Universe Today Podcast

Can we refuel James Webb at L2 when it runs out of propellant? What will the Dragonfly octocopter see on the surface of Titan? Will discovering life on Mars stop us from going there? And in our extended Q&A+ on Patreon, what are space things I'm hoping to see in my lifetime? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:30 [Monty Skeetch] Will Dragonfly see rains or rivers on Titan? 01:35 [Ιwanna_kiIImyself] Why does JWST do figure of 8 movements at its Lagrange L2 point? 03:35 [SantiagoMK] Can JWST be refuelled? 04:35 [beau danner] Which moon is best for Venus? 05:25 [Billy Griffith] Will finding life on Mars stop us from going there? 07:11 [veerendra kumar] Do double and triple black hole systems exist? 08:29 [kLONDIKE69 NONE] Can we see asteroid belts around other stars? 09:04 [Tim G] My position on Planet 9/X 10:07 [Kasie Ream] Can Betelgeuse explosion be just a flop? 11:51 [Mufasa Putasa] What have we learned from gravitational waves so far? 13:54 [Eric D. Wade] What happened to the BEAM module? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/gdu62qdEmFs 📰 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

Terraforming Mars is usually considered in the realm of science fiction. But actually we have technology to start doing it in our lifetime and achieve some meaningful results it a timescale of tens of years, not thousands. What are they? Finding out in this interview. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr. Erika Alden DeBenedictis https://www.erikadebenedictis.com/ 📜 The Case for Mars Terraforming Research https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02548-0 00:00 Intro 01:34 Why Mars sucks 02:23 Old ideas to terraform Mars 11:00 New technologies 31:52 Timescales 37:00 Ethical consequences 46:39 Current obsessions 53:39 Final thoughts 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/tpFFKCF4-BA 📰 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

Jupiter could have been twice as big in the past, the challenges of landing on the Moon, the record for the farthest galaxy has been broken. And in our Patreon edition, how the location of gas plays a role in star formation. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/129128649 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 00:00 Intro 00:19 Jupiter was 2 times bigger https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-study-suggests-that-jupiter-was-once-twice-as-big-as-it-is-today 02:05 Moon landing pads https://www.universetoday.com/articles/lunar-landing-pads-will-need-to-be-tough 03:41 Moon catching device https://www.universetoday.com/articles/building-a-giant-catchers-mitt-on-the-moon 05:59 The world isn't ready for a big solar storm https://www.universetoday.com/articles/is-the-world-ready-for-a-catastrophic-solar-storm 08:45 New record for JWST https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-new-farthest-galaxy-has-been-found-by-webb-only-280-million-years-after-the-big-bang 10:54 The mystery of little red dots deepens https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-deepening-mystery-around-the-jwsts-early-galaxies 12:42 Vote results 13:17 Habitable moons of Jupiter https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/staf794/8137882?rss=1 14:57 Terraforming Mars https://www.universetoday.com/articles/terraforming-mars-could-be-within-reach 17:34 Guide to Space 18:21 [Space Bites+] bonus story 18:31 Dangers from space 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/HKI8xpwgQPU 📰 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 did humans first think of aliens? Why is Oort cloud a sphere when the Solar System is a disk? Which space image is my favourite? And in our Q&A+ on patreon, is search for life only limited to looking for water? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:30 [Paige Potter] When did humans first think of aliens? 03:24 [Paul_in_Tucson] Why is Oort cloud a sphere while Solar System is a disk? 06:51 [Walter Hartman] Are dark matter and dark energy 100% real? 11:33 [Scotty-Too-Hottie] How long before our Sun turns into a red giant? 13:34 [Heya Sasha] My favourite space image 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/k3iCw1Wtdws 📰 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 space mission would I save from cancellation if I could? Is fighting space junk with lasers a good idea or not? What if we find asteroids that have already been mined? And in our Q&A+ on patreon, how do we measure masses of black holes ? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:28 [AshStar] Which mission would I save from cancellation? 05:54 [Fearthelettuce] Why missions last longer than their projected lifespan? 09:38 [Briar Patch] Lasers vs space junk. Good or bad? 12:55 [Marie la Misérable] Adblocks with our videos? 13:31 [MikeD] What if asteroids have already been mined? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/hxe3XDefWeA 📰 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

