Universe Today Podcast

Should we destroy asteroid 2024 YR4 instead of letting it hit the moon? Why Hycean worlds probably don't exist. Liquid water once flowed on asteroid Ryugu. Space bytes+ a supermassive black hole that is breaking the Eddington limit.Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BdGH9jgSjkU

Can neutron stars create an equivalent of Type 1a supernovae? Can you land on Venus without a parachute? How do we know the shape of the Oort cloud? And in Q&A+, what's going on with 3I/ATLAS' weird tail situation?

Could we turn Earth into Jupiter by just adding more atmosphere? Can we train to communicate with aliens by talking to animals? How's YouTube destroying itself and it's getting really dangerous? And in Q&A+ will Vera Rubin find an asteroid on a collision course with Earth? 🔴 [Q&A+] No YT ads. Bonus Question. For FREE https://www.patreon.com/collection/116942 🟣 [Overtime] Even more Q&A https://www.patreon.com/collection/1720060 00:00 Start 00:28 [Schnatz Grummelt] Can we turn the Earth into a Jupiter? 04:13 [InXs] Should we invest time into inter-species communication to prepare to talk to aliens? 08:52 [Aaron T] The big problem with YouTube 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/Of5v9Mr-5wU 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast

Dust is a big problem for Moon and Mars. It sticks to everything, breaks things, covers solar panels. So, how do you solve this problem? One possible solution is an electric shield that uses charged surfaces to repel the dust. 👉 [Interview+] No YT ads https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Luca Scifoni https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Luca-Scifoni 📜 Performance of electrodynamic dust shields with functional surface coatings for lunar dust mitigation https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395286032_Performance_of_electrodynamic_dust_shields_with_functional_surface_coatings_for_lunar_dust_mitigation 00:00 Intro 02:24 Lunar dust 07:12 Mitigation strategies 10:46 Electrostatic shield 20:49 Not just the Moon 26:07 Potential tests 28:33 Current obsessions 33:11 Final thoughts 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/KPzd40hj3gQ 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast

Building infrastructure on the Moon, Earth gets a new quasi-satellite, a black hole has wandered away from the center of its galaxy, and a tour through star forming nebulae thanks to Gaia. And on Space Bites+, China’s new neutrino detector comes online. 🔴 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: patreon.com/collection/116942 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 00:00 Intro 00:18 Another Step Towards A Working Moon Infrastructure https://www.universetoday.com/articles/blue-alchemist-is-one-step-closer-to-creating-sustainable-infrastructure-on-the-moon 02:13 Earth has another mini-moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/earth-has-another-quasi-satellite-the-asteroid-arjuna-2025-pn7 03:50 JWST Finds An Exoplanet Around A Pulsar Whose Atmosphere Is All Carbon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-finds-an-exoplanet-around-a-pulsar-whose-atmosphere-is-all-carbon 06:29 Wandering Black Hole https://www.universetoday.com/articles/this-wandering-black-hole-has-left-its-galactic-center 09:05 Trio of Robots to Explore Moon Caves https://www.universetoday.com/articles/this-trio-of-robots-could-explore-lunar-caves 11:25 Vote results 12:00 Black Hole Stars and Little Red Dots https://www.universetoday.com/articles/black-hole-stars-could-solve-the-mystery-of-little-red-dots 13:38 GAIA’s Legacy in 3D https://www.universetoday.com/articles/make-like-a-spacecraft-and-fly-through-gaias-3d-map-of-stellar-nurseries 00:00 More space news 00:00 What happened to Breakthrough Starshot https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-quiet-demise-of-breakthrough-starshot-a-billionaires-interstellar/ 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/MkOPvzXKipM 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast

How can we realistically tell if 3I/ATLAS is an alien spaceship or not? Can we turn an interstellar comet into a transmitter? Would the government suppress information about a dangerous asteroid? And in Q&A+, why aren't there more asteroids outside the solar system? 🔴 [Q&A+] No YT ads. Bonus Question. For FREE https://www.patreon.com/collection/116942 🟣 [Overtime] Even more Q&A https://www.patreon.com/collection/1720060 00:00 Start 00:30 [Visto Tutti] How could we tell 3i-Atlas as comet, from Avi-Loeb-style alien space junk? 04:25 [Jera King] What’s going to happen when 3I/ATLAS goes through the asteroid belt? 06:33 [Buzz Uka] Can we turn a comet into a transmitter? 10:10 [Todd Szafranski] Will MRO get good images of 3I/ATLAS? 11:57 [Scott S] Would the government suppress information about a dangerous asteroid? 15:12 [Sid vicious] Small channel recommendations 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/3yed1iFQ9Aw 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast

