Universe Today Podcast

Have we finally found the source of ultra-high energy cosmic rays? Our first look at the Sun’s south pole, New Glenn slips again, what kind of damage would rockets do to the ozone layer? And in Space Bites+, a pair of quasars that dominated Cosmic Noon.

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00:00 Intro

00:23 Source of cosmic rays

https://phys.org/news/2025-06-cosmic-rays-astrophysicists-closer.html

03:25 First ever view of the Sun's pole

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-solar-orbiter-is-giving-us-a-decisive-look-at-the-suns-poles

05:10 Detailed view of the Sun

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-suns-identity-crisis-solved

06:30 New Glenn launch slips again

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/06/second-new-glenn-launch-slips-toward-fall-as-program-leadership-departs/

08:12 Vote results

08:59 Rockets and the ozone layer

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-025-01098-6

11:10 Sunshade to combat climate change

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/would-a-planetary-sunshade-help-cool-the-planet-this-mission-could-find-out

13:01 Star formation in the center of the Milky Way

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-galactic-center-struggles-to-form-massive-stars

14:46 Colliding Galaxies

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/colliding-galaxies-tearing-at-each-other-with-gravity-and-radiation

15:45 A planet forming

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/youre-looking-at-a-newly-forming-planet

17:12 More space news

18:09 Bonus story

18:26 NASA's SMM

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At what point we should just admit defeat and give up on our search for dark matter? Should we be sending a lot of cheap space probes instead of a single expensive one? If the Universe is rotating, where is the axis? And in our Q&A+ version, how to make a friend fall in love with Astronomy? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A.

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• 00:00 Start

• 00:30 [Tyler] Have we ever sent a swarm of really cheap probes instead of a single expensive one?

• 03:03 [Nithin Cleetus] If the Universe is rotating, around which axis does it do that?

• 04:31 [Trinidatt] What are the requrements to get a gravitational lens?

• 07:36 [estraume] Any updated on the idea of air-breathing ion engines?

• 09:10 [Andreas Lusti] How do I arrange my interviews?

• 12:39 [Frosty⛄️Winnipeg] When will I get an asteroid named after me?

• 15:05 [Maciej Jurkowski] How long will we be searching for dark matter before giving up?

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For a long time the central part of our galaxy was mostly hidden from us because of all the dust. It was even called the Zone of Avoidance. But with better telescopes and modern techniques we can peer inside and reveal what's hiding. Even build 3D-maps of the region.

😍 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads.

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🟣 Guest: Dr Cara Battersby

https://battersby.physics.uconn.edu/

📜 3D Structure of our Galaxy’s Central Molecular Zone

https://centralmolecularzone.github.io/3D_CMZ/

00:00 Intro

01:46 Zone of Avoidance

12:15 3D-map of the Central molecular zone

16:36 Star formation

22:58 Unsolved questions

27:59 Current obsessions

28:36 PRIMA mission with NASA

35:01 Final thoughts

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The White House pulls Jared Isaacman’s nomination, the 2026 NASA budget is released, the Hubble Tension might not be a problem after all, the Milky Way and Andromeda might not merge after all. And on SpaceBites+, which ozone isn’t a good biosignature.

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00:00 Intro

00:22 No Jared for NASA

https://arstechnica.com/space/2025/05/trump-pulls-isaacman-nomination-for-space-source-nasa-is-fed/

01:57 NASA budget request

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-fy-2026-budget-request-has-been-released

04:36 ispace failed another Moon landing

05:34 Hubble tesion possible solved?

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/is-the-hubble-tension-starting-to-go-away

08:27 Milkdromeda might not happen

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-hubble-just-cancelled-the-milky-way-andromeda-collision

10:09 Pluto

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/webb-watches-haze-rise-and-fall-in-plutos-atmosphere

11:58 Vote results

12:38 Europa

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/webb-reveals-that-europas-surface-is-constantly-changing

14:54 Monitoring solar storms

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/advanced-orbital-constellations-for-solar-storm-defense

16:27 Starship missions to Mars

https://www.universetoday.com/articles/missions-to-mars-starship-three-months

19:02 Newsletter

19:43 Bonus story

19:58 Realism in SciFi

📺 VIDEO VERSION

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How big does a planet has to be to make it impossible to fly a rocket from it? Why are aliens always portrayed expansionistic? Can a supernova make us all go extinct? And in our extended Q&A+ edition, is terraforming Mars necessary for finding life there? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.

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• 00:00 Start

• 00:30 [knallpistol] How can stars in globular clusters be so close yet so far?

• 03:28 [Mister Ikkus] Why everyone imagines aliens to be expansionistic?

• 05:28 [Matthew Reuter] What's the limit on a planet's mass to get stuck on one?
  

• 07:51 [James Valley] Can a supernovae take us out?

• 08:50 [Paige Potter] When we colonize other places, will Earth become a concept rather than a place?