So far we couldn't find liquid water on Mars. But there are still places where it can hide from us. One of them is pockets under the ice. How can it exist there and which possible ways do we have to detect it? Finding out in this interview. 🦄 Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Dr. Aditya Khuller https://apl.uw.edu/people/profile.php?last_name=Khuller&first_name=Aditya 00:00 Intro 01:51 Liquid water on Mars 08:16 Habitability 11:57 Where on Mars could liquid water be? 17:34 How can we detect liquid water 29:52 Current obsessions 32:49 Final thoughts and more interviews 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/5dS26HSjhyU 📰 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

ESA’s PLATO mission gets its eyes installed, Webb finds water ice in another star system, could it be dark matter and not dark energy that’s evolving over time? And in our longer [Space Bites+] on Patreon, researchers have found that hardy bacteria are evolving to thrive in spacecraft clean rooms. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Intro 00:20 Plato gets its eyes https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-plato-mission-just-got-dozens-of-cameras-installed 02:05 Cubesat telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-cubesat-to-capture-a-supernovas-uv-spectrum 04:14 Water ice in another star system https://www.universetoday.com/articles/water-ice-found-in-another-star-system 06:34 Evolving Dark Matter https://www.universetoday.com/articles/could-dark-matter-be-evolving-over-time-and-not-dark-energy 09:13 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 09:55 Everything evaporates with Hawking radiation https://www.universetoday.com/articles/everything-in-the-universe-could-decay-from-hawking-radiation 11:25 Venus tectonics https://www.universetoday.com/articles/venus-might-have-tectonic-activity-after-all 13:25 Auroras on Jupiter https://www.universetoday.com/articles/webb-watches-auroras-dance-in-jupiters-atmosphere 15:23 More space news in Guide to Space 16:13 [Space Bites+] bonus story 16:28 Patreon Q&A 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/VcOfDAf9UsU 📰 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

Our current tech doesn't allow us to block light from Sun-like stars to see Earth-like planets. The brightness difference is just too high. One of the ways we can achieve it is with quantum coronagraphs. What are they and how do they work? Finding out in this interview. 👉 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads. FREE https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 Guest: Nico Deshler https://github.com/NicoDeshler 📜 Experimental Demonstration of a Quantum-Optimal Coronagraph Using Spatial Mode Sorters https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.12776 00:00 Intro 02:26 What is a quantum coronagraph 10:39 How to make one 19:20 How can a quantum coronagraph be used 22:02 Applications for ground-based telescopes 27:48 What's next? 34:14 Current obsessions 38:54 Final thoughts 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/cfdMxauquec 📰 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 risk sending big space missions instead of swarms of cubesats? Can NASA protect future Mars astronauts from radiation with EM-rockets? How close are we to discovering our first exomoon? And in our Q&A+ version, which sci-fi tech is the closest to becoming a reality? Answering all that and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:31 [Ramon Martinez] How will NASA protect astronauts from radiation on Mars? 02:01 [First Ninja] Why launch space missions instead of swarms of cubesats? 05:07 [J Bell] Is it normal to be not interested in life beyond Earth? 08:23 [Xander Schnoebbe] How close are we to discovering exomoons? 10:05 [Jamie Doe] Can we combine a Solar Gravitational Lens and an interferometer? 10:59 [Mandahl] Visible light interferometers on Earth 13:01 [Christopher “Fiss” Brummet] Will CSA/ASC step up after NASA budget cuts? 14:44 [Web Fiji] If we go through space, will we inevitably hit something? 15:31 [Silas Miller] Is the Sun made of the same elements as the planets? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/OOOPpw11Z1U 📰 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

Is keeping the Voyagers active a waste of money and time on the Deep Space Network? Could you play catch with a baseball-mass black hole? How confident are we in the distance ladder? And in our Q&A+ version, does it make sense to film a movie in space? Answering all that and more in this Q&A show. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 00:00 Start 00:29 [Bentation Funkiloglio] Could we play catch with a really tiny black hole? 01:24 [Aturuxo] How confident are we in the "distance ladder"? 08:03 [Pelican666] Is continuing the Voyager missions just a waste of money? 09:53 [Cooper Levesque] What will finding life in the Solar System actually mean? 12:10 [Edward] Would a microbe without DNA even be alive? 13:48 [Cooper Levesque] The topic I'm bored to cover 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/6egvw2jEHVQ 📰 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