Universe Today Podcast

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 15:56

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y9Iknlzbn5s

NASA is working on a new far-infrared space telescope, Starship finally makes it to orbit, a nuclear reactor for the Moon, and an exoplanet orbiting backwards. On Space Bites plus, a galaxy with a disconnected center.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:18 New far-infrared NASA telescope coming https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-first-selection-for-a-new-class-of-mission-the-prima-far-infrared-telescope

• 02:11 Starship goes orbital https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spacexs-starship-rocket-does-its-job-during-first-orbital-flight

• 04:09 Power for the Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-1000c-lunar-microreactor-could-power-the-next-era-of-moon-bases

• 07:28 Sub-Neptune orbiting the wrong way https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-find-a-sub-neptune-orbiting-completely-backward-around-a-red-dwarf

• 09:37 Vote results

• 10:03 Dynamic structural evolution in Chariklo’s rings https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-finds-dynamic-structural-evolution-in-chariklos-rings

• 11:14 Finding life on Enceladus could be easier than we thought https://www.universetoday.com/articles/finding-life-on-enceladus-could-be-easier-than-we-thought-says-new-research

• 13:08 Getting even more from the CMB https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-new-test-looks-for-a-subtle-twist-in-ancient-light

• 15:56 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/diving-into-an-out-of-sync-galaxy

• 16:46 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:23

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BWKrIT28Uk0

We orbit the Sun, Sun orbits the center of the Milky Way, but what does the Milky Way orbit? Can we still catch up with Oumuamua? Is the Big Crunch a ruled-out theory? And in Q&A+, have we seen a phenomenon we can't yet explain?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:26 [@jonathanchamberlain6260] What does the Milky Way orbit?

• 04:21 [@paulwilson1529] Could we still catch up with Oumuamua?

• 08:28 [@bakkos_bakkos] Is The Big Crunch a ruled out theory?

• 13:35 [@kamleshpatel6817] Why can't gravitational waves travel faster than light?

• 15:23 [@paigepotter4682] Is there an astronomical phenomenon where you think we’ve probably seen the evidence already, but haven’t realized what we’re looking at yet?

• 18:51 Final thoughts

BONUS PART STARTS AT 43:25

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/izP3FsO9u8o

PBS Spacetime video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OM0zTfdsPo
Professor David Kipping's channel:  @CoolWorldsLab 

We've done a lot of searching for extraterrestrial life over the years. But how good was it? Did we look hard enough or deep enough? Is it too early for conclusions? Could do a better job? If so, how? Figuring out in this interview.

🟣 Guest: Dr. Ben Zuckerman

📜 Broadband Searches for Extraterrestrial Technological Intelligence: a New Strategy To Find Nearby Alien Civilizations https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.07333

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:36 SETI

• 05:07 How deep did we look

• 24:12 What could we have done differently

• 36:57 Most satisfying answer to the Fermi Paradox

• 43:25 BONUS PART: pollution of white dwarfs

• 53:01 Current obsessions

• 57:14 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:56

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cdHAMQf1Fnk

When will we see the surfaces of exoplanets? What non-western telescopes should we expect? Where are all the big promised results from Vera Rubin? And in Q&A+, how to get in space journalism and is it worth it now?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:33 [@theindianking3000] Will Roman see exoplanets better than JWST?

• 03:13 [@fwd79] Which non-western space telescopes are coming?

• 05:55 [@paulwilson1529] How packed is the asteroid belt?

• 07:35 [@GadZookz] Are there any calories on the Moon or Mars?

• 10:26 [@rilanfelnar2698] Results from Vera Rubin. When?

• 13:56 [@absolute-doink] Any advice for someone interested in space journalism?

