Universe Today Podcast

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Episode 666: Two Confirmed Planets at Proxima Centauri. One in the Habitable Zone! Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, and still need to confirm thousands more. And over the coming decades, we’ll probably learn of millions of planets, orbiting stars we’ve never heard of.

That’s why it’s reassuring to know astronomers are learning a tremendous amount about the closest star system to our own, Proxima Centauri. In fact, we now know of two planets orbiting the red dwarf star, one of which is in the habitable zone.

Thumbnail credit: NASA/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/D. Aguilar

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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.universetoday.com/146262/powerful-telescope-confirms-theres-an-earth-sized-world-orbiting-proxima-centauri/
https://arxiv.org/abs/1609.03449
https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.12114v2
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/3/eaax7467
https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/20200602
https://www.universetoday.com/145697/astronomers-might-have-imaged-a-second-planet-around-nearby-proxima-centauri-and-it-might-have-a-huge-set-of-rings/
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2004.06685.pdf
https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2YkvWdUUNQ

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Episode 667: Open Space 84: Are Red Dwarf Planets Doomed? Should the Space Shuttle Have Been Built? And More Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Another week, another Open Space. In this week's questions show, I talk about planets orbiting red dwarf stars, if planets could steal moons from each other, and whether or not the space shuttle should have ever been built.

02:58 Is Proxima Centauri C a gas giant?
05:22 How doomed are red dwarf planets?
07:37 Could a planet steal a moon?
10:25 Should we sent asteroids back to Earth to mine them?
14:00 Do any sunlike stars have promising planets?
15:35 Why do meteors turn green?
17:51 Will Starlink communicate from Earth to Mars?
21:50 What if our supermassive black hole increased in mass?
23:35 Will spaceforce administer justice in space?
27:29 Will we discover life on Enceladus?
31:10 What is the limit of ion engines?
32:33 Have any lava tubes been explored?
34:05 How will we deal with astronaut mental health?
36:52 Would I want three telescopes at L3, L4, L5
39:10 How does the speed of gravity affect the movement of stars in the Milky Way?
40:15 Was the shuttle prematurely ended?
43:52 Is there competition for small rockets?
49:00 What if the Sun was different type of star?
51:28 Is space radiation underappreciated risk?
54:44 what are my expectations for James Webb?
55:38 What are the best ideas for cleaning space debris?
57:51 Will James Webb find biosignatures?
58:15 Does the Solar System line up with the Milky Way?

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 663: Interview with Fraser on the Interplanetary Podcast Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

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Episode 664: Open Space 82: What Will Happen in the Next 5 Decades? And More... Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

Another week, another Open Space. This week I answer questions about what we might see in the next 5 decades. When dark matter will get debunked, and who will carry the Mars torch after Elon Musk passes away.

03:35 What will happen in the next 5 decades?
07:09 Will dark matter be debunked?
10:50 Who will carry the Mars torch after Elon?
13:17 Do I have a PhD?
14:33 Could civilizations be hiding in the infrared?
19:07 What laws should be in place before a mission to Mars?
23:25 If you could name a space program?
24:28 Can light travel faster than light?
25:30 Why aren't we using gliders to access the ISS?
28:12 What if a white hole passed through the Solar System?
29:26 Where do Von Neumann probes get their raw materials?
30:30 Am I happy with the militarization of space?
33:21 Have I read the Bobiverse books?
33:37 What if the speed of light wasn't constant?
35:10 Is Planet X a myth?
37:41 How will James Webb view habitable exoplanets?
39:02 What is the most frustrating space myth?
41:30 Is there something beyond Neptune?
44:35 How do coronographs work?
47:28 Would incoming alien ships unite the Earth?
49:20 Could you fly through Jupiter?
51:48 Should we let aliens know we eat ham and pineapple pizza?
52:25 How can the core of Jupiter be hotter than the surface of the SuN?
53:18 What field does metallic hydrogen generate?
54:00 What sci-fi books would make good movies?
56:40 What's the most likely answer to the Fermi Paradox?
56:53 Is anything in space named after me?

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
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Weekly email newsletter:
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Astronomy Cast:
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 665: Open Space 83: Dr. Jamie Molaro on Asteroid Bennu and OSIRIS-REx Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

In this week's episode of Open Space, I talk with Dr. Jamie Molaro, a planetary scientist who helped discover that the surface of asteroid Bennu has rocks that crack because of the constant day/night cycle.

Learn more about her work:
https://twitter.com/spacejammie

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/

Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 662: How Do We Know Black Holes Exist? With Dr Paul Sutter Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

I’d say half the astronomy-related videos on YouTube are all about black holes. Clearly, they’re a fascinating topic, but they’re also a mystery. How do you observe something that can absorb all the radiation and matter falling onto them, and nothing can ever escape? How do we know they’re really there, and what are the best observations we can make?

Today I’m joined by Dr. Paul Sutter, a cosmologist, and astrophysicist to talk about how we know black holes are really there and not just a figment of an astrophysicist’s imagination?

Paul's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr7XOxxQyBHEwqkhoci7vw

Paul's new book:
http://www.pmsutter.com/book

Thumbnail credit: ESO

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
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Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 661: Q&A 121: What Stops the Space Station from Re-Entry? And More... Featuring Michael Rodruck Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I answer questions about how the International Space Station stays above the Earth's atmosphere, does dark matter need a better name? And how do astronomers know they're looking at exoplanets and not sunspots?

