Yesterday · 21 min
UT
Science
Universe Today Podcast
Fraser Cain
Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.
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Episodes1582
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Thursday · 24 min[Space Bites+] Starship Returns // More Evidence for Betelbuddy // Results from Chang’e-6 Moon Rocks
Patrons, send in your questions: patreon.com/posts/164654175 BONUS PART STARTS AT: 19:02 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3DKTwnz0oAs Starship 13 flies and lands softly in the ocean. Astronomers see the companion star for Betelgeuse. A comet spun down, reversed direction and might tear itself apart. Did Webb see primordial Little Red Dots? On Space Bites+, measuring the heat working its way out of Io. All this and more in this week's Space Bites. Interviews mentioned LRDs with Dr. John Chisholm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4caOfg5K8Is LRDs with Dr. Vasily Kokorev https://youtu.be/zoHtCmCbcEU OBLIVION NIAC with Jeff Nosanov https://youtu.be/U6fZ2GryNhU Timecodes 00:00 Intro 00:22 They Are Recovering The Starship https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spacexs-starship-deploys-starlink-satellites-during-13th-flight-test 03:45 More Evidence for Bettelbuddy https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2611/ 05:39 Bad News, Everyone https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/28/commissioning-update-for-spacecraft-to-boost-nasas-swift/ 07:22 CAPSTONE-2 for Moon Docking https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/armd/nasa-announces-new-spacecraft-technology-demonstration-mission-at-moon/ 09:06 Chang’e-6 Rocks https://www.universetoday.com/articles/change-6-samples-reveal-how-earth-slows-solar-wind-striking-moons-near-side https://www.universetoday.com/articles/samples-of-lunar-rock-are-leading-scientists-to-rethink-the-moons-history 12:05 Self-Destructing Comet https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spin-reversing-comet-may-face-self-destruction 13:31 Vote results 14:13 Little Red Dots https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-distant-primordial-object-may-be-a-newborn-little-red-dot https://www.universetoday.com/articles/little-red-dots-could-be-ancient-globular-clusters-each-dominated-by-a-super-massive-star 17:40 Almost an Exomoon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-first-confirmed-exo-satellite-challenges-our-definitions-of-planets-and-moons 19:02 BONUS Story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/juno-measures-the-heat-below-ios-restless-surface 21:36 Final thoughts
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Wednesday · 50 min[Interview+] Resolving The Largest Black Hole In the Universe
🟣 Guest: Jeff Nosanov https://orbitalvelocity.space/ 🎙️ Space Madness Podcast https://orbitalvelocity.space/#podcast 📚 How to do Business with NASA: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs, Innovators, and Contractors https://a.co/d/062c8pxQ 📜 OBLIVION: Observing Black hole LIght Via Intensity cOrrelatioN https://www.nasa.gov/general/oblivion-observing-black-hole-light-via-intensity-correlation/ 00:00 Intro 01:45 NIAC Season 2026 02:54 OBLIVION 11:06 How can it possibly work 16:18 Possible targets for observation 20:01 Alternative applications 26:23 Orbital Velocity LLC 36:28 Space Madness Pod 41:01 Current obsessions 48:25 Final thoughts
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Wednesday · 19 min[Q&A+] Why Is The Universe Not 13.8B Light-Years Wide? | Q&A 444
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:58 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HeBEGMNq5OQ Why is the Universe not 13.8 Billion light-years wide? Could a black hole possibly consume the entire Universe? Where did all the metals come from? And in Q&A+, what's the best part of my job here? 00:00 Intro 00:26 [@anonylity_4798] How is the Universe bigger than it's older 05:33 [@WendellBroadwell] Will the entire Universe inevitably fall into a giant black hole? 11:18 [@davidpayton7838] Where did all the heavy metals come from? 13:58 [@doogle4144] Do I prefer writing text articles for UT or being in front of a camera? 17:08 Perseids
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July 24 · 20 min[Space Bites+] An Asteroid Surprised Astronomers // Limits of Relativity // Milky Way Disk Flipped