• 10:50 [Vicente Hdez] What have been the keys to staying constantly active in astronomy communication?

• 14:56 [Pete Harris] What to see in the Southern Hemisphere's night sky?

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What's the difference between a nova and a supernova? What's the mechanism behind their explosions? What instruments are used to observe them at the moment? Finding out in this interview.

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🟣 Guest: Cameron Pfeffer

https://www.cameronpfeffer.space/

🟣 Dr. Chris Ashall’s supernova research group

https://chrisashall.com/my-group/

https://csp.obs.carnegiescience.edu/

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:30 What is a Type-1a supernova

• 07:55 Observations with JWST

• 15:03 Current state of supernova research

• 24:37 Survey telescopes

• 36:04 Current obsessions

• 40:12 Final thoughts

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How much of our atmosphere is lost to space and should we be actively replenishing it? Is there an exact copy of Earth out there hiding in the Universe? Can we use the Sun to send messages? And in our extended Q&A+ version, how the advancements in AI will change astronomy? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A.

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• 00:00 Start

• 00:30 [Naveed] Can we use the Sun to send messages?

• 03:49 [jeff miller] Can we replace the atmosphere we're loosing to space?

• 04:40 [Ghostdog4] When will Betelgeuse finally become a supernova?

• 06:35 [[PMG] Corey] How is JWST changing our understanding of cosmology?

• 10:38 [gtziavelis] Is there a copy of Earth somewehre out there in the Universe?

• 13:59 [Lance Haring] Do black holes poop dark matter?

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Launching Breakthrough Starshot light sail probes to Alpha Centauri requires a lot of new tech, including the actual light sails. How do you make the optimal material to maximize the size with minimising mass? Finding out in this interview.

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🟣 Guest: Lucas Norder

https://www.tudelft.nl/en/staff/l.norder/

📜 Pentagonal photonic crystal mirrors: scalable lightsails with enhanced acceleration via neural topology optimization

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57749-y

• 00:00 Intro

• 02:11 Current state of tech

• 04:58 Nano-holes in reflective material

• 11:08 Manufacturing techniques

• 14:23 Practical applications

• 20:58 Possible prototypes

• 25:57 Current obsessions

• 30:21 Final thoughts

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China’s asteroid sample return mission launches, searching for a companion star for Betelgeuse, the 9th flight test wraps up for Starship and Superheavy, and Webb takes its longest exposure yet. And in SpaceBites+, is Venus hiding deadly asteroids.

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• 00:00 Intro

• 00:30 Mystery object discovered
  
  

  • https://www.universetoday.com/articles/strange-object-is-releasing-regular-blasts-of-both-x-rays-and-radio-waves

• 02:46 Searching for Bettel-Buddy
  
  

  • https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-search-is-on-for-betel-buddy

• 05:07 China's asteroid sample return mission launched
  
  

  • https://www.universetoday.com/articles/chinas-tianwen-2-is-off-to-collect-an-asteroid-sample

• 06:40 China's reusable rocket test
  
  

  • https://news.cgtn.com/news/2025-05-29/Chinese-commercial-rocket-completes-vertical-sea-recovery-test-1DMefpHW0qQ/p.html

• 07:50 Starship IFT-9
  
  

  • https://www.universetoday.com/articles/after-awesome-launch-starship-spins-out-of-control

• 09:58 Vote results
  
  

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

• 10:34 Black holes but in colour
  
  

  • https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-event-horizon-telescopes-next-feat-multi-color-pictures-of-black-holes

• 12:44 New discoveries about M87 SMBH
  
  

  • https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.17035

• 15:00 Webb's longest exposure
  
  

  • https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-webb-captures-faint-galaxies-from-the-universes-ancient-past

• 16:21 More space news

• 17:31 [Space Bites+] bonus story

• 17:46 Some people just don't understand interviews

📺 VIDEO VERSION

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Can we make the Van Allen belts safe to fly through? Why not get a super gravity assist from the Sun? Can we predict the next supernova in the Milky Way? And in our extended Q&A+ version, what's going on with the ocean rocks producing electricity at the bottom? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.

🦄 Support us on Patreon:

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• 00:00 Start

• 00:30 [Marcus Mark] Can we drain the Van Allen belts from radioactive particles?

• 01:17 [Sean] Can we get a super gravity assist from the Sun?

• 02:38 [Midatlanticriverrat] Are discoveries from JWST a turning point in our understanding of astronomy?

• 04:07 [Abdullah Hussain] When will we see the next supernova in the Milky Way?

• 05:06 [Jason Darkholm] What does discovering water ice around another star mean for astrobiology?

• 06:55 [Leigh Taylor] What am I the most excited about?

• 07:43 [emynsilque] What is the max possible wavelength of light?

• 08:40 [pewterhacker] Can journalistic integrity survive in the age of clicks and algorithms?

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