Universe Today Podcast

Is the Earth at the center of a giant void? Did a star fly through the Solar System billions of years ago messing up the orbits of some objects? Comet 3i/ATLAS is the oldest comet ever seen. Look at the picture to celebrate the third anniversary of Webb. And in Space Bites Plus, covering a crater on the moon with a concrete dome to build a pressurised habitat.

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00:00 Intro

00:19 Are we in a void?

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/are-we-in-a-giant-void-that-would-help-explain-the-hubble-tension

02:57 Dwarf galaxies

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-milky-way-could-be-surrounded-by-100-satellite-galaxies

04:08 Orbital resonance with Uranus

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/scientists-discover-uranus-has-a-dancing-partner

05:25 Clues of an ancient stellar flyby

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/astronomers-use-the-colours-of-trans-neptunian-objects-to-track-an-ancient-stellar-flyby

06:57 Oldest comet in history

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/newly-discovered-interstellar-comet-is-billions-of-years-older-than-the-solar-system

08:24 Sunspots

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/scientists-solve-400-year-old-solar-mystery

09:44 Vote results

10:19 Source of Earth's water

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/earth-was-born-with-water-no-delivery-needed

12:12 DUUUUUST

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/where-does-cosmic-dust-come-from-the-jwst-provides-an-answer

13:58 Portrait of a galaxy cluster

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/portrait-of-a-galaxy-cluster

14:44 Closest pic of the solar atmosphere

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/this-is-the-closest-picture-ever-taken-of-the-sun

15:37 JWST 3rd anniversary

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/celebrate-the-jwsts-third-anniversary-with-this-stunning-image

16:35 Guide to space

17:24 [Space bites+]

https://www.patreon.com/collection/125670

18:03 What's the deal with Patreon

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What would be the best possible space mission if budget restrictions didn't exist? Why don't we launch all rockets from ships in the sea? Where are the stars that formed with our Sun? And in Q&A+ where is the center of the Universe?

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00:00 Start

00:30 [John Hoy] Dream space mission when budget isn't a concern?

04:20 [Adam Redwine] Which places are best for launching rockets to different altitudes?

06:20 [Chris Nelsynels] How are we looking for the Sun's siblings?

07:48 [MouseDestruction] Stirling engines in space?

10:23 [Ivan M] What's the density of a black hole?

14:37 [xXPhiliPXx6541] What are the pros and cons of launching rockets from ships?

17:49 [Aaron ball] What's coming after the ISS?

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If you were dropped in a random place in space, how would you find your way home? New Horizons tackled this problem with a first interstellar navigation demonstration. Using parallax in real time to determine its position in space. How did they pull it off and what other interesting things can spacecraft do? Finding out in this interview.

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🟣 Guest: Dr Tod Lauer

https://staff.noirlab.edu/tod.lauer/

📜 A Demonstration of Interstellar Navigation Using New Horizons

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.21666

00:00 Intro

01:48 Finding your way home from a random place in the galaxy

05:58 Test with New Horizons

19:19 Science with New Horizons after its main mission

26:02 The era of JWST

34:49 The Question to ask

37:58 Current obsessions

43:07 Final thoughts

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Can somebody really enforce any space treaties and do they make any sense? What's a better future, colonies on Mars or on giant rotating spaceships? What's India's space program been up to lately? And in Q&A+, would I take a one-way ticket to Mars?

🦄 Support us on Patreon:

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00:00 Start

00:28 [Iamsick] Mars vs O'Neil cylinders

02:08 [busybillyb33] How enforceable is the Outer Space Treaty?

06:04 [Tarun Pulikanti] Thoughts on India's space station ambitions

08:23 [Doogle] How difficult is it to see the Orion Nebula?

10:21 [Larry Tilghmon] Why did Oumuamua leave our solar system so easily while we cannot?

11:58 [GTP_VEXD] What is a light year and why do we use them?

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A star detonated as a supernova, twice. Trump chooses his new NASA Administrator. Why deflecting asteroids is much more complex than we thought.And on Space Bites Plus, how your flight home could signal an alien civilization.

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00:00 Intro

00:19 Star detonated as supernova ... twice

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-star-detonated-as-a-supernova-twice

02:27 Rogue planet hiding in Hubble data

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/old-hubble-space-telescope-photos-unlock-the-secret-of-a-rogue-planet

03:44 Deflecting asteroids is harder than we thought

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/deflecting-asteroids-isnt-simple-according-to-new-data-from-dart

05:23 Dark matter in brown dwarfs

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/dark-matter-could-create-dark-dwarfs-at-the-center-of-the-milky-way

06:36 New interim NASA Administrator

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/sean-duffy-named-interim-nasa-administrator

07:38 2100+ Senior NASA Employees Gone

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/09/nasa-staff-departures-00444674?utm_campaign=FIRST+UP+2025-07-10&utm_content=China+s+increasingly+sophisticated+maneuvers+in+space&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ActiveCampaign

08:53 Vote results

https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

09:22 "Impossible" rings of Quaoar

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/quaoars-atmosphere-doesnt-exist-and-its-rings-shouldnt

