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Universe Today Podcast

Fraser Cain
Universe Today Podcast
Latest episode

1604 episodes

  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Interview+] We All Love Space. Here's Why

    09/09/2026 | 55 mins.
    BONUS PART STARTS AT 33:01
    Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wk7ccTP9Aag
    🟣 Guest: Mat Kaplan https://www.planetary.org/planetary-radio
    Mat Kaplan is a huge inspiration for me. We talked about the Planetary Society, his career hosting The Planetary Radio, most exciting upcoming missions, destinations we should visit and much more.
    00:00 Intro

    01:31 Meet Mat Kaplan

    11:47 The Planetary Society

    22:03 Interesting mission ideas

    27:54 Which places should we explore

    33:01 Science communication

    48:03 Current obsessions

    52:38 Final thoughts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Q&A+] Will Roman Find Even More New Physics?

    08/09/2026 | 23 mins.
    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:31
    Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lG_soURwfxk
    Will new telescopes continue bringing up new discoveries? Why doesn't the CMB get blocked by galaxies? Where did the first stars form? And in Q&A+, the truth about Roman's mirror.
    00:00 Intro

    00:25 [@XxMyNameIsTAOxX] Will new telescopes bring new discoveries?

    07:18 [@Zeldaborg_Galactic_Defender] Why don't galaxies block the CMB?

    10:33 [@MistSoalar] Were first gen stars were born in opaque dust clouds behind CMB?

    16:31 [@MistSoalar] The truth behind Roman's mirror

    21:26 Final thoughts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [SpaceBites+] NASA's Roman Telescope Is In Space

    04/09/2026 | 23 mins.
    BONUS STORY STARTS AT 18:53
    Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube https://youtu.be/AvoSIyuVXWM
    Nancy Grace Roman has launched. Webb sees little red dots merging. Black holes make a mess when eating, there's a 10 sided feature at Saturn South Pole. And on Space Bites Plus, figuring out how a supermassive black hole got kicked out of its galaxy.
    Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
    00:00 Intro

    00:18 Nancy Grace Roman launched https://www.universetoday.com/articles/roman-rises-five-things-to-know-about-nasas-new-space-telescope

    05:28 Merging LRDs https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-find-little-red-dots-about-to-merge

    08:12 Mars’ Temperature Differences https://www.universetoday.com/articles/marss-interior-is-400c-hotter-under-southern-hemisphere

    10:35 Black Hole Burping https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-catch-black-hole-spewing-matter-after-feeding

    12:58 Saturn’s Decagon https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-tracks-new-decagon-encircling-saturns-south-pole/

    14:22 Vote results 14:55 Surprising Result in the Search for Dark Matter https://www.universetoday.com/articles/scientists-intrigued-by-a-surprising-result-in-the-search-for-dark-matter

    17:45 BepiColombo Arrives at Mercury https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/Latest_updates_BepiColombo_s_arrival_at_Mercury

    18:53 Bonus Story. Runaway SMBHs https://www.universetoday.com/articles/physicists-determine-cause-of-runaway-supermassive-black-hole

    21:28 Final thoughts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Q&A+] Are Meteorites A Big Problem for The Moon?

    03/09/2026 | 20 mins.
    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:06
    Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TvXlCBcnOgc
    How much stuff falls on the Moon every day? What if Von Neumann probes had AI? How did studying the Universe change my world views? And in Q&A+, should I grind my own telescope mirror?
    00:00 Intro

    00:23 [@BMichaelNeal] If Von Neumann probes had independent AI, would they be Von Neumann probes?

    04:24 [@christiandesalliers] The meteorite problem for a future moon base

    09:06 [@paigepotter4682] Has studying the universe changed any of my personal philosophies or values? How?

    14:06 [@sciencecompliance235] Do I have plans to grind my own telescope mirror?

    17:53 Final thoughts
  • Universe Today Podcast

    [Interview+] Did Ground-Based Astronomy Already Lose to Mega-Constellations?

    03/09/2026 | 52 mins.
    BONUS PART STARTS AT 24:48
    Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0RvsOFWZFtw
    There soon will be tens of thousands of satellites in orbit. Possibly, even millions. Does it mean that ground-based Astronomy is a lost cause? How can we make it work? Also, how is New Horizons doing?
    🟣 Guest: Dr. Alan Stern https://alanstern.space/
    New Horizons: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/
    LUCY: https://lucy.swri.edu/
    00:00 Intro

    00:57 How's New Horizons doing

    02:17 Next target

    08:43 More science for New Horizons

    11:07 Possible follow-up missions

    13:18 Funding issues

    19:05 New Horizons continues to do science

    23:48 LUCY mission

    30:00 Mega-constellations vs ground-based astronomy

    46:06 Current obsessions

    50:38 Final thoughts
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About Universe Today Podcast
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