Universe Today Podcast

Fraser Cain
  • 4.7 (576)
  • Astronomy
  • Updated Daily

Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.

  1. 9h ago

    [Interview+] Swarming The Rings of Saturn With Tiny Probes, NIAC 2026

    BONUS PART STARTS AT 21:56 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VqBVL2vwh04 🟣 Guest: Dr. Mike Rubenstein 📜 Actively Steerable Femtosat Constellations for In-situ Exploration of Saturn’s Rings, Atmosphere, and Magnetosphere https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/actively-steerable-femtosat-constellations-for-in-situ-exploration-of-saturns-rings-atmosphere-and-magnetosphere/ 👉 All 2026 NIAC Selections https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/ Saturn's rings are dense. Sending one flagship probe through them makes no sense. It'll most probably be lost. But sending a swarm of small cheap probes does. Even if a lot of them won't survive, you're still getting lots of data. This is exactly what this NIAC project is proposing. 00:00 Intro 01:22 Observing Saturn's rings 05:21 A swarm of satellites 21:56 Invisible drones 29:33 Current obsessions 31:12 Final thoughts

    [Interview+] Swarming The Rings of Saturn With Tiny Probes, NIAC 2026

  2. 1d ago

    [Q&A+] Best Way For The Universe To End

    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 12:37 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N2INt2XOCp0 My Top-100 movie list: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday/posts/my-top-100-space-153930141 If white holes exist, could we ever see one? Do SETI researches have access to Vera Rubin? Which is the best way for the Universe to end? And in Q&A+, will the Earth eventually become tidally locked to the Sun? 00:00 Intro 00:25 [@festerallday] if a civilization isn't detected by SETI did it even exist? 02:20 [@tommix6016] If White Holes were to exist, would they be detectable? 03:49 [@vistotutti6037] Does SETI have access to the Vera Rubin data stream? 06:26 [@setaihedron] So we are going to trust that the most corrupt government in modern history is honest about what it is filtering from the data? 09:00 [@MelindaGreen] How would I prefer the Universe end? 12:37 [@paulwilson1529] Will the Earth become tidally lock to the Sun? 14:56 Final thoughts

    [Q&A+] Best Way For The Universe To End

  3. 5d ago

    [Space Bites+] SpaceX Slams Into The Moon // Liquid on Pluto // Venus Isn’t Dead

    BONUS STORY STARTS AT 19:40 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube https://youtu.be/rV0bRCA2cSs 🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts Interviews mentioned: 👉 Interview with Dr Matt Weller https://youtu.be/R18W6VVZMhc?si=RasWhg-Y9sfKvXys 👉 Interview with Dr Paul Byrne https://youtu.be/VXuhaJu-GNM?si=A-lFy8XUQHJLqvL- Venus might not be completely dead. Evidence of liquid flowing on the surface of Pluto. Can primordial black holes cause supernova? And on Space Bites Plus, what happened to Neptune's rings and moons when Triton showed up? 00:00 Intro 00:18 Three Worlds Not One https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-asteroid-that-may-be-three-worlds 02:22 Venus Isn’t Dead https://www.universetoday.com/articles/venus-isnt-dead-after-all 06:04 Liquid on Pluto https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/science-news/2026/08/05/nasas-new-horizons-finds-evidence-of-recent-liquid-on-plutos-surface/ 07:47 Charon Was Spinning Much Faster https://www.universetoday.com/articles/charons-mountains-reveal-moon-once-spun-10x-faster 09:00 Primordial Black Holes and Supernovae https://www.universetoday.com/articles/primordial-black-holes-can-trigger-type-ia-supernovae-and-astronomers-should-be-able-to-find-them 12:05 SpaceX Slams a Rocket Into The Moon https://x.com/SpaceX/status/2085121782315446613 13:53 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts 14:48 Voyager 2 Avoids Shutting Down More Instruments https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-engineers-help-prolong-voyager-2s-science-mission/ 17:05 Quick Update on New Glenn https://x.com/davill/status/2085074404627915059 18:07 Rescuing the Rescuer https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/heres-how-engineers-plan-to-save-the-satellite-sent-to-save-nasas-swift-mission/ 19:40 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/smashed-ice-worlds-formed-neptunes-inner-moons-and-rings 20:50 Hank Green's AI controversy

    [Space Bites+] SpaceX Slams Into The Moon // Liquid on Pluto // Venus Isn’t Dead

  4. 6d ago

    [Q&A+] Can We Detect Gravitational Waves from the Big Bang Itself?

    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:26 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2lopY61vhgc Channels mentioned:  @filmjoy   @WeirdExplorer  Are primordial gravitational waves still coming to us? How big would a 30 billion Sun mass black hole be? Do photons start experiencing time when slowed down in a medium? And in Q&A+, can any particle pop up into existence any time anywhere? 00:00 Intro 00:27 [@vistotutti6037] Are primordial gravitational waves still going? 04:25 [@AriasThirdOfHisName] Thoughts on charged black holes? 06:45 [@KnownUnknown-i8r] How large is a 30 billion solar mass black hole? 08:04 [@hangmann747tinmann8] Does a photon experience time when it's slowed down in a medium? 09:18 [@oldtimer2662] Is Andromeda traveling towards us or are we traveling towards it? 10:35 [@EpicQuestBio] Has anyone considered using railgun to launch ultra-high-aspect ablation-shieled microgram payloads to escape velocity from their backyard? 13:26 [@yonatan62] Is there a chance that any particle can pop into existence anywhere at any time? 17:29 Final thoughts

    [Q&A+] Can We Detect Gravitational Waves from the Big Bang Itself?

