UNIVERSE TODAY

Near the end of 2019, astronomers watching the red giant Betelgeuse noted how much the star had dimmed, continuing to steadily fade for months. It’s a variable star, and it’s known to get dimmer and brighter, but the big surprise is that it’s still continuing to dim, recently passing magnitude 1.56 and still getting dimmer. This is unprecedented in the decades that astronomers have been watching the star. The world’s biggest telescopes are on the case, and the European Southern Observatory released dramatic new images of Betelguese, resolving features on the star’s surface and surrounding area showing how it’s dramatically changed over the course of 2019. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msVuCEs8Ydo https://twitter.com/betelbot/status/1228395402245890048 https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2003/ https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/sphere/ https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso1640a/ https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2003b/ https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2003a/ https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso2003d/ https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlt-instr/visir/

It’s hard to really wrap your mind around the vast distances between stars. The fastest spacecraft ever launched into an interstellar trajectory right now is Voyager 1. If it was directed at the nearest star, it would take tens of thousands of years to make the journey across the interstellar gulf. Even so, groups like Breakthrough Starshot and Icarus Interstellar are working on plans right now to try and send spacecraft to other stars, ideally within our lifetimes. But we can see how quickly technology is advancing all around us, from materials science to high energy physics, not to mention reusable rockets. It seems reasonable to ask, should we invest in an interstellar mission now, or wait a few decades or even centuries for better technology to come along which could make the trip much shorter? Watch Chris Hadfield's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6woV3encOA Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://breakthroughinitiatives.org/initiative/3 http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/ http://lifeunbounded.blogspot.com/2010/07/summer-reading.html https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260275150_Interstellar_Travel_-_The_Wait_Calculation_and_the_Incentive_Trap_of_Progress

In this week's questions show, I explain why I've got such a skeptical view about the search for aliens if there might be multiple great filters, and why NASA doesn't just go back and use Apollo hardware to return to the Moon? Follow Dr. Wright on Twitter: https://twitter.com/astro_wright 00:40 Are there multiple Great Filters? 02:35 Could we refuel ships in space to land on Mars 06:01 Could we put a light on the Moon to prove what we landed there? 08:18 Will James Webb Launch? 09:52 What will it take to confirm signs of life? 12:30 How long until cosmic rays die down? 16:03 Why don't we just use Apollo hardware to go back to the Moon? 19:46 Why am I so negative? 22:29 Good sources of journals? 25:43 When will you believe that it's actually aliens? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

On February 9, 2020, the European Space Agency’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Florida on top of an Atlas V 411 spacecraft. The spacecraft’s mission is to fly inside the orbit of Mercury, on a tilted orbit that takes it above and below the Sun, capturing images of the Sun’s poles for the first time. This is just a year and a half after the launch of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which will fly even closer. Together, the two spacecraft will measure the Sun from every angle up close, providing detailed images and insights of our closest star, to help understand how it creates and controls the giant bubble of plasma that surrounds the entire Solar System. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/liftoff-for-solar-orbiter-esa-s-mission-to-face-the-sun-up-close https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter http://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2019/10/Solar_Orbiter_s_journey_around_the_Sun http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Ulysses_overview https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/ulysses/in-depth/ https://www.nasa.gov/content/solar-orbiter-overview https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/51169-what-drives-the-solar-wind-and-where-does-the-coronal-magnetic-field-originate-from https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/51170-how-do-solar-transients-drive-heliospheric-variability https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/51171-how-do-solar-eruptions-produce-energetic-particle-radiation-that-fills-the-heliosphere https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/51172-how-does-the-solar-dynamo-work-and-drive-connections-between-the-sun-and-the-heliosphere https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/51217-instruments http://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu/The-Mission/index.php https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/eduoff/vt-2004/mt-2003/mt-mercury-orbit.html https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Paint_it_black_Stone_Age_sunscreen_for_Solar_Orbiter https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Solar_Orbiter_s_shield_takes_Sun_s_heat

Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

You’re looking at the highest resolution image that has ever been taken of our Sun, using the brand new Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope in Maui. These lighter regions are convection cells, blobs of hot gas the size of Texas which have carried heat from deep below the surface of the Sun, releasing it into space. The darker lines are cooler regions, where the material is sinking back down into Sun. This image is just a demonstration of the incredible power of this 4-meter observatory, which will join NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter in ushering in the golden age of solar astronomy. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.nso.edu/inouye-solar-telescope-first-light/ https://www.universetoday.com/144814/destructive-super-solar-storms-hit-us-every-25-years-or-so/ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/news/stereo_astronauts.html https://www.nso.edu/telescopes/dkist/dkist-telescope/m1/ https://spie.org/news/1432-large-off-axis-mirrors-key-to-giant-astronomical-telescope?SSO=1 https://www.nso.edu/telescopes/dkist/fact-sheets/resisting-the-heat/ https://www.nso.edu/telescopes/dkist/dkist-telescope/tma/

In this week's questions show, I answer when the cosmic microwave background will shift into radio waves, what the Sun would sound like if space was filled with air, and limits of our knowledge about planets through simulations. Visit James Davenport's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg6zx6fQG_Xo639TIjwJSZA 00:45 When does the CMB turn into radio waves? 03:49 Sounds in space 06:06 How much can we learn about planets through simulations? 09:16 What does clearing an orbit mean? 11:22 Could a science experiment cause the Great Filter? 13:49 What about putting telescopes on ships? 15:45 How hard would it be to send a radio signal out in all directions? 18:05 Is Earth a good place to sustain life, but not create it? 20:05 Will we have an interstellar health organization? 22:02 Why can we find exoplanets, but not planets in the Solar System? 23:12 Why do larger stars have shorter lives? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

