Universe Today Podcast

5-hour Patreon Q&A show: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday/posts/patreon-q-2026-174012731
Rubin finds Neptune’s trojans and two new companions to the Milky Way, China reveals more of its plans to send humans to the Moon, finding the seeds of supermassive black holes. And on Space Bites+, how Mars has microclimates near its North Pole.
🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
00:00 Intro

00:18 Rubin finds Neptune's trojans https://www.universetoday.com/articles/queens-university-belfast-students-find-neptunes-elusive-trojan-asteroids

02:40 Vera Rubin finds Milky Way's neighbours https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-vera-rubin-has-found-two-more-of-the-milky-ways-dim-satellites

03:58 China unveils its Moon plans https://www.universetoday.com/articles/china-unveils-their-plan-for-a-crewed-moon-landing

05:45 Splitting a black hole https://www.universetoday.com/articles/what-could-split-a-black-hole-in-two

07:29 Seeds of supermassive black holes

10:08 Van Gogh’s Starry Night mystery solved https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-research-resolves-the-mystery-behind-van-goghs-the-starry-night

11:47 Vote results

12:09 Earth’s “Impenetrable” Space Radiation Shield Was Just Breached From Within https://www.universetoday.com/articles/earths-impenetrable-space-radiation-shield-was-just-breached-from-within

14:03 Cat's Head nebula https://www.universetoday.com/articles/examining-the-cats-head-nebula-with-the-hubble-and-jwst

15:23 Carina's Ghost https://www.universetoday.com/articles/its-a-ghost-no-its-a-stellar-crche

16:19 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/martian-polar-crater-ice-shifts-with-seasonal-frost

18:43 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 17:10
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lwi6J0h2EhI
What if We Can't Detect Dark Matter? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXXqSh5qAuA Dark Matter Is Not a Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbmJkMhmrVI
Is it better to put a base on the Moon or under the ocean? What Astronomy can you do from a light polluted city? Can a martian base realistically evolve to a martian city? And in Q&A+, thought on the LIFE mission.
00:00 Intro

00:26 [@Borg_Terraformers] Moon, Mars or ocean floors?

03:33 [@David Fries] Doing amateur astronomy in a big bright city

08:12 [@CoinPatrol] How will Japan's Phobos rover work?

09:56 [@Roderick Beck] Can a Martian city evolve out of a research base?

17:10 [@aidenweatherbee9529] Thoughts on the LIFE mission

21:52 Final thoughts

BONUS PART STARTS AT 43:53
Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jiCigIHzyI8
City on Mars Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ8sZtg-Kdc
Clearly, a journey to Mars and back is the next huge leap for human space flight. We know we need new rockets, new spaceships, new technology, etc. But are the human bodies ready for that? Can humans pull it off? Finding out in this interview.
🟣 Guest: Mark Shelhamer, ScD
https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/
https://www.jhuhsl.space/
Are We Ready for Mars? https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54095/are-we-ready-mars
00:00:00 Intro

00:01:52 SciFi vs reality for space travel

00:08:18 Dangers of going to Mars

00:13:02 Mitigation strategies

00:24:33 Beyond the magnetosphere

00:43:53 Bonus part

00:54:33 Current obsessions

01:03:04 Final thoughts

🔵 Vote in the poll https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 15:46
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DIqlwbuEE4g
Which space event would I want to observe firsthand? How will artificial gravity systems work? What’s the direction for future space telescopes? And in Q&A+, how does astronomy adopt AI?
00:00 Intro

00:25 [@paigepotter4682] A space event to observe firsthand

01:55 [@TelephoneJack] How will artificial gravity systems combat the Coriolis effect?

09:06 [@caerdwynmagni] Bigger mirrors VS interferometers?

15:46 [@p0tatobiden350] How does Astronomy adopt AI?

21:20 Final thoughts