Universe Today Podcast

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:29

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ouw_AobGQ2M

CosmoQuest Artemis Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUhAPm8PNdY
CosmoQuest: https://cosmoquest.org/

What could the great filter be? How visible is the human race to outside observers? How would astronomy work in a cosmic void? And in Q&A+, what would happen if a black hole suddenly approached?00:00 Intro

• 00:26 [@moosekeeto] What could the Great Filter be?

• 02:17 [@wookalarcentral] What do cosmic coincidences mean?

• 04:24 [@MikeD_] Could advanced civilizations communicate in a way we can't detect?

• 06:05 [@doogle4144] How 'visible' is the Human race?

• 08:56 [@mmorgan7212] How would astronomy work if we lived in a cosmic void?

• 13:40 [@AEFisch] Why do scientists call a black hole a singularity?

• 16:28 New citizen science project

🟣 Guest: Dr. John Banovetz https://www.bnl.gov/world/

📜 Uncovering the Next Galactic Supernova with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.12094

We should be getting 1-2 supernovae per century in a galaxy like the Milky Way. Yet, the last one observed was about 1000 years ago? Where are all the galactic supernovae? Why don't we see enough of them. Can Vera Rubin help? Finding out in this interview.

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:41 Supernovae in the Milky Way

• 09:33 Why don't we see the supernovae

• 13:32 Vera Rubin 24:37 Working with the data pipeline

• 39:10 Current obsessions

• 41:08 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:16

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gac8HkEO9AE

How will we power the Moon bases? Which places will be the primary targets for the Habitable World Observatory? Which nuclear reactor is the new NASA proposal about? And in Q&A+, how long will it take to clear the L2 Lagrange point?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:26 [@Noonyuh] Could moonquakes or marsquakes cause problems for humans?

• 02:44 [@rJaune] Are there promising battery technology?

• 04:08 [@1000dots] Which nuclear reactor will NASA use for its new Mars mission?

• 09:20 [@smkolins] Is anyone setting up a public access list of new finds of Vera Rubin?

• 11:24 [@TestingTesting-1234] Where will HWO look first?

• 14:46 [@Matthew...1979] Could we see other planets in realtime?

• 16:16 [@C.Lo.87] How long to clear out L2?

• 17:22 Previously hidden content

Full livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/6oMnUsxwsQM

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 20:55

Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VHLROLaOCFc

There's a new scar on the moon. The Artemis II astronauts return home safely. A new survey has just wrapped up its scan for dark energy. Supermassive black holes ready to merge. And in Space Bites Plus, astronomers find one of the oldest stars in the universe.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:20 New Scar on The Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-moon-just-got-a-new-scar

• 02:20 Artemis 2 Recap https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-world-welcomes-the-crew-of-artemis-ii-home

• 04:33 DESI 5-year observations https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/04/15/desi-completes-planned-3d-map-of-the-universe-and-continues-exploring/

• 07:34 SMBHs about to merge https://www.universetoday.com/articles/two-monsters-one-galaxy-and-a-collision-100-years-away

• 10:04 Reuse of the New Glenn's booster https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/04/16/blue-origin-hot-fires-its-first-previously-flown-booster-prepares-for-weekend-launch/ 11:14 Blue Alchemist https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/from-moon-dust-to-moon-colonies/

• 12:32 Demarcation of Stars and Planets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/wheres-the-dividing-line-between-a-star-and-a-planet-ask-the-jwst

• 14:53 Vote results

• 15:51 Stardust in the clouds of Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/stardust-in-the-clouds-of-venus

• 17:25 More NASA Nuclear Missions https://www.universetoday.com/articles/exploring-the-moons-shadowy-craters-with-nuclear-powered-rovers

• 19:35 Most Powerful Telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-universes-most-powerful-telescope

• 20:55 BONUS STORY https://www.universetoday.com/articles/student-team-finds-one-of-the-oldest-stars-in-the-universe-that-migrated-to-the-milky-way

• 22:45 Even more space news

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 19:38

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N1yFECYcRYs

How can you wrap your head around the true scale of the Universe? Will humanity ever colonize gas giant moons? Can ISS missions compare to future Mars missions? And in Q&A+, did JWST produce any good science papers?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:25 [@chiroptile2881] Will humanity ever colonize the gas giants' moons?

• 04:32 [@nickstokes9386] How can you comprehend the scale of the Universe?

• 08:16 [@SantiagoT75] Is space less beautiful for our human eyes?

• 11:32 [@nephilim20111] Do ISS missions compare to future Mars missions?