Michael Rodruck with Pennsylvania State University
https://sites.psu.edu/mrodruck/

00:18 How does the ISS stay up?
01:54 Does dark matter need a better name?
04:12 Could planets orbit something that isn't a star?
07:00 GOTO Telescopes
09:22 How do we know it's exoplanets and not sunspots?
11:55 Interstellar travel without wormholes?
14:23 Why make Mars habitable?
16:38 Have we mapped Venus?
18:23 What would it feel like to stand on a massive disk?
20:25 Can dark matter get concentrated into a black hole?
22:30 Are there even closer black holes?
24:21 How do we know how many stars in the Milky Way?

Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

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Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
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Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 660: Crew Dragon Reaches the Station. What it Took to Replace the Space Shuttle Jun 05, 2020

Show notes

On Sunday, May 31st, 2020, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley docked with the International Space Station. This was a tremendous accomplishment for SpaceX and NASA, giving the United States the capability of launching its own astronauts, and no longer relying on its Russian partners.

This was the 5th time that US astronauts went into orbit on a new kind of space vehicle, following in the footsteps of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the Space Shuttle.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

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Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/main.html
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/27/historic-launch-pad-39a/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/05/31/international-space-station-welcomes-first-spacex-crew-dragon-with-nasa-astronauts/
https://www.space.com/2811-nasa-places-500-million-bet-firms.html
https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/news/COTS_selection.html
https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/05/the-trampoline-is-working-spacex-returns-human-spaceflight-to-america/
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ccp-press-kit/dm1.html
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2019/12/
https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html
https://spaceadventures.com/space-adventures-announces-agreement-with-spacex-to-launch-private-citizens-on-the-crew-dragon-spacecraft/
https://www.universetoday.com/144791/nasa-is-going-to-add-a-commercial-module-to-the-space-station/
https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2020/04/06/boeing-to-fly-second-uncrewed-orbital-flight-test-for-nasa/

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Episode 659: Open Space 81: Will Space-Time Freeze in the Far Future? And More... Jun 03, 2020

Show notes

Another week, another Open Space. This week, I answered questions about whether space-time could freeze, are standard candles like Type 1a supernovae still useful? And is the Great Attractor just a black hole?

04:33 Could spacetime freeze?
06:48 Any plans for solar observing in the star parties?
07:26 Are standard candles still useful?
14:15 Predicting future locations of planets?
15:26 Is the great attractor a black hole?
19:02 Is there a speed limit for gravity assists?
20:04 Why are there so many red dwarfs?
22:02 Did the Big Bang happen in one place?
23:02 Map of the Solar System's magnetic fields?
23:45 Favorite space travel system?
24:15 Star party for Jupiter/Saturn conjunction?
25:15 Are there stars bigger than UY Scuti?
26:50 Can moons have moons?
28:47 Best Star Trek?
29:33 Does the Moon have Lagrange Points?
30:45 Will Virgo supercluster stay together?
32:11 Favorite artificial gravity?
33:00 Would aliens feel different gravity on Earth?
34:30 What else did Crew Dragon take to the station?
34:56 Are we in a new space race?
36:33 Could you use a Moon for artificial gravity?
37:29 Why does it have to be a space race?
40:25 What did I think of Space Force?
41:26 How would territory be allocated on the Moon?
43:50 Will Mars colonists live underground?
45:00 Is James Webb too big to fail?
47:09 What about NatGeo's Mars?
47:38 Canadian space projects?
50:08 Why no missions to Uranus and Neptune?
51:20 What is Blue Origin up to?
54:50 Isaac Arthur just got married!
56:37 Strange matter versus black holes?
57:00 Canada arms and Canada legs?

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
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Weekly email newsletter:
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Weekly Space Hangout:
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Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 658: Open Space 80: Will We Ever Get Close to the Speed of Light? And More... May 29, 2020

Show notes

In this week's live Open Space, people wanted to know if solar sails really work, will we ever get close to the speed of light, what's the best way to get out of Venus' gravity well, and more?

01:46 Do solar sails really work?
02:48 Will we ever get close to the speed of light?
06:22 Best way to get off Venus?
08:45 What about the standard candle?
11:45 Why is it so hard to get to Mercury?
14:15 Could FTL escape a black hole?
15:10 How did the astronauts deal with regolith?
18:12 Could there be liquid water on Mercury?
19:41 What's the best place on Earth to look through a telescope?
21:01 Does the regolith get into spacesuits?
22:20 Could an Alcubiere Drive get out of a black hole?
23:15 Do I ever use the telescope behind me?
24:08 Why is the speed of light so disproportionate to the size of the Universe?
26:07 Do I use the RASA?
27:03 How will I watch Crew Dragon?
28:00 Could we build a particle accelerator on the Moon?
30:16 What if another system collided with us?
32:32 Is it worth launching visible light telescopes?
34:22 Would I live in orbit for a month?
36:20 Should we colonize Mars?
39:50 Where will we find life in the Solar System?
41:00 Will bigger rockets make simpler big telescopes possible?
45:49 Why is Andromeda heading towards us?
46:19 Do I believe in alternate universes?
47:26 Any good ideas for space debris?
50:31 Could a black hole eat a supernova?
53:14 What space problem keeps me up at night?
56:19 Is the Planck scale the resolution of the Universe?

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/

Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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