Explore every episode of the podcast Universe Today Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Space Bites+] Destroying Asteroid YR4 // Bummer for Hycean Worlds // Water on Ryugu | 26 Sep 2025 | 00:21:30 | |
Should we destroy asteroid 2024 YR4 instead of letting it hit the moon? Why Hycean worlds probably don't exist. Liquid water once flowed on asteroid Ryugu. Space bytes+ a supermassive black hole that is breaking the Eddington limit. Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BdGH9jgSjkU | |||
| [Q&A] Landing on Venus, Neutron Stars Going Boom, Shape of the Oort Cloud | 25 Sep 2025 | 00:18:33 | |
Can neutron stars create an equivalent of Type 1a supernovae? Can you land on Venus without a parachute? How do we know the shape of the Oort cloud? And in Q&A+, what's going on with 3I/ATLAS' weird tail situation? | |||
| [Space Bites] 3I/ATLAS Is NOT Normal // JUICE Lost Contact // Mars' Lumpy Interior | 05 Sep 2025 | 00:23:05 | |
3I/ATLAS is very different from any comet we’ve ever seen before, Mars is filled with fragments from ancient impacts, ESA loses contact with JUICE right before an important flyby, and the highest resolution image of a solar flare ever seen. And on Space Bites+, why asteroid made of the same material can have different colors. 🔴 [Space Bites+] No ADS. BONUS Story. For FREE: 👉 Vote for the best story here: 00:00 Intro 📺 VIDEO VERSION 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS 📩 CONTACT FRASER ⚖️ LICENSE | |||
| [Q&A] Nearby Rogue Planets, Beaming Power from Space, Solar Sail Propulsion | 01 Apr 2025 | 00:21:44 | |
Could there be rouge planets floating in space between us and Alpha Centauri system? Will the Chinese be beaming power from a space station to Earth? Will solar sails be used for propulsion in our lifetime? And in our free bonus question on Patreon, how Lagrange points work for different planets and moons? Answering all these questions and more in this Q&A. | |||
| Episode 392: QA 41: Will We Ever Clear That Space Junk? and more... | 11 Jan 2018 | 00:22:14 | |
In this week's questions show, Fraser wonders how we're ever going to clear all that space junk orbiting Earth, whether it's better to colonize Mars or Mercury, and can water worlds explain the Fermi Paradox? | |||
| Episode 391: 337 - Life Beneath the Ice | 04 Jan 2018 | 00:11:16 | |
Forget rocky worlds like Earth and Mars. New discoveries about icy worlds like Europa and Enceladus make them the ideal candidates for the search for life in the Universe. In fact there could be hundreds, or even thousands of times more worlds out there with ability to support life. | |||
| Episode 390: 336 - What Do We Do With Dead Spacecraft | 02 Jan 2018 | 00:11:29 | |
We try to avoid thinking about it, but spacecraft are machines that break down and eventually fail. Some can last for years, others decades, but in the end they’ll be gone forever. | |||
| Episode 389: QA 40: When Will the Big Rip Happen and more... | 19 Dec 2017 | 00:22:06 | |
In this QA episode, Fraser wonders when the Big Rip might happen, could there be binary galaxies, what it would be like to live in higher gravity. | |||
| Episode 388: 335 - Why Did Mars Lose Its Atmosphere? | 15 Dec 2017 | 00:08:37 | |
Mars is in the spotlight now, as both SpaceX and NASA are preparing their long range plans to send humans to the Red Planet. But Mars is an inhospitable environment, especially because of its tenuous and poisonous atmosphere of carbon dioxide. | |||
| Episode 387: 334 - Interstellar Asteroid | 12 Dec 2017 | 00:09:16 | |
On October 25, 2017, astronomers from NASA’s Minor Planet Center sent out an announcement that they needed help confirming the trajectory of an interesting object. | |||
| Episode 386: QA 39: Galactic Escape Velocity and More... Featuring Astronaut Terry Virts | 10 Dec 2017 | 00:22:55 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains why almost everything in the Solar System is spinning in the same direction, is there a limit to how massive black holes can get, and do galaxies have an escape velocity? | |||
| Episode 384: 333 - How Do Planets Shift Orbits | 07 Dec 2017 | 00:10:07 | |
We once thought our Solar System was normal, average. How wrong we were, how varied the planetary systems are out there. It turns out, the migration of planets played a huge role in the Solar System we see today. | |||
| Episode 383: QA 38: Measuring a Black Hole’s Spin and more. Featuring Andy Weir Author of the Martian | 01 Dec 2017 | 00:22:05 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains how astronomers measure the spin rate of black holes, other uses of gravitational slingshots, and why everyone is talking about Patreon. | |||
| Episode 382: QA 37: Why Am I Such a SpaceX Hater (or Fanboy)? And More... | 14 Nov 2017 | 00:25:24 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains his thoughts on SpaceX, what he does for his regular job, and wonders if you could use a black hole to perform gravitational slingshots, whether planets could hide in Lagrange points, and growing trees on Mars. | |||