On Sunday, January 19th, 2020, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying its newly designed Crew Dragon spacecraft. 84 seconds into flight, at the moment of maximum aerodynamic pressure, the capsule fired its eight SuperDraco thrusters, detaching from the top of the rocket and flying ahead. Moments after, the Falcon 9 rocket exploded in midair, destroying a completely good rocket, but the capsule was completely safe, jettisoning its trunk and landing gently in the ocean a few minutes later. Nobody was on board the spacecraft, just a couple of test dummies, but this test proved that in the case of an emergency during the ascent stage fo the mission, Crew Dragon would be able to carry its astronaut crew to safety. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://spacenews.com/spacex-performs-in-flight-abort-test-of-crew-dragon-spacecraft/ https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017921.pdf https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/albums/72157649018048375/with/22609781825 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzIcDDJyTRI https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/05/06/spacex-crew-capsule-completes-dramatic-abort-test/ https://spacenews.com/boeing-performs-starliner-pad-abort-test/ https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/12/world/soyuz-accident-quietly-conceded.html https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/space/5-myths-of-challenger-shuttle-disaster-debunked.aspx https://apnews.com/50c3be84147652b242204463a5b036d5 https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/successful-orion-test-brings-nasa-closer-to-moon-mars-missions https://www.space.com/42319-soyuz-launch-abort-russia-identifies-cause.html https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/30/us/challenger-limps-into-a-low-orbit-as-an-engine-fails.html https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017921.pdf https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-international-space-station-iss-computer-spacewalk-broken-mission-emergency-a7749956.html http://www.spaceref.com/iss/ops/iss.emergency.ops.pdf https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap13fj/10day3-free-return.html https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAC/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Inspiration-Mars-2018-Free-Return-Trajectory-Edelman-Hughes-Longuski-Loucks-Carrico-Tito.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6lPMFgZU5Q

In this week's life Q&A, I explain why we don't send animals to space any more, why I don't think we'll ever travel faster than the speed of light, and how graveyard orbits work. 00:35 Why don't we send animals to space anymore? 06:02 Will faster than light travel ever possible? 07:34 What are graveyard orbits? 09:05 Should we go to the Moon or Mars? 12:49 High resolution images of the Sun 14:44 How do you refine metal in space? 16:11 Will SLS use pre-flown RS-25 engines 20:48 How will the ISS end? 22:49 Why we'll never build a space elevator 24:40 Is Betelgeuse continuing to dim? 26:30 Do black holes increase in volume? 28:28 What's happening with the DarkSat? 29:56 Would we detect neutrinos from Betelgeuse first? 31:25 Do I think astronomers will use legal action to stop Starlink? 35:15 How's my light pollution? 38:15 What about postponing the Moon landings to 2028? 39:40 Would I attend Stellafane? 41:15 Would I pay for others to access the internet? 42:27 Are winters bad on Vancouver Island? 43:32 Could we use the Sun as a gravitational lens? 44:50 What if the Earth doubles its rotational speed? 48:05 Does the Fermi Paradox apply to all animals? 51:05 Books I'm reading 52:25 When will Ethan Siegel return? 53:52 Can we create simulated lunar regolith? 54:44 Why doesn't gravity slow down light? 57:12 Canadian sounds for the Golden Record Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

In 2006, astronomers spotted the telltale sign of a supernova detonating in the galaxy NGC 1260, located about 240 million light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. As telescopes around the world turned their collective light-gathering power on the expanding explosion designated as SN 2006gy, they realized they were seeing something very unusual. This clearly wasn’t a regular supernova. It grew to be 100 times brighter than the typical stellar explosion and lasted much much longer. More than a decade after that cosmic explosion, astronomers finally think they know what series of events led to the release of this much energy, now called a superluminous supernova. A red giant ate a white dwarf. An event so rare it probably accounts for only 1 in 1000 supernovae. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2007/07may_bigsupernova https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/01/24/the-brightest-supernovae-of-all-have-a-suspiciously-common-explanation/#179f6c4e20c0 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6476/415 https://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/797272/news20200124 https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/cataclysmic_variables.html https://www.space.com/superluminous-supernova-explosion-explained.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZKiWGT4Za4&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&index=153&t=0s

In this week's questions show, I explain if we'd be able to see a nuclear bomb explode on the Moon, have we already passed the Great Filter, and where we could put DNA to keep it safe in the Solar System. Read Amber's biography on NASA's Website https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/meetTheTeam/people/straughn.html Follow Amber Straughn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/astraughnomer 00:22 Could we see a nuclear bomb on the Moon? 02:18 Have we already passed the great filter? 05:28 Where could we put our DNA to keep it safe? 07:52 Could rogue planets explain dark matter 09:12 Will Betelgeuse create a nebula? 10:35 ET will use quantum mechanics? 12:04 What if there isn't water on the Moon? 14:00 Low metal stars with planets? 16:20 Could we use neutrinos to communicate through the Moon? 18:19 Why bother astronomy when we should be studying the Solar System? 20:46 Would it be worth it to have Starlink to have more telescopes? 24:35 Will James Webb be good for Solar System objects? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Whenever I talk about the search for life in the Universe and its emphasis on water, I get comments that scientists aren’t being creative enough. Why does life rely on water? Couldn’t there be lifeforms which are completely different from life on Earth? Isn’t that the textbook definition of alien? Astrobiologists have only scratched the surface in their search for life in the Universe, and they’re going after the low-hanging fruit. Since life on Earth can be found wherever there’s water, why not check out the water on other worlds? If that doesn’t pan out, then they’ll expand the search. But it’s possible there are aliens living right here on Earth among us, in a shadow biosphere, we just haven’t detected them yet. Thumbnail credit: http://blogs.esa.int/caves/2019/09/11/a-new-journey-into-earth-for-space-exploration/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2478661/ https://www.jcvi.org/gos https://aeon.co/ideas/there-are-more-microbial-species-on-earth-than-stars-in-the-sky https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24206781_Signatures_of_a_Shadow_Biosphere https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/nonprotein-amino-acids https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/looking-for-life-on-mars-viking-experiment-team-member-reflects-on-divisive-findings/ https://www.livescience.com/64829-hachimoji-dna.html https://phys.org/news/2012-07-dispel-shadow-biosphere-earth.html

