Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries

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Space Nuts: The M87 Black Hole, a Vanishing Exoplanet and Dragonfly’s Journey to Titan
In this episode of Space Nuts, Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson revisit the Event Horizon Telescope’s landmark image of the black hole in galaxy M87 — and explain how a CSIRO team has now independently confirmed it using artificial intelligence. They then investigate an exoplanet that stopped transiting its star, apparently because the gravity of another planet has tilted its orbit out of view. Finally, Andrew and Fred Watson look ahead to NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Titan, where a flying rotorcraft will explore a moon with methane and ethane lakes. You can even send your name along for the ride. Join Andrew and Fred Watson for black holes, shifting planetary orbits and an extraordinary mission to Saturn’s largest moon.
Key topics
- How a CSIRO team used AI to independently validate the M87 black hole image.
- Why independent confirmation is an essential part of the scientific process.
- How gravitational interactions may have tilted exoplanet TOI 2535b’s orbit, making its transits disappear.
- Whether the planet may return to view, and if its unseen neighbour could transit its star.
- NASA’s Dragonfly mission, its planned exploration of Titan and how to send your name.
- Titan’s thick atmosphere, icy surface and lakes of liquid methane and ethane.
- How AI is helping scientists make new discoveries.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction and the episode’s cosmic stories
01:30 - The 2028 total solar eclipse across Australia
04:30 - CSIRO independently confirms the M87 black hole image
10:00 - Why independent validation matters in science
13:30 - An exoplanet’s transits disappear from view
17:00 - How another planet’s gravity may be tilting its orbit
20:00 - Could the planet return, or might its neighbour become visible?
23:00 - Send your name to Titan aboard NASA’s Dragonfly mission
26:00 - Titan’s methane lakes and the search for unusual forms of life
29:00 - Can AI accelerate the pace of scientific discovery?
33:00 - Closing conversation and Space Nuts details

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Sponsor Link:
This episode of Space Nuts is brought to you with the help and support of NordVPN....the first name you should think of for your online security. To check out special Space Nuts listener deal and save big, visit this URL: www.nordvpn.com.spacenuts

Space Nuts: Vanishing Stars, White Holes, Earth’s Mass and Neutrinos
In this listener Q&A episode of Space Nuts, Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson tackle four cosmic questions that stretch from distant stars to the nature of space-time. They explain why a star billions of light-years away would still appear in our sky long after it had gone out, and why looking across the universe means looking back through time. Next, they consider whether white holes are the opposite of black holes, then investigate whether dark matter could affect our measurements of Earth’s mass and gravity. Finally, they explore how neutrinos interact with gravity, whether black holes can capture them, and why space-time itself is not something a black hole can consume. Join Andrew and Fred Watson Watson for big ideas, listener curiosity and the occasional detour into the value of the Earth in dollars.
Key topics
- How light-travel time means we see distant stars as they were in the past.
- White holes as theoretical solutions to relativity, and how they differ from black holes.
- Whether dark matter contributes to Earth’s measured gravity and mass.
- The mass of the Earth and how astronomers determine it.
- Neutrinos, gravity, black holes and whether space-time can be consumed.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction and listener questions
01:30 - If a distant star goes out, when would we see it happen?
06:30 - Looking back in time across the observable universe
10:00 - What are white holes, and are they the opposite of black holes?
15:30 - Could dark matter affect measurements of Earth’s gravity?
20:30 - How the mass of Earth is determined
23:30 - Do neutrinos interact with gravity, and can black holes capture them?
27:00 - Could a black hole feed on space-time itself?
30:00 - How to send questions to Space Nuts and closing remarks

