Universe Today Podcast

Latest Episodes:

[Interview] A Realistic Way to Intercept An Interstellar Visitor Mar 07, 2023

Show notes

How do you plan a trip through the Solar System? What are the orbital mechanics tools that can be used for that? How can all that be used to intercept an interstellar visitor like Oumuamua?

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

00:00:00 Intro
00:01:15 Orbital mechanics
00:08:50 Planning missions to outer planets
00:11:15 Special orbits
00:14:40 Gravitational assists
00:20:45 Going to the Sun
00:24:40 Lowest energy highways
00:27:44 Going to asteroids
00:34:10 Intercepting interstellar objects
00:41:07 Propulsion systems
00:52:40 What would a realistic mission look like
01:00:30 Interstellar sample return
01:03:14 Galactic orbits
01:07:37 Outro

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/PxYecl2QvT0

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Space Bites] Moon's Dirty Problem, JWST's Gravitational Lens, Starlink V2 Mini Mar 03, 2023

Show notes

Hubble shows us exactly what happened after DART’s impact, a new way to clean off lunar regolith, seeing the same supernova at three different times in a gravitational lens, and a new version of Starlink launches.

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

00:00 Intro
00:15 Hubble's View of DART
- https://www.universetoday.com/160346/remember-the-dart-impact-hubble-made-a-movie-of-the-debris/
01:54 Fixing Moon's Dust Problem
- https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2023/02/28/liquid-nitrogen-spray-could-clean-up-stubborn-moon-dust/
04:39 Astronomers Saw an Exoplanet Exactly Where Expected
- https://www.universetoday.com/160247/astronomers-suspected-there-should-be-a-planet-here-and-then-they-took-a-picture-of-it/
06:23 JWST and the Epoch of Reionization
- https://www.universetoday.com/160288/the-james-webb-is-getting-closer-to-finding-what-ionized-the-universe/
08:34 Webb's Triple Gravitational Lens
- https://www.universetoday.com/160353/jwst-sees-the-same-supernova-three-times-in-an-epic-gravitational-lens/
09:58 The Planet That Shouldn’t Exist
- https://www.universetoday.com/160278/the-planet-that-shouldnt-exist/
11:44 NIAC Month on the Channel
12:44 Starlink V2 Mini
13:55 Crew-6 Launch
14:55 Replacement Soyuz Reaches ISS
- https://www.universetoday.com/160292/a-replacement-soyuz-arrives-safely-at-the-international-space-station/
16:23 Outro

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/mRs7Xh1mDqU

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Interview] How Inflatable Space Habitats Will Change Space Exploration Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

In this interview, I'm talking with Shawn Buckley who is the Senior Director of Engineering at Sierra Space. We talk about the development of their LIFE module, discuss how inflatable habitats can change space exploration and what part they play in humanity's space future.

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

00:00 Intro
01:32 Burst tests
02:50 What is the LIFE Module
08:00 Working with NASA
09:11 Risks of inflatable habitats
15:33 Inside the module
18:39 Deployment in space
25:14 Project timeframe
27:20 Future applications
39:29 Humanity in space
41:06 Outro

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/C3bd4fdY3DY

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Q&A] Starship Price Revolution, Space VS Mass Media, Galaxy Collisions Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

Could black holes collapse directly in the early Universe? How do two galaxies become one after they collide? How would you communicate time units to aliens? How much will Starship change the prices of space launches? All this and more in this week's Q&A!

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

00:00 Start
00:50 [Tatooine] How do direct collapse black holes work?
06:20 [Coruscant] How can two galaxies form one?
08:34 [Hoth] How to communicate time units to aliens?
11:07 [Naboo] What Astronomy research areas don't get to the news?
16:15 [Kamino] How do I come up with questions for interviews?
21:42 [Bespin] How can we claim exoplanets non-habitable?
25:19 [Mustafar] Does humanity have a chance at all?
27:56 [Alderaan] How much cheaper will space travel be after Starship?
31:35 [Dagobah] Why do science communicators not emphasize the impossibility of faster-than-light travel?
35:34 [Yavin] Best places for stargazing?
37:32 [Mandalore] How do we know black holes are spinning?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
#TODO_LINK

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Interview] The Future of Venus Exploration Feb 27, 2023

Show notes

Dr Michael Way explains how we can explore Venus, study its atmosphere and understand what hides underneath. It's also a crucial part of astrobiology and studying exoplanets.

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

👉 Dr Michael Way on Google Scholar:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Hag4ZAIAAAAJ

00:00 Intro
01:32 Venus. Earth gone wrong
04:20 Exploring Venus with future missions
23:23 Surviving on Venus for longer
28:22 Pushing the limits with Venus
34:20 Venus as an exoplanet
37:25 Outro

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/ZBaWdbIE5UU

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Space Bites] Universe-Breaking Galaxies, Source of Dark Energy, Mars Anniversary Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Perseverance has been on Mars for two years, are black holes the source of dark energy?, Universe-breaking galaxies found, and an early warning system for asteroids.

