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. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🌌 Zone of Avoidance interview: https://youtu.be/BpaEskYuBk0 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 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 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/_8EZb6NOauo 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 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? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/LrIYot5w5z8 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 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 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/BpaEskYuBk0 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 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 https://youtu.be/RvTwWZt1SRw 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 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? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/19phg5eP4Rs 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. 😍 [Interview+] Same video. No YT ads. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 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 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/CKZyAug7hIg 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. 🎁 [Q&A+] Same video. No YT ads. BONUS question, totally free : https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🚀 [Overtime] Even more Q&As https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 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? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/HEoZBSRPCVM 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. 😍 [Interview+] Same video. No YT ads. https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 🟣 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 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/iHLm9oHMsyM 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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. 🚀 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday 👉 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/community 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 https://youtu.be/c_RvcTNbVs4 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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: https://patreon.com/universetoday 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? 📺 VIDEO VERSION https://youtu.be/isOaeFT9PT8 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter No ads. Subscribe for FREE: https://universetoday.com/newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS Universe Today: https://universetoday.fireside.fm/ Astronomy Cast: http://www.astronomycast.com/ 📩 CONTACT FRASER frasercain@gmail.com ⚖️ LICENSE Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)