| [Interview] Can We Fix Liquid Mirror Telescopes' Biggest Problem? | 31 Mar 2025 | 00:31:38 | |
Liquid mirror telescopes exist. But there's a big problem with them. They can only look directly up. Can we fix it? Can they work beyond the Earth's surface, in orbit or on the Moon? Finding out in this interview. | |||
| Episode 381: 331 - What Is Eternal Inflation | 13 Nov 2017 | 00:27:51 | |
In order to get the large scale structure of the Universe we see today, cosmologists have proposed the idea of inflation, that the Universe expanded an enormous amount in the earliest moments. But if inflation really happened, then it has even stranger implications for the nature of the Universe and the search for multiverses. | |||
| Episode 380: 330 - Going Back To The Moon | 08 Nov 2017 | 00:09:11 | |
On October 5th, 2017, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that NASA is going back to the Moon. He didn’t provide any other details, just some kind of moonward directed space exploration. And it turns out they won’t be the only ones. The Moon is going to be a busy busy place. | |||
| Episode 379: QA 36: Growing Plants in Lunar Regolith? And More | 30 Oct 2017 | 00:22:50 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders if we’ll be able to grow crops in lunar soil, if the Moon has been changing over time, and what title does Elon Musk get when he colonizes Mars. | |||
| Episode 378: 329 - What Is An Electric Sail | 24 Oct 2017 | 00:10:11 | |
We’re all familiar with the idea of solar sails to explore the Solar System, using the light pressure from the Sun. But there’s another propulsion system that could harness the power of the Sun, electric sails, and it’s a pretty exciting idea. | |||
| Episode 377: 328 - Kilonova | 20 Oct 2017 | 00:09:13 | |
Astronomers have made the groundbreaking detection of two neutron stars colliding in a galaxy 130 million light years away. They detected the gravitational waves AND the blast of radiation released from the collision, observing a kilonova for the first time. | |||
| Episode 376: 327 - Where Do Comets Come From | 19 Oct 2017 | 00:10:17 | |
Some comets orbit the Sun on a regular basis, but others come in from deep space, a region known as the Oort Cloud. What causes them to make this journey, and will we ever be able to explore the Oort Cloud? | |||
| Episode 375: QA 35: Best Place for a Telescope? And More | 17 Oct 2017 | 00:19:47 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders where would be the best place to put a really powerful telescope, why a kilonova is important, and what happens when brown dwarfs die. | |||
| Episode 374: QA 34: Will Ice Protect Us From Radiation? And More | 11 Oct 2017 | 00:16:52 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders if the Earth will get new moons, if dark energy is getting more diluted over time, and if the ice on Jupiter’s moons will protect us from its deadly radiation. | |||
| Episode 373: 326 - SpaceX Goes All in On The Big Freaking Rocket | 11 Oct 2017 | 00:11:15 | |
Elon Musk gave us an update on SpaceX’s plans to send humans to Mars, going all in on their new launch vehicle: the BFR. | |||
| Episode 372: 325 - Deep Space Gateway | 24 Sep 2017 | 00:10:13 | |
NASA is working on developing a space station in a cis-lunar orbit that will serve as the jumping off point to exploring the Solar System; it’s known as the Deep Space Gateway. | |||
| [Space Bites] Possible Solution for Hubble Tension // Weird Rock Found on Mars // Space Tornadoes | 28 Mar 2025 | 00:22:48 | |
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. | |||
| Episode 371: QA 33: Should We Sweep the Moon? And More, Featuring Scott Manley | 19 Sep 2017 | 00:17:35 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser searches for the most energetic collisions in the Universe, whether we should vacuum up dust on the Moon, and are there supernovae that don’t create black holes. | |||
| Episode 370: 324 - What Are Globular Clusters? | 10 Sep 2017 | 00:08:46 | |
One of the most beautiful and scientifically interesting objects in space are the globular clusters, containing hundreds of thousands of stars. What are they and where did they come from? | |||
| Episode 369: QA 32: Why Can’t James Webb Be Repaired? And More | 08 Sep 2017 | 00:19:46 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser explains why James Webb can’t be repaired if anything goes wrong, why we even need space telescopes in the first place, and his favorite methods of zipping around the Solar System. | |||
| Episode 368: 323 - Intermediate Mass Black Hole Discovered | 07 Sep 2017 | 00:08:07 | |
Astronomers have been searching for mid-weight black holes, and now they’ve found one, right here in the Milky Way. | |||