In this week's questions show, I wonder whether any aliens out there would be nice to us or try to wipe us out. What would be their motivations? Why are planets turning in the wrong direction? Would Betelgeuse generate gravitational waves? XKCD Solar System Changes https://m.xkcd.com/2258/ Phil Metger's take: https://twitter.com/DrPhiltill/status/1220519840315736064 09:15 Will aliens be friendly? 12:18 Why are some planets going in the wrong direction? 14:33 XKCD reimagines the Solar System 15:35 What if pulsars zapped each other? 17:01 Anything in Betelgeuse to trigger a gravitational wave 20:20 Does our deaf dog bark? 21:37 How small could a black hole be? 24:31 What about the failing tv satellite? 25:17 Have I try not to watch other space videos 28:17 Does everything produce gravitational waves? 29:40 Could James Webb see quark stars? 31:55 Did I watch Picard? 32:49 Are other civilizations held back by a lack of technology? 33:00 Could we terraform Ganymede? 37:00 Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia 41:24 Did shuttle ever have ejection seats? 42:00 Good astronomy vacations in North America? 44:45 Check out our Instagram page 45:22 Scifi book recommendations 47:23 Any astronomy events in 2020 I'm excited for? 48:30 Where do I announce my telescope sessions? 50:54 What astronomy events in the past would I want to see? 52:40 Will I interview the Navy pilot who saw UFOs? 55:00 How do we know the Oort could is there? 58:05 Would a water shield become radioactive? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

In 2015, scientists discovered the telltale signal from ripples of spacetime sweeping over the Earth. It was the very first direct detection of gravitational waves, generated by the merger of two massive black holes 1.3 billion light-years away. This discovery was the culmination of decades of research and construction of huge instruments called interferometers to detect the warping of spacetime caused by gravitational waves. Today, the most advanced detectors, the LIGO/VIRGO collaboration, have turned up over 50 gravitational wave discoveries - on average one every week - allowing astronomers to perceive the Universe in a completely different way. What new gravitational wave instruments are in the works, and what does the future hold for this relatively new field of study? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/what-is-interferometer https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/system/media_files/binaries/313/original/LIGOHistory.pdf https://gwcenter.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/plan http://www.gw-indigo.org/tiki-index.php https://www.osa-opn.org/home/articles/volume_29/may_2018/features/gravitational_waves_the_road_ahead/ http://www.et-gw.eu/ https://tds.virgo-gw.eu/?call_file=ET-0106C-10.pdf https://cosmicexplorer.org/ https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1907/1907.04833.pdf https://sci.esa.int/web/lisa/-/61367-mission-summary https://sci.esa.int/web/lisa-pathfinder/-/59238-lisa-pathfinder-to-conclude-trailblazing-mission https://arxiv.org/pdf/1907.11305.pdf

In this week's questions show, I explain why it doesn't make sense to send a microscope to Mars, how we could use a black hole to see a reflection of Earth and see dinosaurs, and why we don't just send a solar sail down to the Sun. Featuring Stella Kafka from the American Association of Variable Star Observers https://www.aavso.org/ 00:42 Why no microscopes to Mars? 02:38 Could we see a reflection of Earth? 04:37 Send a solar sail to the Sun? 07:03 How will red dwarfs die? 08:51 Do radio telescopes have pixels? 10:58 Do aliens have to be close to detect us? 13:21 Will civilizations want to settle every star? 15:17 What is expanding in between space? 17:18 Will we get out of balance with nature? 21:42 Do black holes come in different shapes? 24:03 How could a civilization go extinct? 26:37 Are there models for dying stars? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

We’ve now passed the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, and all eyes are back on the Moon. NASA is planning to return to the Moon by 2024 with its Artemis mission, the Chinese have put the Moon firmly in their plans for space exploration, and even SpaceX thinks the Moon is the perfect destination to test out the capabilities of its Starship. But what can you do with the Moon? Refuel spacecraft with resources drawn from the lunar regolith? Mine its helium 3 for your fusion reactors? Build a lunar amusement park? In fact, the far side of the Moon might make one of the best platforms we have for radio telescopes. One side of the Moon is completely blocked from Earth’s constantly increasing radio traffic, giving it the perfect view to the most sensitive radio signals in the Universe. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/leag/white-papers-astronomy/FARSIDE_190710_Final.pdf https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/planck https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/science/firstLight.html https://www.haystack.mit.edu/edu/pcr/Data/pdf/Hydrogen%2021-cm%20Emission%20line-final.pdf https://www.universetoday.com/144206/theres-now-an-operational-radio-telescope-on-the-far-side-of-the-moon/

This week I'm joined by Professor Greg Eghigian, from Penn State University to talk about the history of UFO sightings and claims of alien contact. You can read a recent essay by Dr. Eghigian on Smithsonian's Air and Space Magazine: https://www.airspacemag.com/space/year-ufos-180973965/ And learn more about his work here: https://history.la.psu.edu/directory/gae2 Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

On Monday, January 6th, 2020, another SpaceX Falcon 9 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, carrying another 60 Starlink internet communications satellites, bringing the full size of the constellation to 180. With just three launches, SpaceX becomes the largest satellite operator in the world. But the company is just getting started. They’re planning to do this again every couple of weeks during 2020, bringing the total number of satellites in the constellation to about 1440, which is enough to provide high-speed internet services to the United States and parts of Canada. Shortly after launch, as the satellites are raising their altitude, they’re clearly visible to the eye as they streak across the sky in a close train. Astronomers aren’t happy. Thumbnail credit: DELVE Survey / CTIO / AURA / NSF Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-internet-satellites-itc-filing-30000-additional-42000-total-2019-10 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-fccs-approval-of-spacexs-starlink-mega-constellation-may-have-been-unlawful/ https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21043229/spacex-starlink-satellite-mega-constellation-concerns-astronomy-space-traffic https://spacenews.com/spacex-gets-ok-to-re-space-starlink-orbits/ https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-ufo-terminals-how-network-works-2020-1

