Should we be concerned about China's progress in space? Is their progress held back by a lack of cultural freedom? Which space-set book story desperately needs a movie adaptation? and in Q&A+, the best space-set movie that's factually accurate

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00:00 Start

00:24 [2Evil2Hope] Are we concerned about China?

09:41 [mr man] Is China's science held back by lack of cultural freedom?

13:13 [Alan Laurie] Which book should be turned into a movie?

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How can we realistically get under the ice of Europa? Why Venus is such an under appreciated destination for spacecraft? What is the shape of the Universe? And in Q&A+ what would happen to Jupiter if it became a rogue planet?

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00:00 Start

00:26 [Knight Family] How do we drill down under the ice on Europa?

02:23 [kLONDIKE69 NONE] Why Venus is a good destination?

10:21 [Aaron Perelmuter] What's the size of the Universe?

13:20 [John Stanton] What's the shape of the Universe?

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This is an interview with me on The Last Easy Mile podcast with Josh Farahi.

Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_FR_ZvPc3U&ab_channel=TheLastEasyMilePodcast

THE LAST EASY MILE: https://linktr.ee/TheLastEasyMilePodcast

In this episode, Fraser Cain—founder of Universe Today and co-host of Astronomy Cast—shares why space still matters. From watching meteor showers with your kids to seeing Saturn’s rings through binoculars in a city, Fraser offers practical ways to reconnect with awe. He reflects on raising science-minded kids, his love of tabletop RPGs, and how parents can create deeper imaginative experiences than screens can provide.

We also talk about the James Webb Space Telescope, the Mars rovers, and the Vera Rubin Observatory, which will capture time-lapse images of the sky. Fraser warns against the growing distrust of experts, advocating for humility, critical thinking, and Carl Sagan’s “baloney detection toolkit.”

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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.

😍 [Interview+] Bonus Part. No YT ads.

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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

📺 VIDEO VERSION

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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?

📺 VIDEO VERSION

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