Universe Today Podcast

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[Space Bites] NASA in Trouble // More Impossible Galaxies from JWST // Final Goodbye to Ingenuity Feb 10, 2024

Show notes

Big layoffs at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. Testing spacesuits for the Moon. Another flyby of Io. And our final look at Ingenuity.

🎙️ INTERVIEWS:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmnK1xmCRad_8bn0uOcmLiIE

👉 NASA Layoffs: https://youtu.be/yFuHdZNZ6-Y
👉 Io Exploration: https://youtu.be/3YpbDZQHkCk
👉 Measuring Space Distances: https://youtu.be/hmJOz9qCk0M

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/universetoday

📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00 Intro
00:12 NASA JPL Layoffs
https://www.universetoday.com/165651/nasas-jpl-lays-off-hundreds-of-workers/
01:25 Testing Artemis Spacesuits
- https://www.universetoday.com/165611/nasa-continues-testing-its-new-lunar-spacesuits/
03:38 JWST Did It Again
- https://www.universetoday.com/165572/the-jwst-discovers-a-galaxy-that-shouldnt-exist/
04:35 Berlin meteor found
- https://www.universetoday.com/165625/fragments-from-that-asteroid-that-exploded-above-berlin-have-been-recovered-and-theyre-really-special/
06:30 Vote results
07:09 Mass of the Milky Way
- https://www.universetoday.com/165598/astronomers-measure-the-mass-of-the-milky-way-by-calculating-how-hard-it-is-to-escape/
08:35 Dust Ruins Another Way to Measure Distances
- https://www.universetoday.com/165627/dust-ruins-another-way-of-measuring-distance-in-the-universe/
11:00 Interview streak!
12:27 Juno's Io Flyby
- https://www.universetoday.com/165585/nasas-juno-probe-makes-another-flyby-of-io/
13:51 Dreamchaser Test
- https://www.universetoday.com/165648/nasa-gives-dreamchaser-the-shakedown/
15:43 Final look at Ingenuity
- https://www.universetoday.com/165641/perseverance-gives-us-one-last-look-at-the-damaged-ingenuity-helicopter/
16:57 Meteorites

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/q0XKwvuK8pk

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[Interview] NASA JPL Layoffs. Artemis and Mars Sample Return in DANGER? Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

BREAKING NEWS. JPL is laying off about 530 people. Why did that happen and what it means for major NASA missions like Artemis and Mars Sample Return? Figuring it out with Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at The Planetary Society.

🎙️ Planetary Radio Podcast:
https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio/space-policy-edition

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/universetoday

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https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:10 JPL layoffs and NASA budget cuts
00:21:05 Effects on Artemis
00:36:50 Mars Sample Return in Danger
01:03:41 Planetary Society's plans

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/yFuHdZNZ6-Y

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[Interview] Deepest Ever Deep Field. Where Are The Limits of James Webb? Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

We all know the Hubble Deep Field as one of the most important astronomy images of all time. But when will we get a similar attempt from Webb? What will we be able to get from it and what are the limits of JWST? Finding out with Dr Viraj Pandya from NASA.

👉 Nobel Prize Winner Explains JWST vs The Crisis in Cosmology
https://youtu.be/hmJOz9qCk0M

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
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https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00 Intro
01:43 Galaxy classification
08:20 Hubble's observations and biases
19:53 Breadstick galaxies
31:07 Wen JWST Deep Field
43:58 What is the limit of Webb
52:03 Final thoughts

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/WdTkH1v2NqI

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[Q&A] Kuiper Belt Orbiter, Naming Planet 9, Most Perfect Spheres Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Could we detect life on Earth from Neptune's orbit? Is the Moon shrinking over time? Why don't we send an orbiter the the Kuiper belt? What should we call Planet 9 if we find it? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A show.

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
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📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00 Start
00:24 [Andoria] Could we detect Earth life from Neptune's orbit?
04:47 [Vulcan] Will we ever send an orbiter to the Kuiper belt?
07:57 [Risa] Is the Moon shrinking?
11:23 [Aeturen] Plans for the April eclipse?
13:25 [Vendikar] What happens when gravitational waves collide?
14:18 [Remus] Do photons experience time?
16:04 [Janus] What would be considered an unequivocal biosignature?
21:13 [Cait] What should we name Planet 9?
22:07 [Betazed] How soon can we recycle space junk?
25:04 [Cheleb] Did sci-fi become less compelling?
27:22 [Nimbus] How did Moon effect evolution on Earth?
30:28 [Belos] Are event horizons most perfect spheres in the Universe?
32:14 [Lyar] Is it possible to move from our current universe to the previous one?
35:36 [Zalcon] Why can't dark matter be objects?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/WZUhtAPPbg0

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⚖️ LICENSE
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[Interview] Why JWST Avoids Searching For Exomoons with Dr. David Kipping Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

If exoplanets exist, so should exomoons. However, to this day we still did not find any. Even more than that, there's a pretty big controversy regarding the potential discovery of exomoons. What's going on and what can we do about it? Finding the answers with Dr David Kipping.