• 19:38 [@derrickdibble3860] Any good papers been released from JWST?

• 22:36 Interviews with scientists

BONUS PART STARTS AT 27:40

Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nX5Ou28VGwQ

LISA Interview https://youtu.be/AUS8A9J3d5g
LIGO Interview https://youtu.be/_jmQVH9L8vI

🟣 Guest: Dr. Chiara Mingarelli https://www.chiaramingarelli.com/

📜 Fingerprints of Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Pulsar Timing Arrays https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.05722

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:41 Pulsar Timing Array

• 09:27 Detecting individual mergers

• 18:31 What's next?

• 27:40 Alternative ways of detecting black holes

• 41:14 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:57

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1rUTV39wcwM

Can we eliminate darkness at night with an orbital reflector? How long do the Voyagers have left? Why didn't JWST inspect some of the potential ocean worlds? And in Q&A+, could we see the Great Attractor unobscured?

• 00:00 Start

• 00:26 [@Asmo-RL] Why are Mars and Venus un the habitable zone though clearly uninhabited?

• 03:52 [@GigaSigma1] Can we put a reflector in orbit to eliminate darkness at night?

• 07:03 [@MLBrilliance] Can we see the Great Attractor unobscured?

• 11:01 [@bigglestintin] ow long will voyager 2's power last?

• 15:57 [@everythingcompute] Why didn't JWST look at Kepler 22B?

• 20:11 Outro

BONUS PART STARTS AT 37:54

Watch here (with no ads and a bouns part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/JMP7N_Dkga0

In the recent years we found out that a lot of asteroids are rubble piles. And we will be finding more of them. But it appears that Phobos might have a lot of characteristics of rubble piles. Which could have some really interesting consequences.

🟣 Guest: Dr. Harrison Agrusa https://hagrusa.github.io/

📜 Tidal disruptions of rubble piles: The case of Phobos https://arxiv.org/pdf/2602.21912

• 00:00 Intro

• 02:02 Rubble pile asteroids

• 17:39 DART mission aftermath

• 21:45 Best ways to deflect an asteroid

• 25:01 Phobos

• 37:54 LUCY mission

• 47:32 Current obsessions

• 50:54 Final thoughts

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 20:03

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

Artemis 2 is going well. The White House proposes to cut back NASA's budget. Webb looks at two protoplanetary systems. An entirely new class of stars. And in Space Bites Plus, Japan is planning a comet return mission.

SLS IR Video

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:18 Artemis 2 is going really well https://www.universetoday.com/articles/artemis-ii-mission-shares-first-photo-of-earth https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasa-releases-images-of-artemis-iis-flight-behind-the-moon

• 07:20 NASA Budget Cuts Amid Artemis 2 and Ignition Announcements https://www.planetary.org/articles/what-is-the-skinny-budget-and-what-does-it-mean-for-nasa

• 09:36 Two Planets Forming https://www.universetoday.com/articles/webbs-picture-of-the-month-features-two-planet-forming-disks-and-a-few-possible-planets

• 11:00 New Class of Star https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-new-class-of-star-merger-remnant

• 13:34 Idea for a Mercury Rover https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-mercury-rover-could-explore-the-planet-by-sticking-to-the-terminator

• 16:09 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

• 16:44 SuperCDMS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/supercdm-experiment-reaches-critical-temperature-bringing-it-one-step-closer-to-detecting-dark-matte

• 18:22 JWST's Hidden Treasure https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jwst-spies-once-hidden-treasures-in-the-w51-starbirth-crche

• 20:03 BONUS STORY https://www.universetoday.com/articles/jaxa-plans-to-bring-back-pristine-early-solar-system-samples-from-a-comet

• 21:22 Most influential space moments

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:22

Will Jupiter system become habitable? How much atmosphere could the Moon hold onto? Do quasars have a habitable zone? And in Q&A+, is transpirational cooling better than a heat shield?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:24 [@Shrouded_Gh05t] Do I think Europa or Titan has life on it?

• 03:42 [@GadZookz] If Venus had a moon would it be any different?

• 05:17 [@jamesmnguyen] What's the max atmosphere The Moon could hold onto?

• 06:44 [@Storm-Krow] Could current students work with James Webb or ELT?

• 09:49 [@PhoenixWarp1] Would Jupiter or Saturn become habitable during Sun's red giant phase? 10:49 [@ThexBorg] Do quasars have a habitable zone?

• 13:22 [@irwin2335] Transpirational cooling, better than a heat shield?

• 15:15 Outro