BONUS STORY STARTS AT 14:16 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rnRYLtv9bjs Bad news for the planets of Bernard Starr. Measuring the atmosphere on a rocky world within the habitable zone. Identifying the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. How the Milky Way flipped its disk. And on Space Bites Plus, how global Martian dust storms can be even worse. 00:00 Intro 00:19 Bad news for Barnard's Star exoplanets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-determine-that-exoplanets-around-barnards-star-are-extremely-uninhabitable 02:27 Rocky + Habitable Zone + Atmosphere https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-first-breath-of-another-world 04:11 Testing the Limits of Relativity https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-star-orbiting-our-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole-tests-the-limits-of-relativity 06:24 Milky Way Flipped Its Disk https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-milky-way-flipped-its-disk-billions-of-years-ago 07:54 The Type of Meteorite that Killed the Dinosaurs https://www.universetoday.com/articles/researchers-narrow-down-the-type-of-meteorite-that-killed-the-dinosaurs 09:07 Vote results 09:29 Asteroid Turned Out To Be a Comet https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-catch-a-dark-comet-red-handed 11:45 Van Gogh in Space https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-dark-energy-cameras-new-image-is-reminiscent-of-van-gogh 13:01 Psyche flyby https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-psyche-spacecraft-captured-a-time-lapse-video-of-its-mars-flyby 14:16 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/electrically-charged-mars-storms-threaten-future-exploration 17:21 Problem with YouTube
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July 23 · 18 min[Q&A+] Could We Detect Other Universes?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 11:05 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HhfRcjS6HUI If other Universes exist, is it even possible to detect them? What created the fields and quantum fluctuations that supposedly set off the Big bang? Could we use a long tether as a power source around Jupiter’s strong magnetic field? And in Q&A+, what is the best way to watch a SpaceX launch? 00:00 Intro 00:28 [@hempfreedom3044] Could we detect other Universes if they exist? 03:43 [@EdSceptic-y2e] What created the fields and quantum fluctuations that supposedly set off the Big bang? 09:27 [@doogle4144] Could we use a long tether as a power source around Jupiter’s strong magnetic field? 11:05 [@HenryWarren-b6j] What is the best way to watch a SpaceX launch? 15:57 Star City review
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July 22 · 54 min[Interview+] Supernova Remnants Should Fade Away. So, Why are Some Flashing?
👉 More interview HERE: https://www.patreon.com/collection/44300 BONUS PART STARTS AT 34:06 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XWz1mElwO-I Supernova remnants should be stable. All the action is long gone. But newly found supernovae in M87 unexpectedly show signs of rapid change. Why does this happen? Nobody really nows yet. 🟣 Guest: Dr. Roy Kilgard https://rkilgard.faculty.wesleyan.edu/ 📜 NASA's Chandra Finds Unexpected Fireworks in Aftermath of Stellar Explosions https://chandra.si.edu/press/26_releases/press_061526.html 00:00 Intro 01:56 Dynamic supernovae 08:28 What's going on there? 20:11 How can we resolve this mystery 22:08 X-ray binaries 24:24 Demarkation of compact objects 29:17 Neutron stars becoming black holes 34:06 Light pollution 43:53 Current obsessions 51:25 Final thoughts
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July 22 · 19 min[Q&A+] What's The First Step for Mars True Colonization?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:12 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3tWYGNd3hcA 00:00 Intro 00:26 [@PerryM-vy4fe] Is a magnetic shield the first step for a true Mars colonization? 04:58 [@giubl3] Does stuff near the black hole spin faster than stuff further away? 08:59 [@paigepotter4682] What’s the most “I can’t believe this is my job” moment I had? 14:12 [@Nomad77ca] Do I follow Nord Space and their new launch facilities in NFLD? 16:55 My sad telescope
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July 17 · 25 min[Space Bites+] Titan Dragonfly Assembly // Extra Long-Distance Software Update // New Exoplanet Detection Method