11:08 Hubble vs JWST

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/two-powerful-space-telescopes-are-better-than-one

12:10 Sprite from the ISS

https://x.com/Astro_Ayers/status/1940810789830451563

13:30 3I/Atlas from VLT

https://www.eso.org/public/videos/potw2527a/

14:35 Newsletter

https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

15:48 Bonus story: signalling aliens about us

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/how-your-flight-home-could-be-broadcasting-earths-location-to-aliens

16:21 Huge Patreon Q&A

https://www.patreon.com/posts/patron-questions-133776836

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Will dust make interstellar travel impossible? Is Oumuamua unique in its weird cigar-like shape? How many nuclear reactors will we need on the Moon? And in Q&A+, does studying the Universe have no endgame? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.

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00:00 Start

00:27 [@scottycartercom] My favourite planet and moon

00:51 [@Beedubz76] Are there any objects that are similar to Oumuamua?

03:52 [@askani21] Will dust make interstellar travel impossible?

06:29 [@fredjonestowns4213] How long until we reach Enceladus?

08:41 [HammmmerFan] How will society respond if we actually find evidence of alien life?


10:31 [@anniealexander9911] What's my favourite Lagrange point?

11:25 [@johnrasnic195] Will people put Moon bases in caverns?

12:31 [Encodedpr] How many nuclear reactors will we need on the Moon?

13:42 [@gangsterdaddy510] Data rates from distant spacecraft

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Will there be a northern hemisphere version of Vera Rubin? Or maybe we can put one straight in space? Can Vera Rubin detect alien spacecraft if they ever visit? And if it finds planet 9, how fast will we be sending a mission there? And in Q&A+, how many planets will be out there if we reinstate Pluto as one? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.

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00:00 Start

00:32 [@richardg1577] How do astronomers track newly discovered asteroids by Vera Rubin?

01:56 [@rodtolosa4594] Will Vera Rubin detect an alien spacecraft?

02:58 [@estraume] Are there plans for a Northern hemisphere version of Vera Rubin?


05:07 [skygunner777] Vera Rubin telescope but in space?

08:08 [@nigeldawson5960] How do they keep Vera Rubin's mirrors clean?

09:15 [@austinsapp5867] Could Planet 9 be geologically active?

11:26 [@kasieream1248] Would we be able to launch a mission to Planet 9?

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What are the cosmic dark ages and what do we know about them? Why are the so hard to study? How can the Dark Age Explorer help with it and why does it need to go on the far side of the Moon? Finding out in this interview.

😍 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads.

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🟣 Guest: Dr Christiaan Brinkerink

https://www.ru.nl/en/externals/services/radboud-radio-lab

📜 The Dark Ages Explorer (DEX): a filled-aperture ultra-long wavelength radio interferometer on the lunar far side

https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.03418

00:00 Intro

02:31 Cosmic dark ages

14:23 21cm line

19:03 Current instruments

25:00 Dark Ages Explorer

41:20 Science objectives

50:47 Working with EHT

58:09 Current obsessions

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Astronomers have discovered a third interstellar object. NASA missions are getting prepared to be shut down. The most massive white dwarf has been found. And in Space Bites Plus, a capsule containing human remains and cannabis seeds crashes into the ocean.

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00:00 Intro

00:19 Third interstellar object

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/inbound-astronomers-discover-third-interstellar-object

03:01 NASA budget cuts

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/07/trump-administration-moves-to-tighten-the-noose-around-nasa-science-missions/

05:17 Nancy Grace Roman telescope progress

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/roman-telescope-core-components-complete-vibration-testing

06:26 Exoplanet around a quiet red dwarf

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/gj-12-b-earth-sized-planet-orbiting-a-quiet-m-dwarf-star

08:13 Citizen scientists help observe exoplanet transit

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/worldwide-team-of-citizen-scientists-help-confirm-a-tricky-exoplanet

09:27 Vote results

https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community

10:07 Chonkiest white dwarf

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-supermassive-white-dwarf-is-pulsating-rapidly-revealing-details-of-its-interior

12:00 Pack of quasars

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-dense-group-of-quasars-form-the-cosmic-himalayas

13:23 Tianwen-2 looks back

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/tianwen-2-looks-back-at-the-earth

14:44 More space news

15:51 Bonus story

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Which type of planet that's not in the Solar System is the most interesting? Can we detect an interstellar black hole? Should science journalists report about non-conventional science theories? And in our extended Q&A+ version, will the success of Vera Rubin stimulate building a northern hemisphere version of it?

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00:00 Start

00:30 [SaekobusujimaESO] Can we launch an amateur telescope into space?

02:43 [No Thanks] What's my favourite type of planet absent from the Solar System?

04:15 [E Eliashar] Are we really alone in the Universe?

08:42 [Alisdair Condie] How can we be so special?

09:25 [Graham W] Could you detect an interstellar black hole if it passed in front of a star?

12:17 [Motion Theory] Should science journalists explore unconventional theories?

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