In this week's questions show, I've got another expert guest answerer. Space News reporter and Space Review editor Jeff Foust answers your tricky spaceflight questions. Could we attach telescopes to Starlinks? What impact will these megaconstellations have on astronomy? What can humans do that robots can't? And more... Check out Jeff's work at: https://spacenews.com/ https://www.thespacereview.com/ 00:30 Could there be airtight caves on Mars containing atmosphere? 01:26 Why would we actually want to go to Mars? 02:30 Could we attach telescopes to Starlinks? 03:17 Could we do gravity experiments with animals on Earth? 04:34 Has anyone tried to do surgery in space? 05:20 What can humans do in space that robots can't? 06:16 How will Starlink impact astronomy? 07:42 How will megaconstellations affect launches? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Once again, at the AAS Meeting in Hawaii, I got a chance to sit down with another astronomer to talk about their research. This time it was Dr. David Kipping from Columbia University's Cool World's Lab. We talked about how easy it'll be for aliens to know our planet is inhabited, and some ways we might be able to hide the evidence of our existence. Check out Cool Worlds: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGHZpIpAWJQ-Jy_CeCdXhMA Follow David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/david_kipping Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Thanks to our good friends at Oceanside Photo and Telescope, our livestreaming telescope is back online. I featured a couple of quick pics I took with the telescope during a test stream on Twitch Sunday night. I also answered questions about our trip to the AAS in Hawaii, if it's possible to make a more powerful telescope out of smaller telescopes, and why the ISS doesn't have an artificial magnetosphere. 02:20 New pictures from the telescope 04:30 American Astronomical Society meeting in Hawaii 07:45 Can we make a big telescope out of smaller telescopes? 11:59 Why don't we make a magnetic field around ISS? 14:10 Why hasn't TESS found many planets? 17:20 Has my opinion on the Fermi Paradox changed? 20:10 How do Type 1a supernovae form? 22:18 Can New Horizons flyby more objects? 23:50 How can we detect life if we're seeing the past? 26:19 Any plans for next generation of Hubble? 29:08 Any cool new images at AAS? 31:05 What about Origins? 31:44 Did I read many posters? 35:59 Are we the first civilization? 37:44 Next decadal survey? 39:00 How can evidence of civilization disappear? 41:35 Does the Solar System have too many planets? 43:55 Should humanity spread life into the Universe? 45:38 Interesting conversations at AAS? 49:07 Why focus on Mars? 51:20 Shouldn't we focus on asteroid defense? 53:04 Does Starlink increase the odds of a Kessler Syndrome? Want to see the experiments, join me at: https://www.twitch.tv/fcain Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Here's a quick behind the scenes video of our adventure to the 235th American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. We've got interviews with experts, sneak peaks at telescopes, and lots more. Thanks again to the Patrons for making this possible. Join our community at patreon.com/universetoday Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

At the American Astronomical Society's meeting Honolulu I got a chance to talk with Adam Frank about new research he's worked with Caleb Scharf, Jonathan Carroll-Nellenback and Jason Wright about the Fermi Paradox. They calculated how difficult it would be for aliens traveling at 10% the speed of light to settle the entire Milky Way, and it turns out, it's not as simple as you might think. Visit Adam Frank's website: https://www.adamfrankscience.com/ Read the article at Scientific American here: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/galactic-extremism/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

This week's questions show was recorded at the 235th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Honolulu, Hawaii. I was lucky enough to have 3,500 astronomers, space scientists and others to talk with. Ethan Siegel from "Starts with a Bang" is back, and this time he's answering your questions about space and astronomy. Visit his blog here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/#5bfca02e2c5e Follow Ethan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/StartsWithABang 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

In this week's Open Space QA, I respond to complaints about my Betelgeuse video, wonder about alien civilizations stuck in heavy gravity, and consider whether we could terraform Earth to make it better. 03:30 Betelgeuse video comments 08:30 Can gravitational waves travel at the speed of light 11:45 Can we terraform Earth to a better place? 13:38 Could there be civilizations stuck in heavy G? 15:39 Artemis or capture a NEO? 18:12 Could other planets have oil? 19:17 Is math universal? 21:38 What am I reading? 23:47 What kinds of pictures will James Webb take? 24:55 When humans walk on Mars? 27:04 Why don't I get older? 27:42 How many satellite constellations will there be? 28:44 Collecting questions 31:00 How can satellite internet compete? 31:35 Will James Webb be extra fragile? 32:20 Stream Rimworld? 33:11 How do you find sanity considering the infinite Universe 35:25 Should we care about the Universe that we can't see? 37:07 Disappearing stars? 37:30 Can we agree on the Hubble constant yet? 37:55 Speed of magnetism 38:23 First destination with a FTL spaceship 39:52 Do black holes run out of energy? 40:45 Do black holes eat spacetime? 41:50 How important are plate tectonics for life? 43:00 Is there a limit to satellite constellations? 45:10 Why don't you answer my questions? 45:52 Biggest threat from space? 48:13 Will Starlink be a problem for astronomers 50:00 String Theory, science or philosophy? 51:45 Simulation hypothesis, science or philosophy? 51:16 Which telescope to buy? 55:45 When will there be independent settlements in space? 56:45 How to protect astronauts inside Orion? 57:52 How long is a supernova dangerous? 58:21 What did I think of Consider Phlebas? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

In this week's questions show I explain how we'll ever study 100 million planets, what's the business case for space exploration, and how I pull the questions together for these shows. 00:42 Can we ever study all the planets? 03:33 Return on investment from space exploration? 03:35 Will we become a post-scarcity economy? 05:59 Why not a better Mars simulation? 08:16 How do I manage the QAs? 10:10 What will low gravity do to humans? 12:04 Private industry will explore space? 14:17 Where will power on Mars come from? 16:18 Expanse, Season 4! 17:54 How would the skies look on Mars? 18:47 Who gets the resources of a planet? 21:05 Are smaller content creators getting squeezed? 23:16 Is 100 million exoplanets just a guess? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Over the last weekend, astronomy Twitter started noting that the red giant Betelgeuse, the prominent shoulder of Orion was looking visibly dimmer in the sky, and I had a few people reach out to me and ask me if it was really happening and if I knew what was going on. This is exciting, of course, because Betelgeuse is living on borrowed time, and it could explode as a supernova any day now. Or, it might not detonate for another 100,000 years. We just don’t know. What’s Betelgeuse up to? Is this a sign that it’s about to explode? And what would it mean if it did? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://twitter.com/starstrickenSF/status/1209207523179237376 https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/what-will-happen-when-betelgeuse-explodes-df5b04164b2 https://www.eso.org/public/usa/images/potw1726b/ https://hubblesite.org/image/4027/gallery https://www.eso.org/public/images/eso0708a/ http://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=13341 https://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov/feature1.shtml https://twitter.com/starstrickenSF/status/1209242710281986048 https://www.astro.princeton.edu/~gk/A403/pulse.pdf https://arxiv.org/pdf/1712.01852.pdf https://aasnova.org/2018/01/03/astrophysics-of-red-supergiants/ https://neutrinos.fnal.gov/sources/supernova-neutrinos/ https://snews.bnl.gov/ https://researchblog.duke.edu/2014/01/22/supernova-explosion-in-m82-exciting-but-no-neutrinos/ https://aasnova.org/2018/04/20/capturing-neutrinos-from-a-stars-final-hours/ https://www.phys.hawaii.edu/~jgl/nuastron.html