BONUS PART START STARTS AT 18:21 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JMSfLchB5hI Interview with Dr. Noelia Noël about painting satellites black https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yQegWQWtUo Dragonfly is taking shape. A new exoplanet at Beta Pictoris. Hera gets a software upgrade mid-flight. And new features hiding in the Orion Nebula. On Space Bites Plus, how we can paint satellites black to reduce light pollution. All this and more in this week's Space Bites. 00:00 Intro 00:20 Dragonfly Takes Its Shape https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/dragonfly/2026/07/09/nasas-dragonfly-clears-key-tests-as-titan-rotorcraft-takes-shape/ 03:41 Software Update for HERA https://www.universetoday.com/articles/rebooting-a-spacecraft-140-million-kilometres-from-home 06:11 New Exoplanet at Beta Pictoris https://www.universetoday.com/articles/this-exoplanet-hid-for-10-years-before-astronomers-finally-found-it 09:36 Missing Link for Black Holes https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-relativistic-jet-could-be-an-indication-of-the-missing-link-for-black-holes 11:51 Vote results 12:13 Ancient astronomers were right about Theta Eridani https://www.universetoday.com/articles/to-ancient-astronomers-theta-eridani-was-brighter-for-a-thousand-years-now-we-know-why 14:41 New Features Hiding in the Orion Nebula https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-find-new-features-hiding-in-the-orion-nebula 16:15 Hubble Discovers First of Star Cluster’s Missing Black Holes https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-discovers-first-of-star-clusters-missing-black-holes/ 17:54 More space news 18:21 BONUS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/ultra-black-coating-could-mitigate-light-pollution-caused-by-satellites 19:03 How do you do, fellow kids?
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July 17 · 20 min[Q&A+] What Would It Cost to Keep The ISS Up?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:04 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BsHe8QzUW0k Why not push the ISS to a high orbit instead of de-orbiting it? Will we ever send a probe to another star? Is quantum computing more promising than AI advances? And in Q&A+, how close are we to a technological singularity? 00:00 Intro 00:27 [@TheLinthus] Why not push the ISS to a high orbit instead of deorbiting it? 06:18 [@zach_diecast_mansur] Will we ever send a probe to another star? 10:49 [@clivewarren3227] Is quantum computing more promising than AI advances? 14:04 [@slowboyfuelpump5438] How close are we to a technological singularity? 16:30 How your support helps
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July 15 · 20 min[Q&A+] Are There Galaxies Around Little Red Dots?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:47 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/R-hHX1IiFG8 Is Sgr A* even massive enough for a supermassive black hole? Are there galaxies around the Little Red Dots? How important is plate tectonics? And in Q&A+, what's the biggest showstopper for a interstellar crew? 00:00 Intro 00:26 [@Nomad77ca] Is our BH big enough to be "super" massive? 01:58 [@billionsandbillionsofstars] Are the Little Red Dots supermassive black holes inside galaxies? 05:54 [@luiscarneiro4123] Will Euclid + JWST data force a revision of dark matter models, or could something unexpected emerge? 09:38 [@kcvillain87] Do we have ideas about the roll of tectonics and habitability? 14:47 [@Dying2play13] what's the biggest showstopper for a interstellar crew? 19:48 Chill out and relax
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July 10 · 25 min[Space Bites+] China Lands Its First Rocket // Two Asteroids // Milky Way's Bigger Than We Thought
BONUS STORY STARTS AT 17:37 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_qdxGFRgCkg China Lands a Reusable Rocket, Spacecraft visit two asteroids up close. How spaceflight makes you older. And using permanent magnets to protect astronauts from radiation. And on Space Bites Plus, extending inflatable tunnels for the surface of Mars. 00:00 Intro 00:18 China Lands a Reusable Rocket https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2rmmx86pdo 02:04 Two Close Asteroid Encounters https://www.universetoday.com/articles/another-success-for-hayabusa-2-as-it-completes-a-flyby-of-asteroid-torifune https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6758823/n6758838/c10760422/content.html 06:11 Milky