Is Earth actually a planet or not? Can dark matter be just black holes? Can a planet have a figure-eight orbit around binary stars? And in Q&A+, what happens if you put antimatter into a black hole?

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:31

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K3fcY-cizn4

🌶️ Add to The Pile of Spice: https://www.patreon.com/posts/147346705

• 00:00 Start

• 00:25 [@churchdiscography] Is Earth not a planet?

• 02:02 [@paulhatfield1333] Can a planet have a figure-eight orbit?

• 04:03 [@lucashouse9117] Can dark matter be black holes?

• 06:59 [@clarkholt7892] What would a star remnant look like through a telescope?

• 09:04 [@andyfry.wireless] Are we in the center of the Universe?

• 10:56 [@iancudmore9795] Are there more space publishers like me?

• 14:31 [@irri4662] Does dark matter contribute to black holes?

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 14:28

A lava tube found on Venus, China tests its new capsule and softlands a rocket, SpaceX shifts focus from Mars to the Moon, and in Space Bites+, 5 galaxies colliding in the early Universe.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:16 New image from EHT https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-collaboration-that-brought-you-the-first-image-of-a-black-hole-just-released-photos-of-its-massi

• 02:19 Lava Tube on Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/massive-venus-lava-tube-detected-using-data-from-nasas-long-defunct-magellan-spacecraft

• 04:43 China's Moon Rocket Test https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-02-11/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDg5MDIw/index.html

• 06:25 SpaceX pivots from Mars to Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spacex-makes-a-huge-pivot-wants-to-build-on-the-moon-instead

• 08:21 Another possible explanation for Little Red Dots https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-little-red-dots-observed-by-webb-were-direct-collapse-black-holes

• 11:17 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

• 11:55 Possible bright comet alert https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-sungrazer-comet-a1-maps-could-be-bright-in-early-april-if-it-survives-perihelion

• 13:46 More of 3I/ATLAS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-spherex-mission-spots-3iatlass-bright-envelope

• 14:28 BONUS STORY: 5 galaxy merger https://www.universetoday.com/articles/cosmic-collision-the-jwst-found-an-early-5-galaxy-merger

• 16:23 Why SpaceX plans make sense

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:22

Could Venus be turned into hell by an ancient civilization that lived on it? Why Dark Matter is not a theory? What's up with all the Great Attractor videos on YouTube? And in Q&A+, what's the current state of lava tube exploration?

👉 Dark Matter in NOT a Theory https://youtu.be/PbmJkMhmrVI

👉 Channels mentioned
https://www.youtube.com/@AstroAF/
https://www.youtube.com/@MaximumAstronomy
https://www.youtube.com/@frosthastrophotography/

• 00:00 Start

• 00:26 [@9999Joppe] Could an ancient civilization cause the greenhouse effect on Venus?

• 01:53 [@curtishorn1267] Dark matter is not a theory

• 12:11 [@evo1ov3] What is the Great Attractor?

• 16:22 [@brentcalaway] Missions to lava tubes

Japan’s space agency often flies under the radar, despite pursuing missions many larger agencies haven’t attempted. Like returning samples from Phobos or deploying a Toyota-built lunar rover. In this interview, we trace JAXA’s origins and the decisions that defined it.

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_u9ZJBLCDBQ

🟣 Guest: Dr. Subodhana Wijeyeratne https://subowijeyeratne.com/

📚 The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan's Space Programs https://bdo.wfu.mybluehost.me/the-islands-the-stars/

• 00:00 Intro

• 02:01 Researching JAXA

• 06:48 Star of Japan's space journey

• 16:05 Japan's first liquid fuel rocket

• 24:14 Japan's relationships with NASA and others

• 31:23 Lesser known projects

• 36:53 Dependency on the US

• 42:00 Excitement for the Future

• 44:41 Current obsessions

• 50:17 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 12:43

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aALqt_Ng0dU

• 00:00 Start

• 00:26 [@ar-visions] Are white dwarf a solution for Dyson spheres?

• 02:41 [@gumby2ms] How will Vera Rubin's data releases work?

• 06:48 [@karandeepgill5589] How much of a galaxy does the SMBH take up?

• 09:47 [@hangmann747tinmann8] Where do magnetars come from?

• 12:43 [@logicbug] What if the laws of physics are not uniform across the Universe?

BONUS STORY starts at 19:42

👉 Interview about Europa with Dr. Paul Byrne https://youtu.be/Sj3JwQde-b8
👉 Interview about Magnetars with Dr. Genevieve Schroeder https://youtu.be/Q3JGdARjzTA
👉 How AI Destroyed My Job: https://youtu.be/HjDD8xwU6s8

🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

Another reason why Europa might not be habitable, Artemis II is delayed for a month, Claude takes Perseverance for a drive, SpaceX is planning to launch data center satellites, and in Space Bites+, making discoveries in leftover data.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:15 New Measurements for Europa https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-juno-measures-thickness-of-europas-ice-shell

• 03:16 Ammonia on Europa https://www.universetoday.com/articles/cracks-on-europa-sport-traces-of-ammonia

• 04:40 No Artemis Launch in February https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-artemis-ii-spacecraft-on-the-launch-pad

• 06:34 Claude AI Took Over Percy https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-completes-first-ai-planned-drive-on-mars/

• 08:26 Many More Satellites for SpaceX https://www.universetoday.com/articles/elon-musk-lays-out-a-new-vision-of-ai-satellites-as-spacex-acquires-xai

• 12:06 New Shepard Paused For No Less Than 2 Years https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-to-pause-flights

• 13:18 Vital Molecule in Interstellar Space https://www.universetoday.com/articles/for-the-first-time-scientists-detect-molecule-critical-to-life-in-interstellar-space

• 15:09 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

• 15:42 Lava Tunnels for Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/venus-might-harbor-massive-subsurface-lava-tunnels

• 17:23 Kilonova simulation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt6vcy-hssA

• 18:36 Even Further Galaxies https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-webb-pushes-boundaries-of-observable-universe-closer-to-big-bang/

• 19:42 BONUS STORY

• 21:02 Missions that didn't happen

How will livestreams from Artemis be different from Apollo? Can planetary systems survive their stars exploding? Can a completely different life hide deep inside Earth? And in Q&A+, when should we expect new NIAC awards?

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:31

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N9PwTZFnMRc

🟣 Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/

• 00:00 It already happened

• 00:45 The downfall of ad-supported media

• 05:08 My response

• 06:44 What's next?

Will AI help us to create a warp drive? Could aliens even survive a trip to Earth? What would happen if you fire a powerful beam at a black hole? And in Q&A+, which part of the Universe does the CMB show us?

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:06

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/a7CKyGeiMEY

JWST is still up there and working 24/7. There are papers coming out every day based on the results from Webb. What's the current status of JWST? What are the latest discoveries? What should we expect next from it? Finding out in this interview.

BONUS PART STARTS AT 28:29

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vcgUQy1SXdc

🟣 Guest: Dr. Andreas Faisst https://sites.astro.caltech.edu/~afaisst/

📜 Young Galaxies Grow Up Fast https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/young-galaxies-grow-up-fast

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:41 How JWST changed Cosmology

• 05:36 Surprising findings from Webb

• 13:50 The role of super-massive black holes

• 17:09 The mystery of little red dots

• 21:57 What to watch for

• 28:39 DUUUST

• 35:57 Current obsessions

• 40:06 Final thoughts