Universe Today Podcast

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[Q&A+] Why Are There No Binary Planets? Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:22

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MhJFyC_vdtk

Why are there no binary planets? Should you buy into dark energy and dark matter? What apps are best for stargazing? And in Q&A+, why don't NASA just bring put wipers on Mars solar panels?

00:00 Intro
00:25 [@EdSceptic-y2e] Why are there no binary planets?
02:39 [@andrewczski1969] Do you buy into dark matter?
08:46 [@alcalbg] Does total dark energy increase as space expands?
10:11 [@Noonyuh] What are your favorite apps or sites for real-time maps of the sky?
15:22 [@andrewczski1969] just couldn't send along swiffers, huh?
20:00 Final thoughts

[Space Bites+] Turns Out, Hypernovae Might Not Exist At All Oct 17, 2026

Show notes

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 14:37

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qpthhx9svK8

Do hypernovae actually exist? The science is in from the Artemis 2 mission. A second generation planet found around a white dwarf. Starship 40 finally makes it home. And Space Bites Plus, a red dwarf feasting on a brown dwarf.

🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

00:00 Intro
00:17 Hypernovae May Be All Hype, No Nova https://www.universetoday.com/articles/hypernovae-may-be-all-hype-no-nova
02:19 Artemis 2 Lunar Science Report https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-preliminary-lunar-science-report-for-artemis-ii-is-out
04:00 Potential Second Generation Planet https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-detect-potential-second-generation-planet-around-dying-stellar-white-dwarf
06:45 Supernova Remnant https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-uncover-more-intriguing-detail-in-an-ancient-supernova-remnant
08:28 Vote results
08:53 Primordial Helium https://www.universetoday.com/articles/primordial-helium-further-confirms-our-understanding-of-the-big-bang
11:02 Ship 40 Made it Home
11:53 Jupiter from Juno https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-data-from-the-juno-spacecraft-reveals-that-jupiters-has-a-rippling-wavy-magnetodisk
12:54 Limb Darkening on Other Stars https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-observe-the-limb-darkening-effect-on-nearby-stars
14:37 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-red-dwarf-is-taking-its-time-eating-a-brown-dwarf
17:32 Final thoughts

[Q&A+] Should We Still Be Worried About The Apophis Asteroid? Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:25

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/99euKNYNKIE

Are interferometers the future of telescopes? Can we aim at stars by knowing only where they were billions of years ago? Is the Apophis asteroid still dangerous? And in Q&A+, can we just sent the SG-1 to it?

00:00 Intro
00:37 [@PerryM-vy4fe] Are Interferometers the future of space telescopes?
03:36 [@Frosty.Winnipeg] If we can see stars a billion light years away can we guesstimate where they are now?
05:29 [@PeterYannick] Where do we have to aim a laser if we want to sent a message to Alpha Centauri?
07:19 [@andrewczski1969] Apophis in 2029 can shut the WHOLE show down, no?
12:43 [@kairon156] Are there any plans on getting rock samples from Mar's moons?
14:25 [@Frosty.Winnipeg] Can’t we just send SG-1 to face Apophis?
18:20 Final thoughts

[Q&A+] Why Won't NASA Just Buy Falcon 9 from SpaceX? Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:14

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bmthiCOpbMQ

If SpaceX no longer want Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon, why won't NASA just buy them for themselves? What would a perfect space station look like? What is being done to improve the deep space network? And in Q&A+, finally, a Lagrange Point question.

00:00 Intro
00:27 [@kairon156] What would a perfect space station look like?
08:13 [@endigo2007] Can NASA buy the remaining Falcon 9's and operate them to send Dragon to ISS?
10:57 [@musicover5] Is there work being done to increase the bandwidth of the deep space network?
14:14 [@jamessobek196] Does the Moon jiggle L2 Lagrange points?
18:04 Final thoughts

[Space Bites+] Finally, A NASA Mission To Explore Lava Tubes Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 17:14

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/S7Vbh0p5Vfc

Team Human https://www.teamhuman.org/

A Moon lava tube mission. Remnants of the Moon’s magnetosphere. Where are the wondering supermassive black holes. And on Space Bites+, why Mars’ ice caps are mostly dust free.

00:00 Intro
00:14 Finally, A Moon Lava Tube Mission https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasa-selects-gimli-to-search-the-marius-lunar-pit-for-a-potential-lunar-base-site
03:06 Possible lunar dynamo https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-buried-volcano-on-the-moon-hints-at-an-ancient-lunar-dynamo
06:11 Pulsar Feeding from a Companion's Stellar "Wind" https://www.universetoday.com/articles/xrism-makes-first-ever-detection-of-a-pulsar-feeding-from-a-companions-stellar-wind
07:45 Origin of Mars and Earth https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-study-shows-that-earth-and-mars-had-different-origins
10:10 Vote results 10:36 Wandering Black Holes https://www.universetoday.com/articles/wandering-black-holes-may-hold-clues-to-the-evolution-of-the-universe
12:30 Searching for black holes https://www.universetoday.com/articles/thousands-of-black-holes-could-be-lurking-in-our-backyardand-you-can-help-find-them
14:57 Hubble's 200,000th orbit https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-hubble-marks-its-200000th-orbit-by-watching-lensed-supernova
16:09 Supernova near Sag A* https://www.universetoday.com/articles/chandra-x-ray-observatory-drops-new-view-of-our-galaxys-unruly-centre
17:14 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/mars-north-pole-ice-is-far-cleaner-than-expected
18:14 Final thoughts

[Q&A+] How Realistic Are Mars Colonizations Plans? Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 17:42

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/B_h8kKdiHe8

Why do star shades look like flowers? Is Mars colonization just a Ponzi Scheme? Why would it be worth doing? And on Q&A+, should you scream into the void?