Way’s Arms Are Bigger Than We Thought https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-milky-ways-arms-reach-out-further-than-we-thought 07:36 Spaceflight Makes you Older https://www.universetoday.com/articles/does-space-speed-up-ageing-a-new-study-says-yes 10:24 Permanent Magnets Protect Astronauts? https://www.universetoday.com/articles/could-permanent-magnets-protect-astronauts-from-solar-storms 13:00 Vote results 13:35 Blue Origin’s Plan for LC-36 Repairs https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-glenn-return-to-flight 15:16 Quasars from Euclid https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-euclid-space-telescope-has-found-31-new-ancient-quasars-including-the-most-ancient-one-ever-foun 16:32 JWST's 4th anniversary https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_reveals_millions_of_stars_in_nearby_galaxy 17:37 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/university-team-proposed-retractable-pressurized-tunnels-for-missions-to-mars 20:48 More space news 21:14 Final thoughts
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July 9 · 17 min[Q&A+] Will The Sun Consume Earth After All?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 11:55 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xNQXTnGGkSY Will the Sun consume the Earth or not? Should we trade feet for arms to live in microgravity? How good is the peer review process in Astronomy? And in Q&A+, what happened to the Parker Solar Probe? 00:00 Intro 00:25 [@TimPointing] Will the Sun consume the Earth or not? 04:40 [@jeffhans1] Should we trade legs for arms to live in microgravity? 07:26 [@vrstovsek] How loud is the Sun? 08:21 [@JJsQuest] How good is the peer review process in Astronomy? 11:55 [@darrengreen8000] What happened to the Parker Solar Probe? 15:07 Interviews
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July 9 · 44 min[Interview+] Getting to the Moon Is Much More Complex Than You Think
BONUS PART starts at 29:32 Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OqDGsTEhlrQ We're pretty familiar with orbits around the Earth. But as we start putting more and more things on the Moon, it means we'll need to cover more and more orbits that go to and around the Moon. And it's actually much trickier than you think. 🟣 Guest: Dr. Aaron Rosengren https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/node/3654 📜 The Astrodynamics Primer on Cislunar and Translunar Space https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.26367 00:00 Intro 01:51 New operating volume in space 03:58 Lunar orbits during the Apollo era 09:42 Lagrange points 14:07 Artemis orbits 25:34 Kessler syndrome in cislunar space 29:32 Risks of crushing things into the Moon 39:00 Current obsessions 41:38 Final thoughts
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July 7 · 19 min[Q&A+] What's The Deal With Helium-3?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:11 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N6HOGQsrf0c Is Helium-3 the real reason for the modern-day space race? Could there be an undetectable death ray coming towards us? Where's the best place to stargaze? And in Q&A+, where will Artemis missions land? 00:00 Intro 00:26 [@Ravi_GoodBetterBestNLIR] Is Helium 3 is the real reason for this new moon base race? 05:09 [@slowboyfuelpump5438] What is the best place in the US for sky gazing? 07:30 [@d.o.6769] What is my favorite naked eye or low mag observation? 10:16 [@kevinjelesnianski2260] Could there be an undetectable death ray coming towards us? 14:11 [@paigepotter4682] Where will future Artemis missions land? 16:20 My media
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July 6 · 17 min[Q&A+] Will Earth's Iron Poison The Sun?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 12:33 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/e6EhL7635Rc SAVE STARGATE: https://www.change.org/p/save-stargate-with-martin-gero Would the Sun be poisoned by iron if the Earth crashed into it? What happens to a binary companion when a supernova goes off? Which rocket is my favourite? And in Q&A+, could JWST pay more attention to the little red dots? 00:00 Intro 00:24 [@psilocybe6115] Would the Earth poison the Sun? 04:31 [@paulmichaelfreedman8334] My favorite rocket or space vehicle? 09:56 [@tomholroyd7519] What happens when a binary companion goes supernova? 12:33 [@abdwyer] Could JWST be “focused” on the Little Red Dots? 15:43 Take action!