As I’m recording this video near the end of 2019, the total number of confirmed exoplanets stands at 4,104. We’ve come a long way since the discovery of the first exoplanet orbiting a sunlike star back in 1995 with 51 Pegasi b. And the reality is that the race to find new exoplanets is only accelerating. New ground and space-based telescopes are turning up planetary candidates at an increasing rate. New techniques will find planets in entirely new ways. The bottom line is that over the next few decades, this mere 4000ish will multiply by orders of magnitude. So let’s run the clock forward and try to calculate what the future holds for exoplanets. How many worlds will we know about 3 decades from now, in the year 2050? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1911.12114.pdf https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mooreslaw.asp http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/51_peg_b/ https://sci.esa.int/web/plato/-/42276-summary https://www.eso.org/sci/facilities/eelt/ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/habex/ https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013A%26A...556A.133S/abstract https://sci.esa.int/web/gaia/-/58788-detecting-exoplanets-with-astrometry https://arxiv.org/pdf/1707.01348.pdf

This week I'm joined by Andrew Rader, a game designer and mission manager at SpaceX. Andrew's new book is called Beyond the Known and it's all about the history and future of space exploration. Learn more about Andrew here: https://andrew-rader.com/ And learn more about his book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Beyond-the-Known/Andrew-Rader/9781982123536 Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

How old is the Universe? In order to figure that out, all you have to do is figure out how quickly it’s expanding, and then the clock backward until everything is crunched together. And astronomers have measured the rate that the Universe is expanding with tremendous precision at various times in its history; at the beginning, and much more recently. The problem is, these expansion rates disagree, but they’ve both been measured so accurately that their error bars don’t overlap. In other words, there are multiple, highly accurate estimates for the age of the Universe, and they disagree. Check out Paul's channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr7XOxxQyBHEwqkhoci7vw Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

In this week's questions show, I explain why I don't think we always need to be realistic, if galaxies in the local group are bound together gravitationally, and what we should call Earth-moving equipment on Mars. 00:20 Be realistic. 04:24 Are galaxies in the local group bound? 05:56 Will gravitational waves give us advanced notice of collisions? 08:36 Will we ever be able to live outside on Mars? 10:16 Are we going to ruin Mars too? 12:42 Mars-moving equipment? 14:07 Could the Moon have an atmosphere? 15:51 Liquid water on the surface of Mars 16:49 Is there a business case for Mars? 19:17 What about nitrogen? 21:21 What will need to come from Earth? 23:06 Are there planets with less gravity than Earth? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Extending humanity to other worlds in the Solar System is at the very limits of our modern technology. And unless there are dramatic discoveries in new propulsion systems or we learn how to build everything out of carbon nanotubes, the future of space exploration is going to require living off the land. The technique is known as In-Situ Resource Utilization or ISRU, and it means supplying as much of your mission from local resources as possible. And many of our future exploration destinations, like Mars, have a lot to work with. Let’s look at the raw materials on Mars that missions can use to live off the land and the techniques and technologies that will need to be developed to make this possible. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20160005963.pdf https://space.nss.org/the-promise-of-mars-by-robert-zubrin/ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7038 https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/msa/ammin/article/103/7/1011/537180/gypsum-bassanite-and-anhydrite-at-gale-crater-mars https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jarosite-in-the-noctis-labyrinthus-region-of-mars http://fti.neep.wisc.edu/neep533/SPRING2004/lecture19.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo1923 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242525435_Perchlorate_on_Mars_A_chemical_hazard_and_a_resource_for_humans https://mars.nasa.gov/news/curiosity-finds-evidence-of-mars-crust-contributing-to-atmosphere/ https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/8200/boron-sodium-and-chlorine-in-mineral-vein-diyogha/ https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6544 https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/viking-1-2/ https://www.nasa.gov/jpl/msl/pia18387 https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110015862.pdf https://phys.org/news/2019-04-methane-route-storage-renewable-energy.html https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9159/213d6ad79bd800d07525bc37463588742662.pdf https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2007/11/05/9075777/ethylene-uses-and-market-data https://www.universetoday.com/144136/using-bacteria-to-build-a-base-on-mars/ https://madeinspace.us/press-releases/made-in-space-wins-nasa-contract-to-develop-hybrid-metal-manufacturing-system-for-space-exploration/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gfS5k8juDM https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-01157-w??utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=3_nsn6445_deeplink_PID7596969&utm_content=deeplink https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lunarisru2019/presentations/5066_Mueller.pdf https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/centennial_challenges/3DPHab/latest-updates-from-nasa-on-3d-printed-habitat-competition

In this week's questions show, I explain why you could have a steam-powered rocket, how often spacecraft have crashed into asteroids and comets, and why a red supergiant star actually has a very low surface gravity. 02:42 Could you build a steam-powered rocket? 04:48 Have any probes crashed into asteroids or comets? 06:47 Surface gravity of UY Scuti 08:57 Will we ever send humans to the surface of Venus? 11:08 Lol 11:24 Does Venus have a magnetic field? 12:22 Longer guest interviews? 14:09 Save the shoutouts to the end 15:55 Could a probe float at the surface of Venus? 16:47 Where do I get my news? 20:29 Why don't meteor showers hit satellites? 21:57 Why not add a module to James Webb? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

