Universe Today Podcast

Where can we observe the effects of dark matter? How did all satellites survive the recent solar storms? Why auroras can show different colours? If we found Planet X, could we even observe it? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A show.

NASA selected the Agnostic Life Finder (ALF) for Phase 1 in 2024. It will be studying a possibility to search for existing and past life on Mars alongside the in situ resource utilization process. How will this device work and what potential implications could it have? Finding out with Dr Jan Spacek.

A proposal for a giant new space telescope, a Venus-sized world in a star’s habitable zone, Vera Rubin gets its camera, and the first data release from Euclid.

Getting to Enceladus is cool. However, it's not yet possible because there isn't enough budget for it. How can we make missions like that happen despite the budget limitations? Finding out the answers with Dr Manasvi Lingam.

A new answer for Mars methane, BepiColumbo is having thruster problems, three of the oldest stars in the Universe found nearby, and the best auroras in decades.

How exactly does Gaia operate? What should we expect from it in the near future? When and why will it come to an end? And what comes after Gaia? Finding out the answers with Dr Berry Holl.

SpaceX announces their new spacewalking suit, China is off to the Moon again, progress on Vera Rubin, and take a one-way trip into a black hole.

How can we improve ALMA? What are the benefits of having a single big submillimeter telescope? What could we discover if the AtLAST telescope project goes through? Figuring out the answers with Dr Claudia Chicone.

How can we let aliens know we're here? What does a lunar eclipse look like as seen from the Moon? Can we record a supernova in real time? Why aren't coronagraphs just circles? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A show.

When humans will return to the Moon they will need a lot of assistance to set up a settlement and carry out all the missions. They will need a lot of robots to do that. How exactly will it pan out? Figuring out with Professor Yang Gao from King's College London.

Webb sees weather on an exoplanet, takes a new image of the horsehead nebula, and a satellite takes a close up image of a piece of space debris.

What are the limits of James Webb when it's looking for Earth-like atmospheres? What can we possibly find out? Is there any hope for red dwarf stars and their planets to have a potential for habitability? Finding out the answers with Evelyn Macdonald.

How can we protect antimatter-powered rockets from space dust? Will curing cancer solve deep space travel? What happens when planets align? Does dark matter lose angular momentum? Answering all these questions and more in this week's Q&A.

Juno sees a lava lake on Io, Voyager 1 isn’t spouting nonsense any more, Titan Dragonfly gets the greenlight from NASA, and TESS finds its first rogue planet.

Why don't they just build a bigger version of James Webb for Starship? What's the pressure inside Europa's oceans? How can you measure a day on a planet without a surface? Answering all these questions and more in this week's question show.

A piece of the ISS smashed into a house in Florida. Evidence for the first stars in the Universe. NASA is having to rethink its Mars Sample Return mission.