⚫ Breakthrough In Dark Energy? Here's What The Researchers Have To Say:
https://youtu.be/-8CIUzPkigQ

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

00:00 Intro
00:15 Mars Anniversary
- https://www.universetoday.com/160201/follow-perseverance-on-its-mars-journey-with-this-two-year-timelapse/
03:42 Too Big Too Early
- https://www.universetoday.com/160243/six-galaxies-that-are-too-big-too-early/
05:51Source of Dark Energy
- https://www.universetoday.com/160139/are-black-holes-the-source-of-dark-energy/
08:20 Moon’s permanently shadowed craters
- https://www.universetoday.com/160038/new-spacecraft-can-see-into-the-permanently-shadowed-craters-on-the-moon/
09:50 Lunar Flashlight problems
10:40 Support Us on Patreon
11:34 Europe’s Early Warning System for Asteroids
- https://www.universetoday.com/160181/esa-is-building-an-early-warning-system-for-dangerous-asteroids/
13:20 500-meter long asteroid
- https://www.universetoday.com/160212/a-500-meter-long-asteroid-flew-past-earth-and-astronomers-were-watching/
15:08 Mercury Transit from Solar Orbiter
- https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter/Mercury_s_black_disc_helps_sharpen_Solar_Orbiter_s_view
15:56 Outro

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/3Ll5WGrY-uU

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Q&A] Rogue Gas Giant, Fish In Space, Detecting Primordial Black Holes Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

What effect would a rogue gas giant have if it flew through the Solar System? Can fish survive in microgravity and go to space? Do hypervelocity stars leave a wake we could detect? How much do we actually know about Proxima Centauri? All this and more in the week's Q&A!

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

00:00 Start
01:08 [Tatooine] Can life exist on an Earth-sized moon of a gas giant?
06:42 [Coruscant] Do hypervelocity stars leave a wake we could detect?
10:50 [Hoth] What's the thickness of the event horizon of a black hole?
13:16 [Naboo] What is the speed of gravity?
18:34 [Kamino] What would be the consequences of a rouge Jupiter?
21:44 [Bespin] Can fish go to space?
23:34 [Mustafar] What are the temperatures of black holes?
25:53 [Alderaan] How much do we actually know about Proxima Centauri?
27:29 [Dagobah] Can rogue planets have an atmosphere?
31:44 [Yavin] How to track possible primordial black holes?
35:44 [Mandalore] Does red/blue shift include all frequencies?

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/gLGx7l_Q4yk

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Interview] Breakthrough In Dark Energy? Here's What The Researchers Have To Say Feb 21, 2023

Show notes

A recent research paper suggests that supermassive black holes can be the source of dark energy. It's a big potential breakthrough in Astronomy. So, here's what the co-author of the study, Dr Chris Pearson from STFC RAL Space, has to say about it.

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

👉 More about the research:
https://www.universetoday.com/160139/are-black-holes-the-source-of-dark-energy/

00:00 Intro
01:36 How did the paper come together
03:36 Connection between Dark Energy and Black Holes
06:48 Observations behind the research
14:37 Causation or just correlation?
21:20 Redefining what black holes are
25:27 Dark Energy core of a black hole
27:53 Nature of dark energy
35:35 Will Dark Energy tear the Universe apart?
38:30 What's next
40:11 Outro

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/-8CIUzPkigQ

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Space Bites] Asteroid Explodes Over English Channel, Moon Breakthrough, Dark Matter Galaxy Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Blue Origin wants to build solar panels on the Moon, out of the Moon, SpaceX sold its floating landing pads, and another asteroid hits Earth exactly where and when astronomers predicted.

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

🔴 Mars Mission Interview with Rick Davis: https://youtu.be/tujL0xrQ2Os

🟡 JWST Interview with Lee Feinberg: https://youtu.be/eXchT7mtEao

🔵 Interstellar Travel Interview with Andrew Higgins: https://youtu.be/SkGRVvA23qI

🟣 Interview Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmnK1xmCRad_8bn0uOcmLiIE

00:00 Intro
00:15 Blue Origin's Blue Alchemist
- https://www.blueorigin.com/news/blue-alchemist-powers-our-lunar-future/
02:01 SpaceX Sold Phobos and Deimos
03:36 Asteroid Hits Over English Channel
- https://www.universetoday.com/160098/another-meteoroid-discovered-right-before-it-hits-the-atmosphere/
05:58 A Galaxy Almost Entirely Made Of Dark Matter
- https://www.universetoday.com/160105/a-galaxy-has-been-found-thats-almost-entirely-dark-matter/
08:28 Russia Causes Yet Another Problem in Orbit
- https://www.universetoday.com/160126/another-russian-spacecraft-is-leaking-coolant/
10:12 Interviews
12:26 Rogue Supermassive Black Hole
- https://www.universetoday.com/160072/astronomers-spot-a-rogue-supermassive-black-hole-hurtling-through-space-leaving-star-formation-in-its-wake/
14:27 Mass Migration of Stars in Andromeda
- https://www.universetoday.com/159995/astronomers-uncover-mass-migration-of-stars-into-andromeda/
15:58 Outro

📺 VIDEO VERSION
https://youtu.be/co4ylLWvVtQ

📰 EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Read by 55,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads.
Subscribe. It's FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter

🎧 PODCASTS
Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/
Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/

🤳 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram: https://instagram.com/universetoday

📩 CONTACT FRASER
frasercain@gmail.com

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

Support Universe Today Podcast

[Q&A] Combining All Telescopes On Earth, Cooling Down Venus, Replacing ISS Modules Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

Why don't we just combine all telescopes into a single one that will have a crazy resolution? Can we simply replace old ISS modules with new ones? How long will it take to cool down Venus? How much mass can the Earth afford to lose? Why blue shift exists if the Universe is expanding? All this and more in this week's Q&A

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