Skip to content
PodcastsAstronomyUniverse Today Podcast

Universe Today Podcast

Fraser Cain
Universe Today Podcast
Latest episode

1624 episodes

  • Universe Today Podcast

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

    15/10/2026 | 21 mins.
    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
  • Universe Today Podcast

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

    14/10/2026 | 19 mins.
    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
  • Universe Today Podcast

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

    09/10/2026 | 23 mins.
    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
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Q&A+] How Realistic Are Mars Colonizations Plans?

    09/10/2026 | 21 mins.
    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
  • Universe Today Podcast

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

    07/10/2026 | 46 mins.
    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
More Astronomy podcasts
About Universe Today Podcast
Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.
Podcast website

Listen to Universe Today Podcast, Podcast UFO and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
Universe Today Podcast: Podcasts in Family