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Space Nuts: A New Dwarf Planet, 3I/ATLAS, and Neptune’s Hidden Trojans
In this episode of Space Nuts, Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson explore three discoveries from across the Solar System and beyond. They begin with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s discovery of a distant, potentially large dwarf planet, and discuss what its unusual orbit could tell us about the hunt for the elusive Planet Nine. Next, they examine new James Webb Space Telescope observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, whose unusual chemistry may preserve clues to its origins in a very cold environment billions of years ago. Finally, the hosts turn to Neptune’s long-sought Trojan asteroids, discovered in data from the Rubin Observatory by a team in Belfast. Join Andrew and Fred Watson for distant worlds, ancient cosmic ice and asteroids hiding in the dark.
Key topics
- The Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s discovery of dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138.
- What makes an object a dwarf planet, and how its orbit could inform the Planet Nine debate.
- 3I/ATLAS’s unusual isotope ratios, methane and possible origins in an ancient, cold environment.
- The discovery of Neptune’s Trojan asteroids and why they have been so difficult to observe.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction and episode overview
01:20 - The Vera C. Rubin Observatory discovers a new distant dwarf planet
05:30 - What defines a dwarf planet and how it may eventually be named
09:00 - The object’s size, unusual orbit and possible relevance to Planet Nine
12:00 - 3I/ATLAS and its unusual chemistry revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope
16:00 - Isotope ratios, methane and clues to the comet’s age and origins
20:00 - Neptune’s Trojan asteroids are finally discovered
24:00 - How Trojan asteroids share a planet’s orbit and why Neptune’s were hard to find
27:00 - Closing remarks and where to follow Space Nuts

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Space Nuts: The Great Attractor, What Makes a Moon, and Life Beneath the Rings
In this listener Q&A episode of Space Nuts, Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson tackle a curious collection of cosmic questions. They explain why a crescent Moon can appear alongside the Sun in the morning sky, then explore the Great Attractor: the enormous concentration of galaxy clusters influencing the motion of our Local Group. The conversation turns to a lingering classification puzzle — what exactly makes a moon a moon, and should it have to clear its orbit? Finally, they imagine the view from a rocky world with rings, considering how the rings might look through the seasons, how sunlight would filter through them and what spectacular shadows or eclipses might occur. Join Andrew and Fred Watson for astronomy, imagination and the occasional tractor joke.
Key topics
- Why the Sun and a crescent Moon can be visible together in the morning sky.
- The Great Attractor, the Zone of Avoidance and the Laniakea Supercluster.
- Whether moons need to be spherical or clear their orbits, and the case of Pluto and Charon.
- What a ringed planet might look like from its surface, including seasonal changes, shadows and eclipses.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction and overview of listener questions
01:20 - Why the Sun and crescent Moon can appear together in the morning
06:00 - Moon phases and how sunlight illuminates the Moon
09:30 - Paul’s question about the Great Attractor
11:00 - The Zone of Avoidance and the Laniakea Supercluster
16:00 - What defines a moon, and should it clear its orbit?
20:00 - Binary planets, Pluto and Charon
23:00 - What it might look like to stand beneath a planet’s rings
26:00 - Seasonal ring illumination, shadows and possible eclipses
30:00 - Listener feedback, updates and closing remarks

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Space Nuts: Mars’ Moons, Martian Quakes, and the Search for ET
In this engaging episode of Space Nuts, Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson explore two mysteries from Mars, along with a new effort to listen for signs of life beyond Earth. First, they unpack Japan’s Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, which will study Phobos and Deimos, attempt a landing on Phobos and bring samples back to Earth. The discussion turns to a Marsquake traced to the immense Valles Marineris canyon, offering fresh clues that the Red Planet may still be geologically active. Finally, Andrew and Fred Watson examine Saudi Arabia’s plans for a major astronomical observatory, including a site for Laser SETI detectors searching for brief flashes of possible extraterrestrial communication. Join them for a cosmic tour filled with planetary puzzles, ambitious missions and a little speculation about how aliens might get in touch.
Key topics
- Japan’s MMX mission to investigate Mars’ moons and return samples from Phobos.
- The possible origins of Phobos and Deimos, and the challenges of landing on a world with almost no gravity.
- A Marsquake linked to Valles Marineris and what it suggests about the planet’s geological activity.
- Saudi Arabia’s planned observatory and the use of optical Laser SETI detectors in the search for extraterrestrial signals.
Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction and episode overview
01:20 - Japan’s MMX mission and the mysteries of Phobos and Deimos
06:00 - How the mission will study Phobos and attempt to collect samples
12:00 - The challenges of landing on Phobos and the planned sample return to Earth
15:45 - A Marsquake traced to Valles Marineris
19:30 - What the quake reveals about Mars’ geological activity
22:00 - Saudi Arabia’s new observatory and the Laser SETI search
26:00 - How optical detectors could look for signals from extraterrestrial intelligence
29:00 - Closing thoughts and listener engagement

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