  5. Aug 6

    [Interview+] How Metamaterials Can Help Moon Rovers Survive Both Days and Nights, NIAC 2026

    BONUS PART STARTS AT 30:33 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bbJ3I37yS4o 🟣 Guest: Dr. Austin Phoenix https://nationalsecurity.vt.edu/personnel-directory/phoenix-austin.html 📜 ECLIPSE – Efficient variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental control https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/eclipse-efficient-variable-conductivity-lunar-insulator-for-passive-surveyor-environmental-control/ 👉 All 2026 NIAC Selections https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/ The Moon is brutal. It's super hot during the day and super cold during the night. Most landers and rovers can't survive that swing. So, how do you mitigate it? One of this year's NIAC projects has a potential solution. 00:00 Intro 01:04 Why is the Moon so terrible? 04:56 Mitigation strategies 30:33 Bistable booms https://arxiv.org/pdf/2605.13818 37:26 Current obsessions 45:03 Final thoughts

    [Interview+] How Metamaterials Can Help Moon Rovers Survive Both Days and Nights, NIAC 2026

  6. Aug 5

    [Q&A+] Current Plans to Replace the ISS

    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 12:55 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5JbQSmK6ZyY Will private companies take over the ISS? Which sci-fi stories need to be written? What's the state of Canadian rocket market? And in Q&A+, a quick rundown of all my telescopes. 00:00 Intro 00:25 [@D.S.8197] Will private companies replace the ISS? 05:51 [@kairon156] Which SciFi stories I would like to see written? 09:16 [@melantorja] Thoughts on Canadian rocket companies 11:32 [@Matthew...1979] How do we see Proxima Centauri? 12:55 [@raelcohen] Which telescopes do I own? 18:17 Gaming hand-helds

    [Q&A+] Current Plans to Replace the ISS

  7. Aug 1

    [Q&A+] We Hardly See Other Planets. What's The Point of Searching for Life Out There

    BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 13:36 Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7016OzflTww Does the Fermi paradox make any sense? How can we talk about life out there if all the exoplanets are just single pixels or worse? Is it all just nonsense? And in Q&A, what was my favourite part of the Artemis 2 mission? 00:00 Intro 00:25 [@frankshifreen] What's the point of searching for life with our primitive instruments 13:36 [@ConspiracyTheoryEnthusiast] My favorite part of the Artemis 2 mission? 19:33 Summer media

    [Q&A+] We Hardly See Other Planets. What's The Point of Searching for Life Out There

  8. Jul 30

    [Space Bites+] Starship Returns // More Evidence for Betelbuddy // Results from Chang’e-6 Moon Rocks

    Patrons, send in your questions: patreon.com/posts/164654175 BONUS PART STARTS AT: 19:02 Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/3DKTwnz0oAs Starship 13 flies and lands softly in the ocean. Astronomers see the companion star for Betelgeuse. A comet spun down, reversed direction and might tear itself apart. Did Webb see primordial Little Red Dots? On Space Bites+, measuring the heat working its way out of Io. All this and more in this week's Space Bites. Interviews mentioned LRDs with Dr. John Chisholm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4caOfg5K8Is LRDs with Dr. Vasily Kokorev https://youtu.be/zoHtCmCbcEU OBLIVION NIAC with Jeff Nosanov https://youtu.be/U6fZ2GryNhU Timecodes 00:00 Intro 00:22 They Are Recovering The Starship https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spacexs-starship-deploys-starlink-satellites-during-13th-flight-test 03:45 More Evidence for Bettelbuddy https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2611/ 05:39 Bad News, Everyone https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/swift/2026/07/28/commissioning-update-for-spacecraft-to-boost-nasas-swift/ 07:22 CAPSTONE-2 for Moon Docking https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/armd/nasa-announces-new-spacecraft-technology-demonstration-mission-at-moon/ 09:06 Chang’e-6 Rocks https://www.universetoday.com/articles/change-6-samples-reveal-how-earth-slows-solar-wind-striking-moons-near-side https://www.universetoday.com/articles/samples-of-lunar-rock-are-leading-scientists-to-rethink-the-moons-history 12:05 Self-Destructing Comet https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spin-reversing-comet-may-face-self-destruction 13:31 Vote results 14:13 Little Red Dots https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-distant-primordial-object-may-be-a-newborn-little-red-dot https://www.universetoday.com/articles/little-red-dots-could-be-ancient-globular-clusters-each-dominated-by-a-super-massive-star 17:40 Almost an Exomoon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-first-confirmed-exo-satellite-challenges-our-definitions-of-planets-and-moons 19:02 BONUS Story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/juno-measures-the-heat-below-ios-restless-surface 21:36 Final thoughts

    [Space Bites+] Starship Returns // More Evidence for Betelbuddy // Results from Chang’e-6 Moon Rocks
See All (1.6K)

Trailer

Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
576 Ratings

About

Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.

Information

  • Creator
    Fraser Cain
  • Years Active
    2014 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.6K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Fraser Cain
  • Show Website
    Universe Today Podcast

You Might Also Like