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

3I/ATLAS is very different from any comet we’ve ever seen before, Mars is filled with fragments from ancient impacts, ESA loses contact with JUICE right before an important flyby, and the highest resolution image of a solar flare ever seen. And on Space Bites+, why asteroid made of the same material can have different colors. 🔴 [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 00:25 3I/ATLAS is Weird https://www.universetoday.com/articles/3iatlass-coma-is-largely-carbon-dioxide 02:51 Technosignatures of Interstellar Objects https://www.universetoday.com/articles/what-technosignatures-would-interstellar-objects-have 06:52 Mars’ Lumpy Interior https://www.nasa.gov/missions/insight/nasa-marsquake-data-reveals-lumpy-nature-of-red-planets-interior/ 08:40 Plasma Waves In Jupiter’s Auroras https://www.universetoday.com/articles/scientists-discover-unusual-plasma-waves-in-jupiters-aurora 10:15 ESA Restores Communication with JUICE https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-esa-restores-communications-with-juice-at-venus 12:25 Vote results 12:55 Supernova’s Heart https://www.universetoday.com/articles/chandra-peers-into-a-supernovas-troubled-heart 15:38 Breathtaking Solar Flare https://www.universetoday.com/articles/worlds-most-powerful-solar-telescope-captures-breathtaking-image-of-solar-flare 17:11 Cosmic Butterflies https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-butterfly-star-and-its-planet-forming-disk https://www.universetoday.com/articles/cosmic-butterfly-unlocks-secrets-of-how-rocky-planets-form 18:59 Newsletter 19:55 Bonus story in [Space Bites+] 20:25 Media recommendations 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/n4Uc5hnljRg 📰 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

Which is a bigger showstopper for a human Mars mission: food or radiation exposure? Does Vera Rubin leave any chance for aliens to still sneak upon us? Can something like space whales actually exist? And in Q&A+, when can we find out what dark matter and dark energy actually are? 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:31 [Kasie Ream] Which is the bigger showstopper for Mars: food or radiation? 02:29 [Richard Vanasse] Does Vera Rubin make it impossible for an alien fleet to sneak up on Earth? 02:54 [ventsyv] One question to ask aliens 03:24 [Terminally Offline] How can I get into a career in a planetarium? 05:56 [Steve Kennedy] What is the difference between a Kilonova and a Type 1a Supernova? 06:12 [teknophyle] Should we quickly become a two planet species? 08:14 [Michael D] How do I feel about the possibility of "space whales" type aliens? 09:51 [Bobby 2112] How does artificial gravity work on various scifi spaceships? 12:34 [shootZ234] Interesting facts about black holes 12:55 [paul wilson] How bright will the Betelgeuse explosion be? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/MxowG6xhdX4 📰 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

Why are galaxies and star systems flat? What does the future of the space race look like? Are we going to Mars to mine it? And in Q&A+, what sparked my personal interest for space as a kid? 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:26 [Царь Зверей] Why are galaxies and star systems flat? 02:26 [Indrek Staal] What does the future of the space race look like? 11:13 [Sal] Is mining minerals the primary objective of colonizing Mars? 13:59 [Aaron Dwyer] Where was the Big Bang? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/8B5f-LhVWDg 📰 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

The boys are back! Discussing all the things that happened during Starship IFT-10. Why didn't they catch the Super Heavy booster? What did explode near the engines? Why was Starship orange? What's next for SpaceX? Looking for all the answers with Scott Manley and Marcus House. 📺 Scott Manley: https://www.youtube.com/@scottmanley 📺 Marcus House: https://www.youtube.com/@MarcusHouse 🚀 IFT-5 Analysis: https://youtu.be/Flv1W6AR-cU 🚀 IFT-4 Analysis: https://youtu.be/ecMlV4W_CLU 🚀 IFT-3 Analysis: https://youtu.be/EVic941kQ44 🚀 IFT-2 Analysis: https://youtu.be/ReXZvXPak4U 🚀 IFT-1 Analysis: https://youtu.be/RGcdjJj-f4g 00:00 Intro 00:34 The Boys are back! 01:46 Starship IFT-10 04:47 Liftoff 05:24 Super Heavy return and landing 07:54 It didn't explode 09:27 Starlink mockups deployment 11:38 Skirt explosion and re-entry 21:10 Ship landing 29:39 What next? 32:28 Economics of Starlink 34:36 Artemis 39:23 Final thoughts 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/-u0Qw4gEjHw 📰 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

