We are on the verge of sending humans back to the Moon. At the same time others prefer we focus our exploration on Mars. It’s a tough choice.
Our Hosts
Fraser Cain
Universe Today
Dr. Pamela Gay
CosmoQuest
Production by
- Richard Drumm, Audio Engineer
- Ally Pelphrey, Video Engineer
18 Seasons
700+ Episodes
2018 Winner Parsec Award
#751: Vacuum Energy
Even empty space isn’t empty. It’s filled with quantum fluctuations of spacetime itself. Which can be measured with Casimir Effect experiment
#750: Supernova Early Warning System
If we can accurately detect neutrinos being emitted during supernova, we might be able to get on target before the light show even starts.
#749: Dark Energy Changing Over Time
We thought Dark Energy was constant, but new results from DESI say maybe not, and if it wasn’t the Hubble Tension would be easier to solve.
Recent Episodes
#737: Weird Science Stories in 2024
2024 was a strange year! I’ll let your imagination take flight and consider how 2024 was weird for you. But, for space and astronomy we had some interesting, revolutionary, unsettling and downright weird stories pop up. Today let’s talk about them. Show Notes Color of...
#736: Gift Guide 2024
It’s time for our Holiday Gift Guide, where we suggest ideas for presents for the space fans in your life! What books are we reading? What games are we playing and what telescopes are we admiring? Show Notes Lego Sets for Space Fans Telescopes and Astronomy Equipment...
#735: Albert Einstein
Last week we talked about the Einstein probe. So this week it is only natural that we talk about the man himself, Albert Einstein. He revolutionized the field of physics, played a vital role in the early 20th century and struggled to unite the forces of the Universe...
#734: The Einstein Probe
Another day, another space telescope! Today we’re looking at the newly launched Einstein Probe. A collaboration between the Chinese Space Agency and the European Space Agency. The mission has been operating since January searching the cosmos for short, bright flashes...
#733: Euclid of Alexandria
Let's look at the Euclid of Alexandria, the father of geometry and his contributions in celestial mechanics and orbital calculations. Show Notes Who Was Euclid of Alexandria? Importance of Euclid’s work: Euclid’s Contributions to Mathematics Influence on Astronomy...
#732: The Euclid Telescope
Let's look at the Euclid Space Telescope.. Show Notes The Euclid Mission Overview Mission Location and Challenges Science Goals of Euclid Spectrograph and Redshift Measurements Significance of Mapping Dark Matter and Dark Energy Preliminary Data Release Model...
#731: Neil Gehrels
Last week we talked about the Neil Gerhels Swift Telescope, this week we’ll be talking about the man behind the mission. Gerhels was the principle investigator behind many missions, including Swift. Show Notes Halloween and Elections Neil Gehrels Overview Career...
#730: The Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope
Let's look over the long life of the Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope as it watches for the multi-spectral flashes of high energy explosions. Show Notes Introduction to Swift & Its Purpose. Swift’s Rapid Response to GRBs. Swift’s Role in Expanding GRB...
#729: The James Webb Space Telescope
Let's talk about that giant telescope that's changing everything. We have been waiting our entire careers to make this episode on the James Webb Space Telescope, AKA the JWST. This historic Observatory was launched just a couple of years ago and it's already...
#728 :Eugene Parker
In our last episode, we talked about the Parker Solar Probe. As always, we like to talk about the person who inspired the mission. What makes this amazing and different is that Eugene Parker was there to watch the launch of the mission that shares his name. Why is he...
#727: The Parker Solar Probe
The Sun. It’s that ongoing thermonuclear explosion that’s happening right over there. Although the Sun is necessary for life on Earth, we still have questions. So NASA has sent the Parker Solar Probe to visit the Sun, up close to get some questions answered. Show...
#726: What happened during our Summer Hiatus
We’re back from our summer hiatus. Before we left, we gave you a bunch of stories we thought might be important. Now let’s look back and see how our predictions went. And what surprises did happen? Show Notes Evidence of vulcanism on the Moon China's Chang'e 6 mission...
BONUS: June 10 Pre-Show Rant on Starliner, Starship, & more
Starliner S2.1 docking on May 20, 2022 (NASA) Prior to recording their exoplanets episode, Fraser and Pamela discussed their wild week of space flight news and discussed their concerns about the Starliner and StarShip programs. This is particularly timely as we...
BONUS: The Week of Too Much News
In this bonus episode, we bring you behind the scenes audio from our June 10 pre-show discussion about the “far too much news” that occurred the week of June 3, 2024. Check out the original recording on YouTube here. This episode was sponsored by Mint Mobile.
#725: Looking ahead
Normally, Pamela refuses to think about the future. But today, on our final episode before hiatus, she’s throwing out those rules. Here’s what we’re excited about for the future, especially in the next couple of months until we return in September Recorded: 10 June...
#724: Summer Science & SciFi Reads
It’s almost time for our summer hiatus. A time to catch up on all that reading. We’ll give you some book recommendations, and what we’re hoping to read during the summer. https://www.youtube.com/live/LFCW2nCw2-w?feature=shared Show Notes The following books were...
#723: Exoplanets by the Numbers
Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets, revealing entirely new types of worlds that we don’t have in the Solar System. It is enough to start getting a rough sense of what kinds of planets are out there. What’s the big picture? Show Notes Our World in Data...
#722: Weather on Exoplanets
Here’s a familiar question: how’s the weather? We’re familiar with the weather on Earth and telescopes and missions are watching the weather on other planets in the Solar System. But for the first time in history, astronomers can now answer that question for...
#721: Free-Floating Planets
Most of the exoplanets we’ve found are around stars, where they belong. But a few have been found free-floating in interstellar space. The evidence is growing that there are a lot of them out there, maybe even more than planets with stars. How do they form and how can...
#720: Galaxy Series – Elliptical Galaxies
Our galaxy series continues with elliptical galaxies. Unlike other types, these are large, smooth with very few distinguishing features. They’re filled with red and dead stars, a clue to their evolution. Listen Show Notes This episode discusses Elliptical Galaxies,...