Universe Today Podcast

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 14:28
A lava tube found on Venus, China tests its new capsule and softlands a rocket, SpaceX shifts focus from Mars to the Moon, and in Space Bites+, 5 galaxies colliding in the early Universe.
00:00 Intro

00:16 New image from EHT https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-collaboration-that-brought-you-the-first-image-of-a-black-hole-just-released-photos-of-its-massi

02:19 Lava Tube on Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/massive-venus-lava-tube-detected-using-data-from-nasas-long-defunct-magellan-spacecraft

04:43 China's Moon Rocket Test https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-02-11/VHJhbnNjcmlwdDg5MDIw/index.html

06:25 SpaceX pivots from Mars to Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/spacex-makes-a-huge-pivot-wants-to-build-on-the-moon-instead

08:21 Another possible explanation for Little Red Dots https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-little-red-dots-observed-by-webb-were-direct-collapse-black-holes

11:17 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

11:55 Possible bright comet alert https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-sungrazer-comet-a1-maps-could-be-bright-in-early-april-if-it-survives-perihelion

13:46 More of 3I/ATLAS https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-spherex-mission-spots-3iatlass-bright-envelope

14:28 BONUS STORY: 5 galaxy merger https://www.universetoday.com/articles/cosmic-collision-the-jwst-found-an-early-5-galaxy-merger

16:23 Why SpaceX plans make sense

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:22
Could Venus be turned into hell by an ancient civilization that lived on it? Why Dark Matter is not a theory? What's up with all the Great Attractor videos on YouTube? And in Q&A+, what's the current state of lava tube exploration?
👉 Dark Matter in NOT a Theory https://youtu.be/PbmJkMhmrVI
👉 Channels mentioned
https://www.youtube.com/@AstroAF/
https://www.youtube.com/@MaximumAstronomy
https://www.youtube.com/@frosthastrophotography/
00:00 Start

00:26 [@9999Joppe] Could an ancient civilization cause the greenhouse effect on Venus?

01:53 [@curtishorn1267] Dark matter is not a theory

12:11 [@evo1ov3] What is the Great Attractor?

16:22 [@brentcalaway] Missions to lava tubes

Japan’s space agency often flies under the radar, despite pursuing missions many larger agencies haven’t attempted. Like returning samples from Phobos or deploying a Toyota-built lunar rover. In this interview, we trace JAXA’s origins and the decisions that defined it.
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_u9ZJBLCDBQ
🟣 Guest: Dr. Subodhana Wijeyeratne https://subowijeyeratne.com/
📚 The Islands and the Stars: A History of Japan's Space Programs https://bdo.wfu.mybluehost.me/the-islands-the-stars/
00:00 Intro

02:01 Researching JAXA

06:48 Star of Japan's space journey

16:05 Japan's first liquid fuel rocket

24:14 Japan's relationships with NASA and others

31:23 Lesser known projects

36:53 Dependency on the US

42:00 Excitement for the Future

44:41 Current obsessions

50:17 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 12:43
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aALqt_Ng0dU
00:00 Start

00:26 [@ar-visions] Are white dwarf a solution for Dyson spheres?

02:41 [@gumby2ms] How will Vera Rubin's data releases work?

06:48 [@karandeepgill5589] How much of a galaxy does the SMBH take up?

09:47 [@hangmann747tinmann8] Where do magnetars come from?

12:43 [@logicbug] What if the laws of physics are not uniform across the Universe?

BONUS STORY starts at 19:42
👉 Interview about Europa with Dr. Paul Byrne https://youtu.be/Sj3JwQde-b8
👉 Interview about Magnetars with Dr. Genevieve Schroeder https://youtu.be/Q3JGdARjzTA
👉 How AI Destroyed My Job: https://youtu.be/HjDD8xwU6s8
🔵 Vote for the best story here: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts
Another reason why Europa might not be habitable, Artemis II is delayed for a month, Claude takes Perseverance for a drive, SpaceX is planning to launch data center satellites, and in Space Bites+, making discoveries in leftover data.
00:00 Intro

00:15 New Measurements for Europa https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-juno-measures-thickness-of-europas-ice-shell

03:16 Ammonia on Europa https://www.universetoday.com/articles/cracks-on-europa-sport-traces-of-ammonia

04:40 No Artemis Launch in February https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-artemis-ii-spacecraft-on-the-launch-pad

06:34 Claude AI Took Over Percy https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-completes-first-ai-planned-drive-on-mars/

08:26 Many More Satellites for SpaceX https://www.universetoday.com/articles/elon-musk-lays-out-a-new-vision-of-ai-satellites-as-spacex-acquires-xai

12:06 New Shepard Paused For No Less Than 2 Years https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-to-pause-flights

13:18 Vital Molecule in Interstellar Space https://www.universetoday.com/articles/for-the-first-time-scientists-detect-molecule-critical-to-life-in-interstellar-space

15:09 Vote results https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

15:42 Lava Tunnels for Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/venus-might-harbor-massive-subsurface-lava-tunnels

17:23 Kilonova simulation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt6vcy-hssA

18:36 Even Further Galaxies https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasa-webb-pushes-boundaries-of-observable-universe-closer-to-big-bang/

19:42 BONUS STORY

21:02 Missions that didn't happen