The exploration of Venus has been mainly about getting down to the surface of the planet. The Soviet Union sacrificed lander after lander to discover just how extreme the conditions are down there on the ground. But higher up, among the clouds, the climate on Venus is surprisingly Earthlike in temperature and pressure, and there have been some fascinating ideas for robotic and human explorers to fly the skies of Venus, to help understand our evil twin planet. Let’s take a look at them. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/in-depth/ https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/venusfact.html http://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Venus_Express/Acid_clouds_and_lightning https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/ https://progearthplanetsci.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40645-018-0181-x https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/resources/2197/aerial-platforms-for-the-scientific-exploration-of-venus/ https://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/venus-20070827.html https://trs.jpl.nasa.gov/bitstream/handle/2014/44535/13-5079_A1b.pdf?sequence=1 https://unmanned-aerial.com/nasa-taps-black-swift-to-develop-uas-for-studying-venus https://www.universetoday.com/144045/stingray-glider-to-explore-the-cloudtops-of-venus/ https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/meetings/STIM/presentations/Polidan_VAMP%20for%20STIM%20Meeting%20Jan%202013%20-%20Final%20Approved.pdf https://sacd.larc.nasa.gov/smab/havoc/

This week I'm joined by Jason Derleth from NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (or NIAC). This is a special part of NASA that funds innovative ideas for new telescopes, propulsion systems and rovers. Many of the cool, science-fiction ideas I present on this channel come from research done at NASA. Jason is an aerospace engineer and tech analyst, and the Program Executive for NASA NIAC. Learn more about NIAC here: https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/index.html Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

In this week's questions show, I explain why we can see meteor showers every year, why we're not 3D printing telescopes in space, why there aren't any plans to launch telescopes with SpaceX Starship. And a lengthy answer to one of the most common James Webb questions we get: can it be refueled? This was answered by Paul Geithner, a Deputy Project Manager for James Webb during a recent livestream. 01:00 Why do we see meteor showers every year? 02:49 Why not also use 3D printing for space telescopes? 04:40 Why don't they design telescopes for Starship? 07:20 Could there be a privately backed telescope? 09:54 Is there glass on the Moon to build telescopes? 11:46 Could ISS help build new space telescopes? 13:47 Space telescopes on the far side of the Moon? 15:06 Is Andromeda actually much closer? 16:27 Why spend money on science? 19:20 Why is the dark side of the Moon illuminated? 21:34 Can James Webb be refueled? Watch the full livestream here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX0iCqCTKzE 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

When it comes to telescopes, bigger is better. That’s true down here on Earth, and it’s especially true out in space. As astronomers and engineers design the next generation of giant space telescopes, they’re running up against the limits of current launch providers. There are only so many ways you can fold a huge telescope to get it to fit inside a 5-meter launch fairing. The upcoming James Webb Space Telescope is pretty much the very limit of what you can construct on Earth and put into space in a single launch. To go bigger, space agencies will need to consider assembling their next-generation space telescopes… in space. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://hubblesite.org/mission-and-telescope http://herschel.cf.ac.uk/mission/launch https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/exep/technology/in-space-assembly/iSAT_study/ https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/space-station-assembly https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex/2019/07/29/cargo-dragon-berthed-to-station/

Today I was joined by Dr. Casey Handmer, an accomplished theoretical physicist who currently works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Casey has a fascinating blog where he considers current trends in space exploration and what the future holds. Learn more about Casey here: https://caseyhandmer.wordpress.com/ We talked about the implications of SpaceX Starship, Starlink, why power beamed from space or asteroid mining will never turn a profit down here on Earth, and why he's not that scared about space radiation. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

In this week's questions show, I tackle all the questions about James Webb generated by the videos we did this week. Can it be refueled? How can it see the entire sky? Is the delay a blessing? And more... 00:30 How will JWST run out of propellant? 03:12 Are there spacecraft that could service JWST? 05:00 Can JWST only see half the sky? 08:21 Is the delay a blessing in disguise? 10:58 Why not construct it in Low Earth Orbit? 13:09 Could we build a copy? 14:29 Could JWST use gravitational lensing? 15:55 Will JWST image black holes? 17:52 Is the telescope an antique? 18:49 Should we look or explore? 20:52 Could it find vegetation? 22:00 Is James Webb already a failure? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Today I'll be joined by Paul Geithner, the Deputy Project Manager for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. You've had questions about this mission. Well... now's your chance to get them answered directly from the source. Paul started working with NASA in 1991 on the Hubble Space Telescope, shifting over to James Webb. In 2011, he became the Deputy Project Manager, Technical for James Webb. Learn more here: https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/meetTheTeam/people/geithner.html Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

On March 30, 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will blast off from the European Space Agency’s European spaceport in Kourou, French Giana on board an Ariane 5 rocket. It’ll fly to the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, a relatively stable spot in space that keeps the glare from the Sun, Earth, and Moon all in a tiny spot in the sky. Then, it’ll unfurl its tennis court-sized sunshade, fold out its gigantic 6.5-meter mirror, and peer out into the distant cosmos. Over the course of the next 10 years, this infrared observatory will help astronomers learn about the earliest moments of the Universe, directly observe the atmospheres of planets orbiting other stars, and peer at newly forming stars and planets. And if you listened to the words I just said with equal parts terror and skepticism, I don’t blame you. James Webb’s path to space has been long and tortuous. And the risks that the mission still faces are very real. Hopefully, the science will be worth it. Hopefully, nothing else goes wrong from now until deployment. So today, I want to do a deep dive into James Webb. To talk about the history of the mission, why it exists, how the development went, and where it stands today. I’ll warn you though, the length of this video is going to go way over budget. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/about-jwst/history https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/servicing/index.html https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/2017/highlights-of-hubble-s-exploration-of-the-universe http://www.stsci.edu/files/live/sites/www/files/home/hst/documentation/_documents/NextGenerationSpaceTelescope.pdf https://webb.nasa.gov/content/about/faqs/whoIsJamesWebb.html http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/about-jwst/history/design-reference-mission-drm https://archive.ph/20120805155712/http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/news/2003/nasa-announces-contract https://www.nature.com/articles/4671028a http://www.icc.dur.ac.uk/~tt/Lectures/Galaxies/Images/Infrared/Regions/irregions.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/observatory/sunshield.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/observatory/instruments/index.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/observatory/instruments/nircam.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/observatory/instruments/fgs.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/observatory/instruments/miri.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/comparisonWebbVsHubble.html https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/about/faqs/faq.html http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/ https://jwst.nasa.gov/content/forScientists/faqScientists.html https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-completes-webb-telescope-review https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/nasa-s-james-webb-space-telescope-has-been-assembled-for-the-first-time