| Episode 367: 317 - What Missions Have Been Cancelled | 05 Sep 2017 | 00:11:41 | |
Over the past decades, many missions have been canceled. What alternative history could we have had if these projects had gone through? | |||
| Episode 366: 318 - Where Are The Voyagers Now | 05 Sep 2017 | 00:11:26 | |
We’re nearly at the 40th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Voyager spacecraft. And they’re still going! Let’s remember these amazing missions. | |||
| Episode 365: 319 - What Are The Van Allen Belts | 05 Sep 2017 | 00:10:13 | |
The Van Allen Belts surround the Earth with deadly radiation. What can we do to get past them and escape into deep space? | |||
| Episode 364: 321 - Rise Of The Supertelescopes Part 2 | 05 Sep 2017 | 00:10:13 | |
In part 2 of this series, we look at the supertelescopes heading to space in the next few decades. | |||
| Episode 363: 320 - Rise Of The Supertelescopes Part 1 | 05 Sep 2017 | 00:12:03 | |
Astronomy is about to get much much more exciting, with a whole new class of enormous telescopes developed on Earth and in space. How much more powerful? What will we be able to see? | |||
| Episode 362: 322 - Supermassive Black Holes Or Galaxies | 05 Sep 2017 | 00:11:07 | |
It’s a mystery that’s puzzled astronomers for years. Which came first, supermassive black holes or the galaxies that surround them? | |||
| [Q&A] RoboAstronauts, Replacing Kepler, Starship HLS in Danger | 27 Mar 2025 | 00:20:08 | |
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 Patreon, will Artemis become 100% SpaceX? All this and more in this Q&A show. 🦄 Support us on Patreon:
📺 VIDEO VERSION 📰 GUIDE TO SPACE Newsletter 🎧 PODCASTS 📩 CONTACT FRASER ⚖️ LICENSE | |||
| Episode 361: QA 31: Is Contacting Aliens Our Worst Mistake? And More | 04 Sep 2017 | 00:15:34 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser wonders if science is the best tool we’ve got, if communicating with aliens is a wise idea, and how he feels about people falling asleep to his videos. | |||
| Episode 360: QA 30: Is the Earth Increasing or Decreasing in Mass? And More | 28 Aug 2017 | 00:17:57 | |
In this week’s question show, Fraser answers questions about dark matter black holes, the magnetospheres of exoplanets and whether the Earth is increasing or decreasing in mass. | |||
| Episode 359: QA 29: Are Generational Ships Possible? And more... | 04 Aug 2017 | 00:16:47 | |
In this week’s QA, Fraser worries about artificial super intelligence, getting flung out of the Milky Way. | |||
| Episode 358: 313 - What Happens During a Solar Eclipse | 30 Jul 2017 | 00:08:14 | |
North America is preparing itself for the August Eclipse, so we thought it would be a good time to explain how eclipses work and what’s going on as the Moon briefly destroys the Sun. | |||
| Episode 357: 315 - How Do We Protect Earth From Asteroids Part 2 | 29 Jul 2017 | 00:10:04 | |
Once we know where all the dangerous asteroids are, how do we prevent one from hitting Earth? | |||
| Episode 356: 314 - How Do We Protect Earth From Asteroids Part 1 | 29 Jul 2017 | 00:10:27 | |
We know we live in a cosmic shooting gallery. Who’s got their eyes on the sky, and how will we prevent an asteroid strike if we find a dangerous space rock? | |||
| Episode 355: 316 - Where Will The Space Launch System Take Us | 29 Jul 2017 | 00:10:04 | |
NASA is working on the most powerful rocket ever built: the Space Launch System. What could it be used for to explore the Solar System? | |||
| Episode 354: QA 28: Dealing with Conspiracy Theories and More... | 24 Jul 2017 | 00:22:13 | |
In this week’s questions show, Fraser explains how the Apollo astronauts got past the Van Allen Belt, bulking up brown dwarfs, and how to deal with conspiracy theories. | |||
| Episode 353: QA 27: Asteroid as a Space Ship and more... | 16 Jul 2017 | 00:20:27 | |
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks using an asteroid for a space ship, colonizing the whole galaxy, and whether you’ve got dark matter all around you. | |||
| Episode 352: 312 - Why Haven't We Gone Anywhere | 06 Jul 2017 | 00:11:04 | |
It’s been half a century since humans first set foot on the Moon? Why haven’t we gone back? Will we ever go anywhere interesting in space? | |||
| [Interview] Titan Is Much Stranger Than You Think | 26 Mar 2025 | 00:36:46 | |
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. | |||
| Episode 351: QA 26: Faster Than Light Into the Past? | 05 Jul 2017 | 00:18:33 | |
In this week’s QA, Fraser talks about black holes consuming dark matter, if traveling faster than light moves you backwards in time, and what those big pools under rockets are for. | |||
| Episode 349: 310 - Is Human Hibernation Possible | 22 Jun 2017 | 00:09:42 | |
We know trips in space will take a long time. Can we go to sleep for the journey and then wake up when we arrive? | |||