👉 Dr David Kipping's channel https://www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsLab
👉 Previous interview with Dr Kipping https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx1276dpHe4

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
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📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:22 Catch-up after previous interview
00:02:25 Searching for exomoons
00:10:23 Counterarguments
00:15:34 Taking it to the next level
00:28:54 Alternative detection methods
00:37:27 Ideal time for observations
00:39:19 SETI and technosignatures
01:03:28 Science communication
01:28:23 Obsessions
01:37:17 Final thoughts and more interviews

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/umiMtQU3bMU

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
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[Interview] Venus Could Harbour Non-Water Based Life Feb 05, 2024

Show notes

Whenever we search for life, we're searching for 'life as we know it". But are there alternative options? Non-carbon based life? Or life that doesn't use water as a solvent? It turns out, things like that can be as close as on Venus. Figuring it out with Dr William Bains.

📜 Venus' Atmospheric Chemistry and Cloud Characteristics Are Compatible with Venusian Life
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371507931

More interviews:
👉 When Did Evolution Start on Earth
https://youtu.be/MeVvreDPI6c?si=8yfmEPE4ZNu2PGxK
👉 Finding Alien Life. A Step-By-Step Instruction
https://youtu.be/1KKOAaG1Kg8?si=DdlkXO0tSXe1wsxu
👉 How Did Early Earth Get The Ingredients for Life?
https://youtu.be/SkWNmkoCelY

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
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📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00 Intro
01:26 Life as we don't know it
03:27 Defining life
11:44 Evolution
14:02 The role of solvents
18:22 Other fluids
23:33 Venus
29:55 How to look for life on Venus
48:01 Obsessions
56:30 Final thoughts and more interviews

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/wK9LWHNHuF4

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 60,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
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⚖️ LICENSE
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[Interview] What a REAL City On Mars Will Look Like Feb 04, 2024

Show notes

Science fiction taught us that Mars cities are inevitable. That we will sooner or later have those cool looking glass domes with spaceports and stuff. But the world is a cruel place and reality is unforgivable. So, how will a realistic Mars habitat of the future will look like? Discussing it with Kelly and Zach Weinersmith.

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/universetoday

📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:10 Space sucks. The Reality of living in space
00:09:35 Why go to space
00:22:28 Minimum size of the population
00:30:30 Fascination with the apocalypse
00:33:51 Simulating Mars missions
00:38:12 Childbirth is space
00:40:24 Technological progress
00:44:32 Economical growth
01:01:38 Current obsessions
01:05:21 More thoughts and more interviews

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/OQ8sZtg-Kdc

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
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⚖️ LICENSE
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[Interview] How Nancy Grace Roman Will Help Understand Dark Matter Feb 03, 2024

Show notes

Understanding dark matter is one of the most interesting challenges in modern cosmology. Upcoming new telescopes, such as Nancy Grace Roman, can help us solve this mystery. How exactly will it happen? Finding out with Dr Christian Aganze from Stanford University.

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
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📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00 Intro
00:48 How Do We See Dark Matter
08:30 Shape of Milky Way's Dark Matter Halo
15:40 What NGR will change
22:01 Possible conclusions
29:16 Current obsessions
33:27 Final thoughts

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/wFguCzi8wLU

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
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[Space Bites] Giant Forest Telescope // GO for LISA // Thoughts on YouTube Retirement Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

SLIM woke up but briefly., Turning a forest into a giant particle detector. Another explanation for that hycean world. And some stunning new pictures from Webb.

🏅 Nobel Prize Winner Explains JWST VS Hubble Tension:
https://youtu.be/hmJOz9qCk0M

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/universetoday

📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club

00:00 Intro
00:13 SLIM woke up briefly
- https://www.universetoday.com/165552/japan-moon-lander-sleeps-after-sending-science-will-it-wake-up-again/
01:44 Turning a forest into a telescope
- http://arxiv.org/abs/2401.14454
04:43 Another explanation for the hycean world
- https://www.universetoday.com/165399/another-explanation-for-k2-18b-a-gas-rich-mini-neptune-with-no-habitable-surface/
07:24 Vera Rubin vs Space Junk
- https://www.universetoday.com/165511/space-junk-is-going-to-be-a-problem-for-vera-rubin/
09:56 Vote results
10:36 Spiral Galaxies by JWST
- https://www.universetoday.com/165474/feast-your-eyes-on-19-face-on-spiral-galaxies-seen-by-webb/
12:03 N79 by James Webb
- https://www.universetoday.com/165392/new-webb-image-of-a-massive-star-forming-complex/
13:02 Tsunami of interviews
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmnK1xmCRad_8bn0uOcmLiIE
13:44 Green Light for LISA
- https://www.universetoday.com/165483/the-space-based-gravitational-wave-observatory-lisa-gets-the-green-light/
15:39 Starlab to launch on Starship
16:57 Thoughts on YouTube Retirement

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/8ONk73fNMJE

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 60,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
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⚖️ LICENSE
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[Interview] An Exoplanet With A Comet-Like Giant Tail Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

Recently astronomers made an unexpected discovery. They found a planet called WASP-69b with a giant comet-like gas tail that was bigger than ever. What's causing such behaviour and what can we learn about hot Jupiters? Finding out with Dakota Tyler from the University of LA.

📜 WASP-69b's Escaping Envelope Is Confined to a Tail Extending at Least 7 Rp
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ad11d0

👉 Weekly Space Hangout playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSzmIOQZ9aanpwIW74qBHypy2n_BIe54_

🦄 Support us on Patreon:
https://patreon.com/universetoday

📚 Suggest books in the book club:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1198440-universe-today-book-club