In this week's questions show, I answer what will bring geostationary satellites back to Earth, if you could use the heat on Venus to power a rover, why are we so arrogant to believe that life formed only here on Earth, and more. 01:38 How long will geostatationary satellites survive? 04:31 Could you use the heat on Venus to power a rover? 05:50 Arrogant to think Earth is unique with life 07:33 What kinds of rocks are on Mars? 09:31 Perovskite solar panels on Earth? 11:27 Could there be planets with polar orbits? 13:13 SagA* % mass of the Milky Way 14:25 How do missions tackle micrometeorites? 17:05 Why doesn't a black hole turn into a regular object? 18:22 Why do sci-fi spacecraft move unrealistically in space? 21:11 What clocks will Martians use? 23:03 Could we search for dips in light to find Planet 9? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Today's guest is Dustin Gibson from Oceanside Photo and Telescope (OPT). Dustin will talk about his journey to becoming an astrophotographer and eventually running one of the most successful telescope retailers in the world. Follow Dustin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gibsonpics/ Or visit Oceanside Photo and Telescope https://optcorp.com/ Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Solar energy is the ideal way to power a spacecraft. There’s no weather, there’s no pesky atmosphere, just pure photons streaming from the Sun to harvest for whatever you need. Well, as long as you’re within the inner Solar System. But solar panels are complicated and fragile made of sensitive electronics and glass - not to mention, really heavy. Any spacecraft equipped with solar panels needs to handle the gravity down here on Earth for the construction and testing, then the shaking and high Gs of launch. The solar panels need to unfold perfectly once they get to space. And the total amount of energy you can harvest is limited by the size of your rocket’s launch fairing. Maybe there’s a new strategy. NASA is currently funding research into a new type of solar panel that can be carried into space as a liquid and then sprayed onto a surface to turn it into a power generating surface. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-funds-demo-of-3d-printed-spacecraft-parts-made-assembled-in-orbit http://news.mit.edu/2019/robots-large-structures-little-pieces-1016 https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/solarcells/ https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2016/03/kind-solar-panels-nasa-use/ https://scitechdaily.com/important-breakthrough-in-perovskite-solar-cells/ https://news.ucmerced.edu/news/2019/uc-merced-reaches-stars-solar-cells https://www.nasa.gov/feature/glenn/2019/building-solar-panels-in-space-might-be-as-easy-as-clicking-print https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/facilities/eppl/#vacuum-facility-6-vf6-

In this week's questions show, I tackle questions about seeding Europa with hardy Earth life, what makes galaxies spin, what are we competing with aliens for, and why is it so hard for second stages of rockets to land? Subscribe to Back to Space https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHZ63YtVtdQDqLxKyTDmtmw 01:46 Why not take Earth life to Europa? 04:00 What if the aliens are aligned to Planet 9? 06:09 What makes a galaxy spin? 07:22 What are we competing with aliens for? 09:39 Are we constantly reusing atmosphere on ISS? 11:33 Should we settle ice worlds? 13:52 Why can't second stages be landed? 17:03 Does Sag A* spin the same way as the Milky Way? 20:22 Is the search for life in space a waste of time? 21:59 Could asteroid mining change their orbits? 23:51 Would SpaceX send NASA astronauts to Mars? 24:25 How much fuel does ISS need? 25:01 What kind of training do astronauts get? 25:52 What is Max Q? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

The race is on to find life in other places in the Solar System, from underground reservoirs on Mars to the subsurface oceans on Europa and Enceladus. If spacecraft, rovers or even astronauts make the momentous discovery of life on another world, that’ll just open up new questions. Did it originate all on its own, completely independently from Earth, or are we somehow related? And if we are related, how long ago did our evolutionary trees branch away from each other. Even though Mars is millions of kilometers away, it could be possible that we’re still related thanks to the concept of Panspermia; the idea that meteor impacts could transfer rocks and maybe even living creatures from world to world. But could you go one step further? If we find life on another star system, could we discover that we’re actually related to them too? Is Galactic Panspermia possible? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.hoyle.org.uk/resources/virusesfromspacecompressed.pdf https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lpi/meteorites/The_Meteorite.shtml https://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2013/03211549-lpsc-hermean-meteorite.html https://www.dlr.de/me/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-1752/2384_read-54290/ https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Humanoid https://phys.org/news/2018-08-timescale-evolution-life-earth.html https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1011/1011.0101.pdf https://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2013/20130926-gravity-assist.html https://arxiv.org/abs/1011.0101 https://phys.org/news/2010-11-necropanspermia-seeding-life-earth.html https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/198/3/723/1012846 https://arxiv.org/pdf/1910.06414.pdf https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/hubble-observes-1st-confirmed-interstellar-comet/ https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/476/3/3031/4909830 https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/hyakutake.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2YkvWdUUNQ