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July 3 · 20 min[Space Bites+] Rubin's 10-Year Survey // Perseverance Clone for the Moon // Super-Puff Planets
Vera Rubin survey is underway. Could a spare Perseverance rover be going to the moon? Two planets that are less dense than cotton candy. A vast connected magma system on Mars. 00:00 Intro 00:16 Vera Rubin's 10-year Survey Finally Begins https://www.universetoday.com/articles/its-finally-begun-the-vera-rubin-observatory-creating-what-will-be-the-greatest-movie-ever-made 03:04 NASA Moon Updates https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-more-moon-base-science-previews-new-opportunities/ 07:49 Planets Lighter Than Candy Floss https://www.universetoday.com/articles/two-planets-lighter-than-candy-floss 09:59 Not Ice Giants (Maybe) https://www.universetoday.com/articles/uranus-neptune-may-be-magma-worlds-not-ice-giants 12:04 Vote results 12:36 Another Galaxy With No Dark Matter https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-discover-another-galaxy-with-no-dark-matter 14:58 Possible Vast Underground Magma System on Mars https://www.universetoday.com/articles/mars-may-have-vast-magma-systems-beneath-its-surface 16:47 More space news 18:19 Isaacman's NASA
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July 2 · 18 min[Q&A+] Will A Naked-Eye Moon Object End Conspiracy Theories?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 11:05 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wk_0L1tqnps Can we put a structure on the Moon to be seen with a naked eye? Which telescope to get under 200 bucks? Which telescope should get a priority? And in Q&A+, exactly where are we in the Milky Way? 00:00 Intro 00:26 [@jeffhans1] Which telescope should get a priority? 04:50 [@clivewarren3227] Can we put a structure on the Moon to be seen with a naked eye? 07:10 [@unlimitedmind69] Which telescope to get under 200 bucks? 11:05 [@kennywoodward9862] Where are we in the Milky Way exactly? 15:06 Update on my Top-100 scifi movies
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June 30 · 20 min[Q&A+] How Hot Are Black Holes?
BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:12 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wusLmLQ5uqA Dr Paul Sutter https://www.pmsutter.com/ How can black holes be hot when all they do is suck in everything around them? Why is the Oort cloud so perfectly spherical? How do astronomical measurements work? And in Q&A+, can small Moon impacts be a threat to Earth? 00:00 Intro 00:23 [@MistSoalar] Why is the Oort cloud spherical? 03:09 [@rJaune] Could we detect the Oort Clouds, or Kuiper Belts of exo-systems? 03:45 [@nephilim20111] How hot black holes are? 08:05 [@d.o.6769] What are the various units and how do they relate to each other? 15:12 [@-Blackberry] Can small Moon impacts be a threat to Earth 17:06 Dr Paul Sutter
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June 26 · 24 min[Space Bites+] NASA's Insane Rescue Mission With A Crazy Budget
BONUS STORY STARTS AT 18:34 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UdX5yLB0quc A mission to rescue a falling space telescope. More uses for the solar gravitational lens. The Euclid Space Telescope images the center of the Milky Way. And in Space Bites+, a star ate a planet. 00:00 Intro 00:15 Rescue mission for a falling telescope https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/this-week-nasa-will-launch-a-first-of-its-kind-mission-to-save-a-space-telescope-that-has-observed-the-sky-for-nearly-22-years-180988998/ 03:40 More Uses for the Solar Gravitational Lens https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-solar-gravitational-lens-could-map-white-dwarfs-and-black-holes 07:43 Six Galaxies Become One https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-jwst-spies-six-galaxies-becoming-one 09:44 Dying by the Wrong Rules https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-star-dying-by-the-wrong-rules 11:40 Vote results 12:07 The Secret of Early Galaxy Growth https://www.universetoday.com/articles/cosmic-dawn-fuel-discovery-unlocks-early-galaxy-growth-secrets-vla-fuel-discovery 13:54 The First Pair of Sibling Supernova Remnants https://www.universetoday.com/articles/this-is-the-first-pair-of-sibling-supernova-remnants 16:07 Euclid Captures Milky Way’s Bulge https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Euclid/ESA_s_Euclid_captures_the_Milky_Way_s_crowded_heart 18:34 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-find-stellar-evidence-of-an-engulfed-planet 20:22 More space news 21:00 Bad naming in Astronomy