little red dots VS the Eddington limit
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/little-red-dots-eat-fast-but-not-faster-than-eddington
08:25 Solar array for Nancy Grace Roman Telescope
09:26 Vote results
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09:58 Six more helicopters for Mars
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/six-of-ingenuitys-successors-could-be-exploring-mars-in-4-years
11:36 Rogue planetary systems
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/rogue-planets-can-spawn-their-own-planetary-systems
13:02 Newsletter
14:10 Bonus story: early Earth magnetosphere
14:37 Huge Q&A

📺 VIDEO VERSION
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[Q&A] Aiming an Asteroid at The Moon, Mars Babies, Absolute Stillness Aug 07, 2025

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Could we aim asteroid YR4 at the Moon on purpose? What would happen to babies born and raised on Mars? Should we use water as an insulation layer for our spacecraft? And in Q&A+, could we mine an asteroid that's stuck in a Lagrange point?

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00:00 Start
00:28 [Goatlord] Could we direct an asteroid into the Moon to study the effects?
01:00 [MadmonkeyOz] Mars' ancient coast line
04:53 [Christian DesAlliers] Expanding advanced civilizations
07:52 [Web Fiji] Is there such thing as absolute stillness in the Universe
08:46 [TELE KOMIK] What will happen to babies born and raised on Mars?
10:52 [Len Kelter] Tackling the wait calculation
11:28 [Kasie Ream] Is it possible to do an X-Ray telescope?
12:06 [Jul Kar 'Cerum] Can we use water as an insulation layer for spacecraft?

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[Q&A] Escaping a Black Hole, Detecting an Warp Drive Ship, JWST True Orbit Aug 05, 2025

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If nothing escapes a black hole, how does gravity escape? Could we detect a faster-than-light spaceship cruising through the Solar System? What does JWST really orbit at L2? And in Q&A+, could the Universe have started as a black hole?

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00:00 Start
00:29 [Shahbaz Rezaei] If nothing can escape the black hole, how does gravity come out of it?
01:57 [fleshmagi] How long until we realistically start mining asteroids?
05:35 [nakedhand] What if the Sun collides with a black hole?
06:26 [Ashley O'Brien] Was there a time in the early universe where the conditions were like STP?
09:27 [kiwibacon99] Could we detect an FTL spacecraft passing through our solar system?
11:34 [Uğur E.] What does JWST orbit at L2?
12:29 [York] What do I think about the dark forest theory?

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