Universe Today Podcast

A mind-bending JWST image of the Orion Nebula, filled with rogue planets. Seeing the cosmic web. An explanation for a massive star that just disappeared.

If we want to send an interstellar probe to the nearest stars, getting there isn't the only problem. We explore non-trivial problems like getting the signal back from the probes, communicating within the swarm, choosing which data to send back and much more with Marshall Eubanks.

Is our galaxy's black hole still consuming stars? When will we finally figure out dark matter? Can James Webb last until it exhausts its fuel and not break before that? How should we name exoworlds? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A show.

JWST has shown us what the modern infrared telescope is capable of. But it's not far-infrared. There are no space telescopes operating in that spectrum at the moment. But why? And what would we be able to see if we had one? Let's find out with Dr David Leisawitz, Chief at NASA Science Proposal Support Office.

OSIRIS-REx delivers its asteroid samples back to Earth. India is losing hope to contact its lunar mission. James Webb is finally seeing baby galaxies coming together in the early Universe.

What's the best way to use telescope time to search for exoplanets? How many will we be able to find in a best-case scenario? What future missions will help us with that? Answering all these questions and more with Dr Ben Hord from NASA Goddard.

How big will the successor of James Webb and Hubble be regarding Starship faring? Can we communicate using something else from radio waves? How can a rogue planet have a liquid ocean? Could aliens look similar to creatures on Earth? How can we detect plate tectonics on exoplanets? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A with Fraser.

This is a sneak peek into our monthly Patreon-exclusive podcast we call Shareholders Meeting. Patreon is the reason we can keep the entire podcast feed free from ads and sponsor integrations. So, if you want to help us keep it this way and get additional perks, like a cool exclusive podcast in addition to all our other content – join our Patreon.

James Webb detects carbon dioxide on the surface of Europa. A full metal exoplanet. Searching for tiny dyson spheres. And learning how black holes eat so quickly.

Have astronomers found the first signs of life on an exoplanet? So much James Webb news. The closest black hole to Earth. NASA gives its report on UAPs.

What's going on with the Hubble Tension and does it really imply a Crisis in Cosmology? How to stay sceptical but at the same time keep an open mind? What big discoveries should we expect in the coming future? Looking for answers to all these questions with Dr Ethan Siegel.

Starship could be almost ready to fly. The smallest possible Mars colony. Three more space missions launched this week. And a new look at China’s next-generation crew capsule and lunar lander.

The center of our Galaxy is a mystery. It is full of dust which most telescopes can't see through. But with James Webb we can look into it. What hides deep in the middle of the Milky Way? Finding out with Dr Adam Ginsburg.

Which JWST image is the best so far? To answer that, we did a series of polls among our community with a quarter-final round, semi-final and the final. Can my fellow space YouTubers guess which one turned out to be the winner? Do they agree with your decision? Let's find out!

An exoplanet denser than steel. The Whirlpool Galaxy from JWST. We finally learn where the solar wind comes from. The ISS is getting gigabit internet.

There is a disagreement in measurements of the Hubble constant often referred to as The Crisis in Cosmology. One way to solve it is to observe redshift drift. However, it requires lengthy observations. But my guest, Dr Geraint Lewis, has a hack up his sleeve — gravitational lensing.