• 20:31 Final thoughts

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 15:59

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pkZ5tjeeiS0

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:33 Superflares are on the table https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-sun-is-physically-capable-of-producing-a-superflare-according-to-a-new-study

• 04:10 Direct image of the youngest exoplanet ever https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-directly-image-the-youngest-exoplanet-ever

• 05:56 Weather report for exoplanets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/researchers-develop-a-way-to-check-the-weather-on-a-exoplanet

• 07:34 Zombie white dwarf https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-zombie-white-dwarf-star-is-born-again-hallelujah

• 08:55 More on LRDs https://www.universetoday.com/articles/little-red-dots-are-the-seeds-of-quasars-and-supermassive-black-holes

• 11:10 Vote results

• 11:35 Smashed icy moons https://www.universetoday.com/articles/smashed-icy-moons-cool-too-rapidly-to-retain-oceans

• 13:57 Early galaxies https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-rare-distant-clump-of-early-galaxies-reveals-ancient-cosmic-secrets

• 15:59 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/earths-center-of-mass-drifts-less-than-we-thought

• 18:47 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:04

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XukdOeLfIgQ

What does matter and antimatter annihilate into? How do we know what happened before the CMB? Is outer space dirty? And in Q&A+, initial thoughts about Seestar S50 pro.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:48 [@SirIke49] What do matter and antimatter annihilate into?

• 05:00 [@nitstyles13] How do we know what happened before the CMB?

• 12:36 [@Wackyg6] Question from a 6 yr old. Is outer space dirty?

• 15:04 [@HavoJavo] Thoughts on the Seestar s50 pro

• 17:42 Final thoughts

BONUS PART STARTS AT 31:55

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OVcy19IcuIg

🟣 Guest: Dr. Dave Deboer

📜 The Lunar Farside Transients and Technology Telescope (LFT3) Mission https://arxiv.org/pdf/2607.25762

https://lft3.space/

A radio telescope on the far side of the Moon should become a reality very soon. How will it operate? What science will it do? Who and how will deliver it? Finding out in this interview.

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:59 Why the far side of the Moon?

• 08:01 Possible science

• 20:47 The potential survey

• 23:20 Getting to the Moon

• 31:55 Epoch of reionization

• 43:27 Current obsessions

• 46:03 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 17:28

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6utGiIvm2LE

Is combining multiple space telescopes the way to go? Can we detect ice-shell exoplanets? How feasible would a Starship space base be? And in Q&A+, why didn't CMB go past us?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:39 [@estraume] Space telescopes flying in formation

• 08:53 [@goatlord51] Do we have anything that can detect ice shell exo-planets?

• 14:26 [@kipnielsen8752] How feasible would a starship space station be?

• 17:28 [@zephyr9673] Why didn't CMB go past us?

• 19:59 Final thoughts

BONUS PART START AT 15:19

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hCgllDUvjMk

Interview with Martin Elvis about the Moon: https://youtu.be/CvFMw-kXIzs
Astronomy Cast video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZdAB_hwPeA

Maybe we won’t be living on cities on the Moon. A fresh new crater on the Moon, and it’s a biggie. Roman perfect launch adds years to its mission. Did the Sun eat a planet? And in Space Bites+, Mercury is shrinking faster than we thought.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:42 Problems for Moon Cities https://www.universetoday.com/articles/dont-get-your-hopes-up-for-a-city-on-the-moon

• 03:32 New Crater https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/moon/nasas-moon-orbiter-spots-new-once-in-century-moon-crater/

• 04:44 Roman Mission Already Extended https://www.universetoday.com/articles/from-10-to-22-years-the-nancy-grace-roman-space-telescopes-mission-has-just-been-extended
  https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/roman/2026/09/15/nasa-activates-romans-primary-instrument-checks-out-coronagraph/

• 08:34 Black Hole Hair https://www.universetoday.com/articles/if-black-holes-have-hair-we-will-see-it-in-the-ringdown-of-their-mergers

• 10:23 Vote results 10:45 The Sun May Have Swallowed a Planet https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-sun-may-have-swallowed-a-planet

• 13:17 Beauty by Webb https://www.universetoday.com/articles/webb-searches-for-brown-dwarfs-in-a-stunning-star-forming-region

• 15:19 BONUS STORY

• 17:40 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 09:07

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/koZUXaCXpYA

When Kepler failed, why didn't we just build another one? Do we know about all the potentially dangerous asteroids? Could one just come out of nowhere? And in Q&A+, which planets are more difficult to visit (the answer will surprise you)?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:22 [@paulcockerill4260] Why didn't NASA build another Kepler?

• 05:16 [@SeanMann-o6v] Are the near earth asteroids all known?

• 09:07 [@davew1959] Which planets are easier to visit?

• 13:49 Final thoughts