Universe Today Podcasts With Fraser Cain

In this week's questions show, I consider what the night sky might look like if you could stand at the center of the Milky Way where the stars are denser. Do all stars have Oort clouds? And could Starship really send humans to Mars for the price of a house? 00:00 Start 00:50 What would the sky look like at the center of the Milky Way? 04:05 Will the Neutron be competitive? 07:40 Do all stars have Oort Clouds? 09:59 Would it be realistic to send humans to Mars for the price of a house? 11:38 Next cool space mission I'm excited about? 13:20 Do I think there's microbial life in the Universe? 16:48 How far away was the Big Bang? 19:26 Why was L2 chosen for JWST? 21:52 Does SpaceX need NASA? 25:11 Would Starlinks be brighter if they were lower? 28:21 Multiple nukes to destroy an asteroid? 30:21 Could we make a telescope the size of Earth's orbit? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

In this special interview, I was fortunate to speak with Dr. Ronald Mallet, an emeritus professor at UConn. In addition to a lifetime's work in cosmology and astrophysics, Mallet has been trying to work out how our understanding of Einstein's theories of General Relativity might lead to a practical form of time travel. https://physics.uconn.edu/person/ronald-mallett/ This interview was part of the Weekly Space Hangout for May 5th, 2021. You can watch the whole episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBwEAKA2ylw&t=2s Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

In this week's questions show, I explain why we'd be able to recognize aliens, even if they were vastly more technologically advanced than us. Why I don't do any promotional ads on my videos, and if we have any examples of energy turning into matter. 00:00 Start 01:09 Can we actually recognize aliens? 04:18 Why don't I have sponsors? 06:33 Could we detect light pollution? 08:36 Can energy turn into matter? 10:18 How do we measure the age of the solar system? 12:52 What other prototypes will we need for Mars? 16:26 Can we extend the life of the Sun? 21:10 Is it time to map Mars? 23:43 Are there ultraviolet telescopes? 25:43 What would Starship be used for? 28:01 Can we match velocity with other stars? 29:50 Do we know the rate of the Universe's expansion? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

Support Universe Today Podcast

My guest is Dr. Rebecca K. Leane, an astroparticle physicist with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The work involves innovative ways to detect dark matter. http://rebeccaleane.com/

My guest is Dr. Jessie Christiansen, an astrophysicist with NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute. Jessie will give us an update on TESS and the 2,200 planets it's discovered so far. http://web.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/christia/

In this week's questions show, I explain whether or not gravity is infinite, will we need to cure cancer to go to space? Will SpaceX help Artemis' chances for landing humans on Mars in 2024, and more... 00:00 Start 00:54 Is gravity infinite? 02:33 How deep does lunar regolith go? 04:09 Could nearby star systems contain planets that we don't know about? 06:59 Will dust diminish Ingenuity's performance? 10:14 Difference between micro-gravity and zero-gravity? 11:57 Will the Russians abandon the ISS? 14:57 Shouldn't the expansion of space be greater than gravity? 17:00 Biggest exoplanet we could live on? 19:42 What's happening with MOXIE? 22:00 Will we need to cure cancer for space exploration? 24:52 Why are there no privately funded missions? 27:01 What are astronauts "big questions"? 29:37 Could there be a balloon habitat on gas giants? 33:01 How will we produce power on Mars? 35:24 Does SpaceX improve Artemis chances for landing in 2024? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video

In this week's questions show I explain why we could be first in the Universe, do galaxies flip or spin, did I pick a good career? And more. 00:00 Start 00:47 Are we first in the Universe? 03:01 Do galaxies flip end over end? 04:28 Bro, get a better career 06:46 How much longer can SLS going? 10:33 Did I watch Ingenuity fly? 12:08 Am I looking forward to the movie version of the Three-Body Problem? 13:42 Does it make sense to try and watch a rocket launch? 16:32 Could we build space elevator on Mars. 18:38 What one mystery about space would I like to know? 21:00 Why don't we take the low gravity on Mars seriously? 24:47 What astronomy career is good if you're bad at math? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

My guest is Mick West, a game developer and writer. Mick has been studying UFO claims and contrail conspiracy theories for many years and has a useful toolkit to help identify unidentified objects in the sky. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF3UCTZiVg9wrIEzO7Om6jw

