Universe Today Podcast

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[Q&A] SMBH Images, Primordial Gravitational Waves, Terraforming Tidally-Locked Planets Jun 26, 2025

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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 working on space elevators? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.

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00:00 Start
00:31 [Poshact] What's the feasibility of terraforming a tidally-locked planet?
03:26 [Jay Drummond] Why it's okay for space companies to dump rockets into the ocean?
05:50 [Scott Smillie] Is the image of Sag A not real?
08:44 [Richard R] Do we expand the observable Universe if we launch a telescope 1 ly from Earth?
10:02 [michael blacktree] Can we observe gravitational waves before the CMB?
13:11 [Uğur E.] When do we start orbiting our SMBH after leaving the solar system?
15:06 [drZab] Should we be building a big spaceship in orbit?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/xXQs259LESw

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frasercain@gmail.com

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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[Q&A] JWST Image Artefacts, TRAPPIST-1 Planets from the Surface, Liquid Glass Space Telescopes Jun 24, 2025

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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 solar gravitational lens look like? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.

🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question. FREE:
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00:00 Start
00:29 [Highmars] How would the TRAPPIST-1 system’s planets look like if we were standing on one of the planets?
02:07 [Thomas O'Neill] Why doesn't NASA filter out the star artifacts from JWST photos?
04:07 [Finn Erikson] With the solar orbiter hitting a speed of +600.000 km/h, is a mission to the gravitanional lens from the Sun in sight?
06:03 [Ian Matthews] Can we view the unobservable universe by using a quadrupled gravitational lense?
07:47 [Coco] What will the Nancy Grace Roman telescope achieve?
11:01 [Blasty] Could we form lenses from liquid glass in space?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/-LF4Xf-TSsg

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[Interview] Improving Nuclear Power Generators for Future Space Missions Jun 23, 2025

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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 in this interview.

😍 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads.
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🟣 Guest: Tyler Bernstein
https://www.zenopower.com/

00:00 Intro
01:48 What is an RTG?
05:43 Different isotopes
19:25 Possible missions
28:07 Stirling engines
33:48 Current obsessions
43:02 Final thougths and more interviews

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/r2SxXkm2_fc

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[Space Bites] Artificial Solar Eclipses // Mother of All Meteor Storms // Vera Rubin's First Light Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

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.

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💥 NSF's video: https://youtu.be/71AwkBt3_ts?si=Yzn_NNyumC9VakFu
💥 Scott Manley's video: https://youtu.be/0C_L-qgHsE0?si=UzpyqdtjHJDw2s4N

👉 Vote for the best story here:
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00:00 Intro
00:25 Artificial solar eclipse with Proba-3
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/esas-new-mission-can-see-a-solar-eclipse-every-day
01:55 PUNCH sees a solar erruption
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-punch-mission-captured-images-of-a-huge-solar-eruption
03:08 Could stellar flybys change Earth's climate
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/have-stellar-flybys-altered-earths-climate-in-the-past
05:43 Supernovae changing Earth's climate
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/supernova-explosions-changed-earths-climate-and-shaped-humanitys-history
08:19 Mother of all meteor showers
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-potential-danger-to-satellites-due-to-ejecta-from-a-2032-lunar-impact-by-asteroid-2024-yr4
10:18 Vote results
10:57 China's Mengzhou abort test
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/china-tests-the-crew-escape-for-its-new-lunar-capsule
12:36 Honda tests a reusable rocket
https://global.honda/en/topics/2025/c_2025-06-17ceng.html
13:42 Starship explodes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71AwkBt3_ts&ab_channel=NASASpaceflight
15:46 Vera Rubin's first light
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-first-images-from-vera-rubin-are-about-to-drop
17:50 More space news
18:54 Bonus story
19:12 Vancouver island

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/wI_Hk36bx7Q

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[Q&A] Seeing the Oort Cloud, Rogue Planet Nearby, Knocking the Moon Away Jun 19, 2025