00:00 Intro
00:23 [@silasmiller4417] Why are renders of orbital star shades shaped like flower pedals?
05:37 [@illyakuryakin5024] Anyone notice no one is talking about the Ponzi scheme called "Mars Colonization" anymore?
12:13 [@illyakuryakin5024] why would it be so "amazing"?
17:42 [@Alienalloy] If I scream in the vacuum of space have I gone beyond compony health and safety procedures so already a lost cause?
20:20 Final thoughts

[Interview+] Two Football Fields of Solar Sail in One Rocket | NIAC 2026 Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

BONUS PART STARTS AT 25:44

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube https://youtu.be/B8xbSUstIhA

🟣 Guest: Dr. Artur Davoyan https://samueli.ucla.edu/people/artur-davoyan/

Solar sails are great. It's a propulsion method that doesn't require carrying fuel. But the need to be really big to be efficient. How do you fold them on Earth and unfold in space? What's a reliable way to do that? NASA recently awarded a NIAC grant specifically for that.

📜 Coilable Stacked Solar Sails for Very High delta-V Missions https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/coilable-stacked-solar-sails-for-very-high-delta-v-missions/

👉 All 2026 NIAC Selections https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/

00:00 Intro
01:31 Solar sail as a propulsion method
25:44 Alternative propulsion methods
38:38 Current obsessions
44:54 Final thoughts

[Q&A+] What’s The Best Way To Go Under The Ice of Europa? Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:37

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eLHeqk2Yh1Q

How bright is space? What's the best way to go under the ice on Europa? Are there new gravitational wave detectors in the works? And on Q&A+, have we actually seen black holes grow?

00:00 Intro
00:23 [@Noxelius] What's the best way to get under the ice of Europe or Enceladus?
01:46 [@jvan120] how bright is it in space?
05:16 [@luiscarneiro4123] How can we make governments invest more money in space?
09:11 [@rJaune] Are there any plans to make new Gravitational Wave detectors?
12:27 [@AproposOfWetSnow] What if Pluto got into Mercury's orbit?
14:37 [@GeraldBlakefield] Have we actually seen black holes grow?
17:39 Final thoughts

[Space Bites+] This Telescope Will Do What JWST and Roman Can't Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 15:56

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y9Iknlzbn5s

NASA is working on a new far-infrared space telescope, Starship finally makes it to orbit, a nuclear reactor for the Moon, and an exoplanet orbiting backwards. On Space Bites plus, a galaxy with a disconnected center.

00:00 Intro
00:18 New far-infrared NASA telescope coming https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-first-selection-for-a-new-class-of-mission-the-prima-far-infrared-telescope
02:11 Starship goes orbital https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spacexs-starship-rocket-does-its-job-during-first-orbital-flight
04:09 Power for the Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-1000c-lunar-microreactor-could-power-the-next-era-of-moon-bases
07:28 Sub-Neptune orbiting the wrong way https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-find-a-sub-neptune-orbiting-completely-backward-around-a-red-dwarf
09:37 Vote results
10:03 Dynamic structural evolution in Chariklo’s rings https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-finds-dynamic-structural-evolution-in-chariklos-rings
11:14 Finding life on Enceladus could be easier than we thought https://www.universetoday.com/articles/finding-life-on-enceladus-could-be-easier-than-we-thought-says-new-research
13:08 Getting even more from the CMB https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-new-test-looks-for-a-subtle-twist-in-ancient-light
15:56 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/diving-into-an-out-of-sync-galaxy
16:46 Final thoughts

[Q&A+] What Does The Milky Way Orbit? Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:23

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BWKrIT28Uk0

We orbit the Sun, Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way, but what does the Milky Way orbit? Can we still catch up with Oumuamua? Is the Big Crunch a ruled-out theory? And in Q&A+, have we seen a phenomenon we can't yet explain?

00:00 Intro
00:26 [@jonathanchamberlain6260] What does the Milky Way orbit?
04:21 [@paulwilson1529] Could we still catch up with Oumuamua?
08:28 [@bakkos_bakkos] Is The Big Crunch a ruled out theory?
13:35 [@kamleshpatel6817] Why can't gravitational waves travel faster than light?
15:23 [@paigepotter4682] Is there an astronomical phenomenon where you think we’ve probably seen the evidence already, but haven’t realized what we’re looking at yet?
18:51 Final thoughts

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