Who will name Planet X if/when it is discovered? How will cats deal with the toilet situation if they go to space? Can a star block an entire galaxy? And in Q&A+ what happens if we find proof that there's no life elsewhere? 🔴 [Q&A+] No YT ads. Bonus Question. For FREE https://www.patreon.com/collection/116942 🟣 [Overtime] Even more Q&A https://www.patreon.com/collection/1720060 00:00 Start 00:28 [Aaron Brinkerhoff] How sure are we that planet 9 exists? 01:25 [Dem Pilafian] Who will name the Planet X? 03:40 [Steven Kolins] When does Vera Rubin go live live and not just testing? 06:47 [Eric Rouleau] Why study what is outside of out galaxy since we will never go there? 10:24 [churchdiscography] How could my cats use a cat pan in space? 11:18 [Ayush Agarwal] Can stars block entire galaxies? 13:02 [Christopher Kirby] Gravity in space 16:31 [laladieladada] Gravity from the Pillars of Creation 17:06 [Edward] What happens if somebody dies in space? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/wYN5kIKVS58 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast

Can we make Earth invisible for possible alien invaders? What's the deal with the pyramids and their alignment to stars? Can an interstellar ship casually crash into a black hole? And what's the difference between cosmology and astronomy after all? 🔴 [Q&A+] No ads. Bonus question. For FREE https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:27 [Rod Tolosa] Possible life on Venus 03:16 [abstractedaway] Heium-rich dwarf stars as techosignatures 04:00 [kenji] The truth about pyramids 06:25 [Jakub Polášek] Most interesting citizen science projects in astronomy/space field right now 07:21 [Osiris Mpg] Could an interstellar ship crash into a black hole? 08:34 [FunkyCritter] Will Earth's spin stop eventually? 09:12 [Keiichi S] Naked-eye nebula 11:03 [Nolan Mosley] LEO satellites and the ozone layer 13:11 [Nanp90] Making the Earth invisible for alienes 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/cuXXPrp3_PU 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast

Has Perseverance found signs of life on Mars? Webb scans TRAPPIST-1e for signs of an atmosphere. 3I/ATLAS grows a tail, and could get a mission. And on Space Bites+, Webb sees a cloud of methane around the dwarf planet Makemake. 🔴 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 00:00 Intro 00:21 NASA Says Perseverance Discovered Signs of Life on Mars https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-says-mars-rover-discovered-potential-biosignature-last-year/ https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-exoplanet-trappist-1-e-takes-its-turn-in-the-jwsts-spotlight 09:18 3I/ATLAS Grows a Tail https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-gemini-south-telescope-takes-a-turn-imaging-the-interstellar-comet-3iatlas 11:18 Mission Concept to Catch 3I/ATLAS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/researchers-at-swri-produced-a-mission-concept-for-exploring-interstellar-objects-like-3iatlas 13:34 Calisto’s Footprints in Jupiter Aurora https://www.universetoday.com/articles/juno-detects-callistos-footprints-in-jupiters-aurorae 14:53 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 15:35 A Giant Burst of Energy In Need Of An Explanation https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-giant-burst-of-energy-in-need-of-an-explanation 17:34 Titan Dragonfly Continues Development https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/dragonfly/2025/09/08/nasas-dragonfly-soaring-through-key-development-test-activities/ 18:59 Amazing JWST Image https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-glittering-stellar-nursery-shines-in-new-jwst-image 20:14 More space news to your inbox 20:58 Bonus story: Methane on Makemake 21:25 State of science journalism 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/V28Tc_koO5U 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast

What's the highest energy a photon can have? Is Titan just a huge fire hazard floating in space? How do they measure the masses of planets with just satellites? And in Q&A plus, what realistic scifi is worth watching? 🔴 [Q&A+] No ads. Bonus question. For FREE https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:00 [Chris Nelsynels] Realistic scifi recommendations 00:26 [Marz Chart] Is oxygen flammable on Titan? 00:46 [FPLMikkel] Ability to light fires as a Great Filter 01:44 [darthex0] Are stars burning after all? 02:01 [Francois Miron] Jupiter gravitational lens 03:08 [Michael McConnell] Measuring gravity with satellites 05:42 [Colin Houseworth] Energy limit for high energy photons 06:57 [Encodedpr] Trip to a Moon base 07:57 [Annie Alexander] For All Mankind 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/w3Fx1hEX0ws 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)Support Universe Today Podcast