My guest is Dr. Klaus Pontoppidan, an astronomer and project scientist working with the James Webb Space Telescope. Klaus is on the committee that helped choose targets that the telescope will be studying once it flys (and it will). https://www.stsci.edu/~pontoppi/

My guest is astronomer and science communicator Dr. Maggie Lieu. Lieu is a research fellow of machine learning and cosmology at the University of Nottingham and has been working on the upcoming Euclid space mission to help in the search for Dark Energy. https://maggielieu.com/

In this week's questions show, I explain why a heat-powered rover wouldn't work on Venus. I explain how spacecraft navigate, and wonder what James Webb's Deep Field survey will look like. 00:00 Start 00:54 Could the heat on Venus power a rover? 03:53 What if Ingenuity tips over? 05:42 How do spacecraft navigate? 08:36 Are SpaceX workers being prepared to work on the Moon or Mars? 10:46 How would James Webb's deep field look? 12:52 Any more flybys for New Horizons? 14:03 Will human or a sample return from Mars come first? 16:58 Why are intermediate mass black holes important? 18:42 What's the case against Mars colonization? 23:28 What are my favorite space missions? 26:57 Does a black hole form instantly? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

You might know Dr. Sutter as a science communicator, but his doctorate is actually in particle physics. Paul is going to join me to talk about the Muon g-2 experiment and what it means for the Standard Model of physics. We'll probably also talk about the end of the EmDrive and other topics in space and astronomy. http://www.pmsutter.com/

Professor Geraint Lewis is an astrophysicist focused on dark energy, gravitational lensing and galactic merger. He has recently published a paper that that investigates the nature of the anthropic principle, how the Universe needs observers. https://www.geraintflewis.com/

Dr. Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist and science communicator. His new book is called the God Equation, which traces the quest for a single theory of everything that will unite quantum mechanics and the theory of gravity. https://mkaku.org/home/

Support Universe Today Podcast

In this week's questions show, I look at the rotation rate of pulsars, why NASA is such a fan of the term in-situ and what our plans are for exploring the Universe. 00:00 Start 00:49 Do pulsars ever slow down? 03:20 What's with in-situ? 05:17 Europa or Enceladus? 07:42 How far could Starships go? 09:27 Can planets be in orbital resonance? 10:44 Would fusion work for space travel? 12:46 What are the plans for colonising the universe? 14:26 How soon until we can starhop to another star? 16:17 Why isn't there an improvement to the Drake Equation? 19:28 Why don't we use nuclear rockets? 23:48 Could we use binoculars to see the night sky? 26:35 How close are stars in a cluster? 27:57 Best way to terraform Mars? 30:18 Why not use wiper blades on the Mars rover solar panels? 33:19 Is there bacteria on the Voyagers? 36:01 Is dark matter a fact now? 40:11 Is there confirmation bias in the science community? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each

Professor Avi Loeb is a theoretical physicist from Harvard who has worked on many advances in space and astrophysics. He helped predict exoplanet discoveries using microlensing, worked on the mathematics for the Event Horizon Telescope, and has many fascinating opinions about the search for extraterrestrials. https://lweb.cfa.harvard.edu/~loeb/

My guest is Dr. James Davenport, a research assistant professor at the University of Washington. In addition to his research into magnetically active stars, James focuses on large-scale, time-domain astronomy. He's also a prolific communicator here on YouTube, breaking down complicated scientific topics and documenting astronomy meetings for the general public. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg6zx6fQG_Xo639TIjwJSZA

In this week's questions show, I tackle some challenging questions, like the ethics of sending humans to Mars, and whether it's better to focus on our efforts on Earth or on space exploration. Should we welcome a Carrington Event? Are there any serious competitors to SpaceX in the market right now? 00:00 Start 00:49 Is it ethical to send people to Mars? 04:01 Welcoming a Carrington Event? 07:07 Is Starship legitimate? 12:09 Should we spend money on space or Earth? 16:36 Is there a limit to gravitational assists? 19:46 Is there a use for small space telescopes? 22:04 Could something stand completely still? 23:24 Are there any serious contenders to SpaceX? 25:49 Will Mars have more asteroid strikes? 27:14 Will the Lunar Gateway be important? 30:58 Is it frustrating for mission name changes? 32:22 Could we ever accelerate at 1g? 33:33 Why do stars weigh so much? 35:11 Is something past the Great Attractor? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up