The Wow signal was even more Wow. Starship Flight 10 makes it space and returns to Earth, more red dwarf planets get crossed off the list as lacking an atmosphere, a supernova spilled its guts into space. And on Space Bites+, finding supernovae as quickly as possible. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:21 Update for the “Wow!” Signal https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-wow-signal-gets-an-update-it-was-even-strong-than-we-thought 02:50 Starship IFT-10 https://www.universetoday.com/articles/blaze-of-glory-spacex-starship-goes-the-distance-in-10th-flight-test 06:39 JWST finds no atmospheres https://www.universetoday.com/articles/another-earth-like-exoplanet-crossed-off-the-list-the-jwst-shows-that-gj-3929b-has-no-atmosphere https://www.universetoday.com/articles/gj-1132-b-doesnt-have-an-atmosphere-according-to-new-jwst-data 09:12 White Dwarf Habitable Zones https://www.universetoday.com/articles/white-dwarf-stars-could-create-surprisingly-common-long-lived-habitable-zones 11:03 Supernova Headscratcher https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-exposed-core-of-this-supernova-is-a-headscratcher 12:43 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 13:14 TESS saw 3I/ATLAS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/tess-spotted-3iatlas-two-months-before-it-was-discovered-it-was-even-active-then 14:50 The Mystery of Jupiter https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-study-rocks-jupiters-giant-impact-theory 16:52 Newsletter 17:38 Bonus story 18:01 Starship collab with Scott Manley and Marcus House 📺 VIDEO VERSION 00:00 Intro 00:21 Update for the “Wow!” Signal https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-wow-signal-gets-an-update-it-was-even-strong-than-we-thought 02:50 Starship IFT-10 https://www.universetoday.com/articles/blaze-of-glory-spacex-starship-goes-the-distance-in-10th-flight-test 06:39 JWST finds no atmospheres https://www.universetoday.com/articles/another-earth-like-exoplanet-crossed-off-the-list-the-jwst-shows-that-gj-3929b-has-no-atmosphere https://www.universetoday.com/articles/gj-1132-b-doesnt-have-an-atmosphere-according-to-new-jwst-data 09:12 White Dwarf Habitable Zones https://www.universetoday.com/articles/white-dwarf-stars-could-create-surprisingly-common-long-lived-habitable-zones 11:03 Supernova Headscratcher https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-exposed-core-of-this-supernova-is-a-headscratcher 12:43 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 13:14 TESS saw 3I/ATLAS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/tess-spotted-3iatlas-two-months-before-it-was-discovered-it-was-even-active-then 14:50 The Mystery of Jupiter https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-study-rocks-jupiters-giant-impact-theory 16:52 Newsletter 17:38 Bonus story 18:01 Starship collab with Scott Manley and Marcus House 📰 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 the difficulty of interstellar travel the answer to the Fermi paradox? Or maybe it's the fact that we can only apply it to our galaxy and not further? Or maybe we can even find life in our solar system? 👉 [Q&A+] No YT ads. Bonus Question https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:00 [Sean E] A copy of the ISS 00:31 [Josh B] Favourite mind-blowing fact 01:12 [SpaceManLegend] Life on Europa or Enceladus? 03:47 [Todd Gibson Art] Interstellar travel VS the Fermi paradox 04:45 [GMol] Fermi paradox for the galaxy VS the Universe 06:38 [Db Ireland] Panspermia 09:57 [Jurij Slavec] Rare Earth hypothesis 13:07 [paul wilson] How to kill a black hole? 13:44 [Astrobirder] Smart telescope to buy 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/pygx-mseIZY 📰 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

We definitely won't see a space elevator built in any foreseeable future. But there is a similar but much more practical approach – a skyhook. How close are we to creating one? Why is it useful? What challenges does it bring and when can we expect first practical demonstrations? Finding out in this interview. 👉 [Interview+] No YT ads https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr. Markus Landgraf https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=vgra4_QAAAAJ 📜 A multi-stage orbital sky hook for exploration in the new space transportation era https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094576525004485 00:00 Intro 01:52 What is a skyhook 24:52 Materials 28:23 Possible practical tests 30:30 Current obsessions 36:59 Final thoughts 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/SvYvXk39wG8 📰 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

When is a supernova too close for comfort? Will USA's Moon race against China accelerate a race towards a Mars base? How can we see the Oort cloud? And in Q&A+, what do I tell to space deniers? 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:00 [Dvids] What do I say to people that deny space? 00:25 [SpaceInfrastructure] If China beats US to the Moon, will it accelerate a Mars base development? 04:37 [LtNuke] How close does a supernova need to be to cause real damage? 08:23 [Stephen Eichenhorn] How can we see the Oort cloud? 11:36 [Visto Tutti] What telescope do we need to see the furtherest light? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/bJLwYHutFfE 📰 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