Universe Today Podcast

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[Space Bites] Planet 9 Updates // Vera Rubin Mirror // New SpaceX EVA Suit May 10, 2024

Show notes

SpaceX announces their new spacewalking suit, China is off to the Moon again, progress on Vera Rubin, and take a one-way trip into a black hole.

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00:00 Intro
00:12 SpaceX EVA suit
- https://polarisprogram.com/eva-suit-unveil/
02:15 New evidence for Planet 9
- https://www.universetoday.com/166889/new-evidence-for-our-solar-systems-ghost-planet-nine/
03:57 Vera Rubin's Mirror is done
- https://www.universetoday.com/166842/vera-rubins-primary-mirror-gets-its-first-reflective-coating/
05:35 China's Chang'e-6 Moon mission
- https://www.universetoday.com/166876/china-is-going-back-to-the-moon-again-with-change-6/
07:20 Vote results
08:13 NIAC phase 2
- https://www.universetoday.com/166883/nasa-takes-six-advanced-tech-concepts-to-phase-ii/
10:18 Dinkinesh's moonlet is young
- https://www.universetoday.com/166855/dinkineshs-moonlet-is-only-2-3-million-years-old/
11:31 Why white dwarf stars have so much metal
- https://jila.colorado.edu/news-events/articles/hungry-hungry-white-dwarfs-solving-puzzle-stellar-metal-pollution
12:56 Dive into a black hole
- https://www.universetoday.com/166903/fall-into-a-black-hole-with-this-new-nasa-simulation/
13:51 More space news
14:40 How science works

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[Interview] What Comes After ALMA? Next Gen AtLAST Observatory May 08, 2024

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How can we improve ALMA? What are the benefits of having a single big submillimeter telescope? What could we discover if the AtLAST telescope project goes through? Figuring out the answers with Dr Claudia Chicone.

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00:00 Intro
01:51 Submillimeter wavelength
06:42 ALMA
16:53 AtLAST telescope project
32:16 Submillimeter maps of the sky
36:30 What's next?
43:17 Final thoughts and more interveiws

📺 VIDEO VERSION
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[Q&A] Messaging The Aliens, Moving the Earth, Shapes of Coronagraphs May 07, 2024

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How can we let aliens know we're here? What does a lunar eclipse look like as seen from the Moon? Can we record a supernova in real time? Why aren't coronagraphs just circles? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A show.

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00:00 Start
00:37 [Andoria] Can we signal to aliens with green glass?
06:39 [Vulcan] Lunar eclipse seen from the Moon
11:24 [Risa] Can we record a supernova appearing in real-time?
16:05 [Aeturen] Why aren't coronagraphs just circles?
20:53 [Vendikar] How do astronomers determine distances to other galaxies?
25:02 [Remus] Who was my favourite interview?
28:01 [Janus] How do astronomers determine the age of stars?
31:11 [Cait] Can we move Earth by the time the Sun will die?
34:31 [Betazed] Why does the Moon look bigger and yellow sometimes?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
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[Interview] How Robots Will Help Humans Conquer The Moon May 05, 2024

Show notes

When humans will return to the Moon they will need a lot of assistance to set up a settlement and carry out all the missions. They will need a lot of robots to do that. How exactly will it pan out? Figuring out with Professor Yang Gao from King's College London.

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00:00 Intro
02:48 Future Moon equipment
13:57 Autonomous robots
23:46 Machine learning revolution
32:25 Self-replication
38:09 Current obsessions
46:13 Final thoughts and more interviews

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/j4K75MIlRz0

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[Space Bites] Big Space Debris Milestone // JWST Spies Exoplanet Weather // Immortal SLIM May 02, 2024

Show notes

Webb sees weather on an exoplanet, takes a new image of the horsehead nebula, and a satellite takes a close up image of a piece of space debris.

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00:00 Intro
00:17 Weather on an exoplanet
- https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-maps-weather-on-planet-280-light-years-away/
02:26 JWST in interferometry mode
- https://www.universetoday.com/166757/jwst-uses-interferometry-mode-to-reveal-two-protoplanets-around-a-young-star/
04:02 One step closer to space debris removal
- https://astroscale.com/astroscale-unveils-worlds-first-image-of-space-debris-captured-through-rendezvous-and-proximity-operations/
05:26 Hubble goes in and out of safe mode
- https://www.universetoday.com/166780/uh-oh-hubbles-having-gyro-problems-again/
07:03 Black holes can halt star formation in galaxies
- https://www.universetoday.com/166763/black-holes-can-halt-star-formation-in-massive-galaxies/
08:44 Vote results
09:29 SLIM just refuses to die
- https://www.universetoday.com/166765/japans-lunar-lander-survives-its-third-lunar-night/
10:32 Great images
- https://www.universetoday.com/166802/first-light-from-einstein-probe-a-supernova-remnant/
13:08 More space news
13:59 Hubble's gyros

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/BcHNl64vEN8

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[Interview] Is There Hope For TRAPPIST-1 Planets with James Webb? May 02, 2024

Show notes

What are the limits of James Webb when it's looking for Earth-like atmospheres? What can we possibly find out? Is there any hope for red dwarf stars and their planets to have a potential for habitability? Finding out the answers with Evelyn Macdonald.

