Universe Today Podcast

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 16:56Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/L1JF3JJHIbUVoyager 1 is almost one light day away, blue Origin is making its main engine lighter, good news and bad news for Mars Dust. And on Space Bites+, measuring the cosmic web. 🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts00:00 Intro 00:15 One Light Day Away https://www.universetoday.com/articles/big-bang-fix-puts-voyager-across-the-one-light-day-mark 02:40 Our Sun’s Undiscovered Stellar Nemesis https://www.universetoday.com/articles/our-suns-undiscovered-stellar-nemesis-is-still-out-there-says-physicist 05:29 Big Updates for Big Blue https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-glenn-expands-reach-with-gs3 https://www.blueorigin.com/news/introducing-northstar-new-booster-engine 07:19 Magma Chambers on Mars https://www.universetoday.com/articles/mars-molten-heart-is-long-gone-but-some-magma-chambers-may-persist 09:50 Perseverance Experiment https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-perseverance-experiment-could-help-astronauts-prepare-for-dust-storms-on-mars 12:15 Vote results 12:43 Jet from a Microquasar https://www.universetoday.com/articles/alma-reveals-a-jet-of-cool-gas-from-a-microquasar 15:12 SpaceX's double catch https://www.spacex.com/launches/starship-flight-15 16:56 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/breakthrough-cosmic-hydrogen-measurement-could-transform-our-view-of-the-universe 20:19 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 17:33Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/AgjqeseL6U4How bad and dangerous is the Chinese space program? How will they keep the 39-meter telescope mirror clean and dry? Can a star merger harm a human body if you get near it? And in Q&A+, is there an interstellar object yet to be announced?00:00 Intro 00:32 [@luiscarneiro4123] How bad and dangerous is the Chinese space program? 04:10 [@psilocybe6115] Do Magnetars and Neutron Stars pose a physical threat to human tissue?05:08 [@churchdiscography] How will they keep the 39-meter telescope mirror clean and dry? 06:29 [@davidgeorge8008] If a combination of infrared and gamma rays or ultra violet and xrays are fired or shown together, does that open up other viewing possibilities? 13:25 [@andrefoisy7310] Can you see a star merger before it happens with gravitational lensing? 17:01 [@Noonyuh] Are neutrinos affected by gravitational lensing? 17:33 [@justinkruger] Has there been an interstellar object this year that we have not announced? 19:18 Final thoughts

5-hour Patreon Q&A show: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday/posts/patreon-q-2026-174012731Rubin finds Neptune’s trojans and two new companions to the Milky Way, China reveals more of its plans to send humans to the Moon, finding the seeds of supermassive black holes. And on Space Bites+, how Mars has microclimates near its North Pole. 🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts00:00 Intro 00:18 Rubin finds Neptune's trojans https://www.universetoday.com/articles/queens-university-belfast-students-find-neptunes-elusive-trojan-asteroids 02:40 Vera Rubin finds Milky Way's neighbours https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-vera-rubin-has-found-two-more-of-the-milky-ways-dim-satellites 03:58 China unveils its Moon plans https://www.universetoday.com/articles/china-unveils-their-plan-for-a-crewed-moon-landing 05:45 Splitting a black hole https://www.universetoday.com/articles/what-could-split-a-black-hole-in-two 07:29 Seeds of supermassive black holes 10:08 Van Gogh’s Starry Night mystery solved https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-research-resolves-the-mystery-behind-van-goghs-the-starry-night 11:47 Vote results 12:09 Earth’s “Impenetrable” Space Radiation Shield Was Just Breached From Within https://www.universetoday.com/articles/earths-impenetrable-space-radiation-shield-was-just-breached-from-within 14:03 Cat's Head nebula https://www.universetoday.com/articles/examining-the-cats-head-nebula-with-the-hubble-and-jwst 15:23 Carina's Ghost https://www.universetoday.com/articles/its-a-ghost-no-its-a-stellar-crche 16:19 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/martian-polar-crater-ice-shifts-with-seasonal-frost 18:43 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 17:10Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lwi6J0h2EhIWhat if We Can't Detect Dark Matter? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXXqSh5qAuA Dark Matter Is Not a Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbmJkMhmrVIIs it better to put a base on the Moon or under the ocean? What Astronomy can you do from a light polluted city? Can a martian base realistically evolve to a martian city? And in Q&A+, thought on the LIFE mission.00:00 Intro 00:26 [@Borg_Terraformers] Moon, Mars or ocean floors? 03:33 [@David Fries] Doing amateur astronomy in a big bright city 08:12 [@CoinPatrol] How will Japan's Phobos rover work? 09:56 [@Roderick Beck] Can a Martian city evolve out of a research base? 17:10 [@aidenweatherbee9529] Thoughts on the LIFE mission 21:52 Final thoughts

BONUS PART STARTS AT 43:53Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jiCigIHzyI8City on Mars Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ8sZtg-Kdc Clearly, a journey to Mars and back is the next huge leap for human space flight. We know we need new rockets, new spaceships, new technology, etc. But are the human bodies ready for that? Can humans pull it off? Finding out in this interview. 🟣 Guest: Mark Shelhamer, ScD https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/ https://www.jhuhsl.space/Are We Ready for Mars? https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54095/are-we-ready-mars00:00:00 Intro 00:01:52 SciFi vs reality for space travel 00:08:18 Dangers of going to Mars 00:13:02 Mitigation strategies 00:24:33 Beyond the magnetosphere 00:43:53 Bonus part 00:54:33 Current obsessions 01:03:04 Final thoughts