Universe Today Podcast

Long-chain hydrocarbons found on Mars, has dark energy been decreasing over time? a completely flat telescope lens, the center of the Milky Way contains a star grinder. And in our free version on Patreon, a new theory for the formation of Mercury.

Will astronauts be eventually replaced by robots in space? Is there a plan for a replacement for the Kepler telescope? Do Intuitive Machines failures mean that Starship HLS is kind of in danger? And in our free bonus question on Patron, will Artemis become 100% SpaceX? All this and more in this Q&A show.

Titan is the only known world except Earth that has liquid on its surface and a dense atmosphere. We are planning to send a nuclear helicopter called Dragonfly to explore it. What can we expect from Titan? Finding out in this interview.

Should we be colouring our star green to make it stand out for potential aliens? What would it take for a space station to be fully self-sufficient? What happened to LUVOIR which was supposed to be a bigger version of JWST? And in our free bonus question on Patreon, can you win a Nobel Prize by watching YouTube videos. All this and more in this Q&A.

Blue Ghost wraps up two busy weeks on the Moon with a sunset, good news, the death star isn’t pointing at us, and a new option for the Mars Sample Return mission. And our longer edition on Patreon, how supernovae could have caused two of Earth’s mass extinction events.

What would a black hole do if it was inside Uranus? What do I think about AI-generated content impersonating Universe Today? What telescope should you buy in 2025? And in our free extended version, the deepest rabbit hole I went into. All this and more in this Q&A show.

What is my biggest disappointment in the history of space exploration? Will the YR4 asteroid have a chance to hit the Moon? Does the solar gravitational lens need a coronagraph? And in our free extended version, how time dilation changes intergalactic travel? All this and more in this Q&A show.

As we put more and more satellites in orbit, chances of them colliding also increase. How can we manage that? How can we make sure that Kessler syndrome won't happen and keep all those satellites from destroying each other? Finding out in this interview.

Could we find a way to Earth from another part of a galaxy? Would people born on Mars grow taller to adopt to lower gravity? Can you jump off the surface of Pluto? And in our free bonus question on Patreon, what would happen if dark energy is disproved? All this and more in this Q&A.

Astronomers find 128 new moons for Saturn, four mini-Earths orbiting around Barnard’s Star, a new video from Blue Ghost 1, massive science budget cuts for NASA, and in our Patreon version, a bonus story about the return of the X-37b spaceplane.

Is it possible that some of the galaxies out there are made of antimatter? How transparent is science research across the world? Which of the Lagrange points is my favourite? And in our free bonus question on Patreon, how big can of a moon can the Earth sustain? All this and more in this Q&A show.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lands safely on the Moon, Athena… doesn’t, and another lunar mission goes missing. NASA shuts down more instruments on the Voyagers, and Europa Clipper makes a flyby of Mars. Starship explodes again. And in the free Patreon edition, how Vera Rubin could find another flyby target for New Horizons.

Did James Webb break the age of the Universe? Can we watch asteroids that are about to hit the Moon? How much of actuation astronomy is done on the ISS? Plus, in our extended version on Patreon, what shape do black holes take? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A.

Is there a risk of contaminating Earth with space-resistant bacteria when de-orbiting the ISS? What would be the next big outpost when humanity reaches Mars? What's the real shape of Lagrange points? Plus, in our bonus part on Patreon, could there be life in lava tubes. Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A show.

Astronomers saw a rare type of supernova in the galaxy NGC 2891. Finding out what was so special about it and why is it a perfect example of why we need the Vera Rubin Telescope as soon as possible.