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00:00 Intro
01:39 Current observations with Webb
06:14 What could we see in exoplanet atmospheres
12:08 What do planets actually look like
17:41 Future telescopes
19:50 Is there hope for red dwarf star planets?
24:55 Current obsessions
26:34 Final thoughts and more interviews

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/mtx72I1r3T4

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[Q&A] Effects of Planet Alignment, Protecting Antimatter Spaceships from Dust, JWST Deep Fields Apr 30, 2024

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How can we protect antimatter-powered rockets from space dust? Will curing cancer solve deep space travel? What happens when planets align? Does dark matter lose angular momentum? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A.

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00:00 Start
00:28 [Andoria] How can we protect antimatter-powered spaceships from space dust?
06:34 [Vulcan] What will happen if all planets aligned?
09:59 [Risa] Does dark matter lose angular momentum?
15:09 [Aeturen] Are there any advantages to non-Dobsonians for rookies?
21:03 [Vendikar] Why are JWST's deep field images not dramatically better than Hubble's?
23:52 [Remus] Will space still be dangerous when we cure cancer?
25:38 [Janus] How realistic is the concept of sophons from the Three Body Problem?
27:36 [Cait] Do gravity waves come in different flavours?
30:51 [Betazed] How big can a space telescope be if it's assembled in space?
34:36 [Cheleb] Could aliens have created black holes?
37:45 [Nimbus] What's the deal with Sedna?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/3P0H5AKuExw

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[Space Bites] Artemis III in Jeopardy // Giant Lava Lake on Io // Voyager-1 Fixed Apr 26, 2024

Show notes

Juno sees a lava lake on Io, Voyager 1 isn’t spouting nonsense any more, Titan Dragonfly gets the greenlight from NASA, and TESS finds its first rogue planet.

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00:00 Intro
00:14 Giant Lava Lake on Io
- https://www.universetoday.com/166716/juno-reveals-a-giant-lava-lake-on-io/
01:52 Voyager-1 restores communication
- https://www.universetoday.com/166733/nasa-restores-communications-with-voyager-1/
03:39 NASA Greenlights Titan Dragonfly
06:03 TESS finds its first rogue planet
- https://www.universetoday.com/166755/tess-finds-its-first-rogue-planet/
08:13 Vote results
08:57 Nancy Grace Roman gets reaction wheels
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Mgt2iwYgY&ab_channel=NASAGoddard
10:28 NASA's solar sail goes to space
- https://www.universetoday.com/166759/nasas-new-solar-sail-has-launched-and-deployed/
12:10 Two incredible timelapses from Chandra
13:16 Downscale for Artemis III?
- https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/04/nasa-may-alter-artemis-iii-to-have-starship-and-orion-dock-in-low-earth-orbit/
15:58 More space news
16:52 Capabilities driven exploration
- https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/nextstep-virtual-industry-forum_6nov2014_final.pdf

📺 VIDEO VERSION
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[Q&A] Bigger JWST for Starship, Day on A Gas Planet, Real Science Gatekeepers Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Why don't they just build a bigger version of James Webb for Starship? What's the pressure inside Europa's oceans? How can you measure a day on a planet without a surface? Answering all these questions and more in this week's question show.

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00:00 Start
00:26 [Andoria] What's the pressure in Europa's ocean?
04:45 [Vulcan] Should they build another JWST for the Starship?
09:53 [Risa] How long is a day on a gas planet?
13:45 [Aeturen] How does a total solar eclipse look like from the Moon?
16:17 [Vendikar] Suggestions for backyard telescope hobbyists
24:16 [Remus] Who are the real science gatekeepers?
28:05 [Janus] What would I do differently for the next eclipse?
30:55 [Cait] Phone apps with sky overlay
33:12 [Betazed] How will Japan's pressurised rover keep dust from the inside?
37:06 [Cheleb] What effects can a gamma ray burst have on Earth?

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

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[Space Bites] ISS Debris Hit Florida House // Crisis for Mars Sample Return // Closest Black Hole Apr 19, 2024

Show notes

A piece of the ISS smashed into a house in Florida. Evidence for the first stars in the Universe. NASA is having to rethink its Mars Sample Return mission.

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