If you’ve watched this channel enough, you might have the impression that I hate Venus. It’s possible, just possible I’ve even suggested that the planet is so terrible it should be pushed into the Sun. The reality, of course, is that it’s an absolutely fascinating world - the closest twin to the Earth that we have in the Solar System. It’s nearly the same mass and has the same surface gravity. While Earth is the beautiful life-filled world we all enjoy, Venus is a tortured hellscape, with temperatures hot enough to melt zinc. With atmospheric pressures more than 93 times what we experience here on the surface of Earth. And I always forget about the sulphuric acid rain. The Soviets sent a series of landers to a horrible demise for a glimpse of the surface of Venus in the 70s and 80s. But nobody’s been back since. There have been new techniques and technologies in development that might make a serious exploration of the surface of Venus possible again. Exploration that could help us understand why the planet went so horribly horribly wrong. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/vexag_goals_2007.pdf https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-studying-shared-venus-science-objectives-with-russian-space-research-institute https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/16/world/soviet-spacecraft-heads-for-comet.html https://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/2015/0305-venus-from-33-years-ago.html https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268472597_Analysis_of_Solar_Cell_Efficiency_for_Venus_Atmosphere_and_Surface_Missions https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2017EA000355 https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2018/pdf/1243.pdf http://www.russianspaceweb.com/venera_d.html https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/meetings/archive/vexag_14/presentations/27-Kremic-Long-Lived%20Venus%20Station.pdf https://science.nasa.gov/technology/technology-stories/electronics-demonstrate-operability-in-simulated-venus-conditions https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/a-clockwork-rover-for-venus https://www.lpi.usra.edu/vexag/meetings/archive/vexag_15/presentations/9-Saunder-AREE.pdf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9fki7dligU https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2012_phase_I_fellows_landis.html https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12905-antique-fridge-could-keep-venus-rover-cool/

It was another solo live QA this week and I did my best to answer as many audience questions as I could do, closing in on 60 questions during the hour. Needless to say it was a wide-ranging conversation with questions about where I think rovers should go, what do I think about time travel, and whether we should do more SETI or build more space telescopes. The thumbnail is for a Greenland rover called Grover. Here's an article about it: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/grover.html 01:28 Updates 05:58 Has Canada got an exoplanet? 06:10 Thoughts on Hygiea? 07:00 Where would I send a rover? 07:79 Has NASA done sex studies in space? 08:05 How can black holes ever merge? 09:55 What does a rocket push against? 11:05 What do I think of metallic hydrogen? 12:50 What's my most memorable space event? 15:36 Have I seen any time travel videos? 16:00 Could Valles Marineris caused by a scraping asteroid 17:13 Why doesn't JWST's Ariane rocket have an abort system? 18:14 What would happen if a comet passed through the atmosphere? 18:39 Is Mercury tidally locked? 19:03 What will the do about food on Mars? 19:43 Do I believe in ancient aliens 19:56 How do we measure the expansion of the Universe? 21:18 Happy Halloween 21:39 What about Nibiru? 23:12 Do different worlds experience different time dilation? 24:50 Can you brew beer in microgravity? 25:20 Any relativistic calculators? 25:45 Could we see Earth in the past with a black hole? 27:45 Could we blow up asteroids? 29:00 Will SpaceX be violating the Outerspace Treaty? 31:29 Super spiral galaxies 32:35 Europa lander keep from getting fried 33:42 What do I read in my spare time? 35:05 Have they found the bolts in James Webb? 35:27 Are aliens too different? 37:00 Any breakthroughs in propulsion? 38:18 Did I see Halley's Comet? 38:30 Are there any bright comets coming? 39:37 How frequent were meteor impacts in the Late Heavy Bombardment? 40:15 Will the Moon landings actually happen? 41:30 Will there be version of Starship that could service satellites? 42:50 Space Telescopes versus SETI 43:55 Will CRISPR help modify humans to travel in space? 44:39 Collaboration with Joe Scott 45:00 Can we terraform Venus? 45:30 Live telescope streaming? 45:54 Upcoming astronomy events? 46:07 Why grow plants in regolith? 46:56 Why do we only see photons when they hit a thing? 48:04 Could we move a pole faster than the speed of light 48:55 Could they make an anti-asteroid version of Starship? 49:58 Where did Theia come from? 50:50 What if a star made a direct hit on a black hole? 51:37 Could we terraform Mars if we set up factories on it? 52:56 Is the Sun part of Alpha Centauri? 53:29 What does the X-37B 55:00 Does it make sense to send a new Voyager? 55:39 Could there be infinite Earths? 56:00 Most realistic space movie? 57:38 When will we live off fusion energy? 59:20 What's SpaceX's plan to get through the Van Allen Belts? 59:40 How did X-37B launch? Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]

Scientists have had the opportunity to examine several asteroids in the Solar System now, and what they’ve learned is how much variety is out there, depending on the mass, distance from the Sun and composition. Astronomers currently know of 829,400 asteroids across the Solar System, and they’d love to visit as many of them as possible to learn more about them. Considering the price of a single spacecraft, that’s going to get expensive. Fortunately, there are places in the Solar System that have trapped a large number of asteroids in a way that a single spacecraft can visit several of them as part of a mission. They’re at Jupiter’s L4 and L5 Lagrange points, and this week NASA approved a new mission that’ll explore 7 different asteroids over a 12-year journey. It’s called Lucy. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected] References: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/lucy-mission-clears-critical-milestone https://www.lpi.usra.edu/decadal/sbag/topical_wp/AndrewSRivkin-trojans.pdf https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/lucy-the-first-mission-to-jupiter-s-trojans http://lucy.swri.edu//mission/Targets.html https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Asteroids_Structure_and_composition_of_asteroids https://sci.esa.int/web/mars-express/-/31031-phobos http://lucy.swri.edu//mission/Spacecraft.html

In this week's questions show, I explain why it's probably not time to reconsider the definition of a moon, if we could make artificial gravity with a chunk of a neutron star, and why a supermassive black hole isn't the anchor for an entire galaxy. 00:47 Should we reconsider the definition of a moon? 03:35 Could we make artificial gravity with mass? 05:48 Why didn't the Big Bang collapse back into black hole? 07:47 Why can't a black hole be the anchor of the galaxy? 10:45 How far and how small can we see? 13:37 What is left after a black hole evaporates? 15:00 Could you have a star made out of something else? 16:32 Could a planet orbit a binary star? 18:29 Could aliens Planet 9? 19:24 If aliens are advanced, we're no threat 21:35 How can aliens not exist? 22:30 Why don't they put a microscope in a rover? 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. Our Book is out! https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/ Audio Podcast version: ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2 RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio What Fraser's Watching Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G Weekly email newsletter: https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter Weekly Space Hangout: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/ Astronomy Cast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday More stories at: https://www.universetoday.com/ Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / [email protected] Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw Chad Weber - [email protected]