Show notes

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 :
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🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As
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00:00 Start
00:30 [angus campbell] Could a giant meteor knock the Moon out of orbit?
02:19 [Liam Dobbyn] Could dark matter be just failed stars with planets?
04:04 [Annie Alexander] How powerful would a telescope have to be to be able to see the Oort cloud?
05:17 [Clint Davis] Can we artificially rotate a tidally locked planet?
06:17 [your average terraria player] Why does breaking light speed cause paradoxes?
07:47 [Correctimus] How likely is it that a rogue planet is in the Oort cloud right now?
09:32 [Snelwegkoek] The coolest object I've seen in a telescope
12:37 [Sid Remey] How to through things down from the ISS?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/r8lcoL2Fy-I

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frasercain@gmail.com

⚖️ LICENSE
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[Bonus] No Aliens?! Space Journalist Fraser Cain on Astronomy, Space Discoveries, Sci-Fi Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

This is an interview with me for the Worldviews Podcast.

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/yj0Gi7d0zm4?si=NYLERm4yquBpkqbb

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
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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 the horizon
38:25 The name “Fraser”
39:15 Smartest people Fraser has interviewed
40:55 How impressive astronauts are
43:05 Purpose and meaning in the cosmos
44:35 Fine tuning of the Universe
46:55 Multiverse theory
48:45 Multiverse vs dimension
51:45 Mount Rushmore of Scifi tv shows
54:30 Sci-Fi books & Creativity
1:00:15 What’s next for Fraser
1:04:30 One question for God
1:06:16 Closing

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frasercain@gmail.com

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[Interview] Planning a Mission to Uranus Jun 16, 2025

Show notes

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.

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🟣 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
24:22 LUCY mission
29:38 OSIRIS-ReX
37:52 Current obsessions
40:47 Final thoughts

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/S-jz0o5H4Oo

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[Bonus] The Challenge/Promise of AI & Science Communication 🧠📢 Jun 15, 2025

Show notes

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?si=ICweyVo4TgkXdxAS

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frasercain@gmail.com

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[Space Bites] Sun’s Pole Revealed // Sun Shade vs Climate Change // Source of Cosmic Rays Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

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:
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🌌 Zone of Avoidance interview:
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00:00 Intro
00:23 Source of cosmic rays
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-cosmic-rays-astrophysicists-closer.html
03:25 First ever view of the Sun's pole
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-solar-orbiter-is-giving-us-a-decisive-look-at-the-suns-poles
05:10 Detailed view of the Sun
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-suns-identity-crisis-solved
06:30 New Glenn launch slips again
https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/06/second-new-glenn-launch-slips-toward-fall-as-program-leadership-departs/
08:12 Vote results
08:59 Rockets and the ozone layer
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-025-01098-6
11:10 Sunshade to combat climate change
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/would-a-planetary-sunshade-help-cool-the-planet-this-mission-could-find-out
13:01 Star formation in the center of the Milky Way
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-galactic-center-struggles-to-form-massive-stars
14:46 Colliding Galaxies
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/colliding-galaxies-tearing-at-each-other-with-gravity-and-radiation
15:45 A planet forming
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/youre-looking-at-a-newly-forming-planet
17:12 More space news
18:09 Bonus story
18:26 NASA's SMM

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/_8EZb6NOauo

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🎧 PODCASTS
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[Q&A] Giving Up on Dark Matter, Swarm of Cheap Probes VS Single Expensive One, Rotating Universe Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

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.

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🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As
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00:00 Start
00:30 [Tyler] Have we ever sent a swarm of really cheap probes instead of a single expensive one?
03:03 [Nithin Cleetus] If the Universe is rotating, around which axis does it do that?
04:31 [Trinidatt] What are the requrements to get a gravitational lens?
07:36 [estraume] Any updated on the idea of air-breathing ion engines?
09:10 [Andreas Lusti] How do I arrange my interviews?
12:39 [Frosty⛄️Winnipeg] When will I get an asteroid named after me?
15:05 [Maciej Jurkowski] How long will we be searching for dark matter before giving up?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/LrIYot5w5z8

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🎧 PODCASTS
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📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

⚖️ LICENSE
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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