Universe Today Podcast

Fraser Cain

NASA

Mars

James Webb Space Telescope

Black Holes

Moon

Vera Rubin Observatory

Astronomy

Dark Matter

Spacex

Space Exploration

Exoplanets

Artificial Intelligence

Comet 3i Atlas

3I Atlas

Europa

Jupiter

Earth

Supernova

Starship

Titan

Public feed with [Space Bites+], [Q&A+], [Interview+] and other episodes. Free for everyone.

1.6k ratings

Publishes	Daily	Episodes	1593	Founded	13 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	AstronomyScience

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Guests Host Reviews Charts Talking Points

Latest Episodes

[Space Bites+] Swift Will Now Inevitably Die // China Lands a Rocket (again) // Starship Survived

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 26:33

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: youtu.be/ccPtQeURDzM

🔵 Vote for the best story here: www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

Interview with Vasiliy Kokorev about Little Red Dots youtu.be/zoHt... more

Yesterday • 33 min

[Q&A+] Earth’s True Path Through The Galaxy | Q&A 451

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:13

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: youtu.be/aX16AFy_Y9Q

Do we go through same places in the Milky Way every rotation? How should we celebrate the first contact? Will artificial magnetosphere hel... more

20 Aug 2026 • 18 min

[Q&A+] How Bad Would a Super Solar Storm Be for The Moon Base? | Q&A 450

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 12:48

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: youtu.be/R8_XwBxWsn0

How dangerous would a massive solar storm be for future Moon and Mars bases? Can more exoplanet discoveries stimulate more funding? What’s... more

19 Aug 2026 • 18 min

YouTube

[Space Bites+] Bad News for Europa Exploration // Watching Pluto’s Atmosphere Fade Away // Auroras on Mars

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 17:16

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: youtu.be/9XGHRoVJgYA

🔵 Vote for the best story here: www.youtube.com/@frasercain/posts

How can there be auroras on Mars? More bad news for the exploration of Euro... more

14 Aug 2026 • 22 min

YouTube

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Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Astronomy CastFraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

SpaceTime with Stuart GaryStuart Gary

Ask a Spaceman!Paul M. Sutter

The Supermassive PodcastThe Royal Astronomical Society

Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic DiscoveriesProfessor Fred Watson and Andrew Dunkley

Recent Guests

Mike Rubenstein

Professor of Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University; NIAC 2026 award recipient

Northwestern University / NASA NIAC

Episode: [Interview+] Swarming The Rings of Saturn With Tiny Probes, NIAC 2026

Austin Phoenix

Research associate professor at Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech

Episode: [Interview+] How Metamaterials Can Help Moon Rovers Survive Both Days and Nights, NIAC 2026

Jeff Nosanov

Founder of Orbital Velocity LLC

Orbital Velocity LLC

Episode: [Interview+] Resolving The Largest Black Hole In the Universe

Roy Kilgard

Professor of the practice in astronomy at Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University

Episode: [Interview+] Supernova Remnants Should Fade Away. So, Why are Some Flashing?

Zach Dicasse-Mansour

Guest discussing space futures and technology

Episode: [Q&A+] What Would It Cost to Keep The ISS Up?

Aaron Rosengren

Associate Professor at the University of California, San Diego

UC San Diego

Episode: [Interview+] Getting to the Moon Is Much More Complex Than You Think

Paul Michael Friedman

Space journalist featured as a guest in the Q&A

Episode: [Q&A+] Will Earth's Iron Poison The Sun?

Amy Dwyer

Guest discussing JWST observations and related topics

Episode: [Q&A+] Will Earth's Iron Poison The Sun?

Lawrence Tugnevy

Contributor providing weekly space news votes and summaries

Universe Today YouTube channel

Episode: [Space Bites+] Rubin's 10-Year Survey // Perseverance Clone for the Moon // Super-Puff Planets

Host

Raoul Cohen

Host of the Universe Today channel, frequently leads Q&A and livestream episodes

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 1.6k ratings

Extremely good but…
You should do the video on Apple podcast
Apple Podcasts
5
Jimmy 1 1 1
United Statesa month ago
Mick West??
I was a regular listener until the episode where the host lauds Mick West, who is no more qualified to analyze video than you or I.
Apple Podcasts
1
4sd..o
United States3 months ago
Manned Missions are such a waste
I am finding the bias of this show tilted so far to manned missions to the moon, mars, and space that it is hard to keep listening to.
IMO this pursuit is such a waste of time and resources and adds very little to man’s knowledge and understanding of the universe that cannot be obtained by much less costly unmanned missions.
It is such an ego trip brought to you by the Billionaires Ego Industrial Complex.
I wish you would address this issue.
Apple Podcasts
3
jmdarri
United States4 months ago
for space and science enthusiasts
As an amateur learning skywatching through a telescope: I started about 20years ago reading www.universetoday.com which introduced me to Universe today. When I discovered Fraser Cain doing youtube interviews with Astronomers and other scientists, I became hooked. Now the website, newsletter and shows are updated often and regularly. But I found that I mostly enjoyed listening to it. Thats where these Apple podcasts and google podcasts come in really handy. Thank-you Fraser and the team at univer... more
Apple Podcasts
5
Sabwap
New Zealand5 months ago
Excellent
Best science pod, period. No fluff. I never miss it.
Apple Podcasts
5
Beldar88
United States5 months ago

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Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests and topics are consistently strong and informative

High-quality, accessible science reporting with deep dives

No ads across channels is appreciated by patrons

Great podcast for space enthusiasts who want concise, insightful content

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#1	United States/Science/Astronomy
Apple Podcasts	#46	United States/Science
Apple Podcasts	#1	Canada/Science/Astronomy
Apple Podcasts	#4	United Kingdom/Science/Astronomy
Apple Podcasts	#34	Canada/Science
Apple Podcasts	#66	United Kingdom/Science

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

[Interview+] Resolving The Largest Black Hole In the Universe

Q: What other applications do you see for this Hanbury Brown-Twiss interferometry approach beyond studying TON 618?

It could become a versatile tool for measuring diameters and intrinsic properties of distant sources, potentially aiding exoplanet studies and broad cosmological observations by providing a new kind of eye on the universe that's less sensitive to many traditional measurement limitations.

[Interview+] Resolving The Largest Black Hole In the Universe

Q: So right now, in your plan, what do you think this mission looks like?

Two spacecraft with deployable dishes at a ~10 million mile baseline, with careful station-keeping and metrology to keep the distance within a meter, enabling picosecond timing measurements to extract the photon-ring information from TON 618.

[Q&A+] Best Way For The Universe To End

Q: Paul Wilson asked about the Moon tidally locking to the Sun, and whether any planets will eventually tidally lock to the Sun. What is the current understanding?

The host notes that the Moon is tidally locked to Earth, several moons are tidally locked to their planets, and Mercury/Venus are not tidally locked to the Sun in the current solar system configuration; over extremely long timescales (tens to hundreds of billions of years) gravitational interactions could rearrange or eject planets, potentially leaving a planet tidally locked to the Sun after major system changes.

[Q&A+] Best Way For The Universe To End

Q: If White Holes exist, could we ever see one? Do SETI researchers have access to Vera Rubin? What is the best way for the universe to end? And in Q&A+, will the Earth eventually become tidally locked to the Sun?

The host explains that white holes are a theoretical construct with no definitive evidence yet, but public data like Vera Rubin could in principle reveal signatures if such objects exist; SETI-style data streams are publicly accessible for analysis, apart from filtering of sensitive data. For the universe's end, the discussion covers options such as a cold, infinite expansion versus a hard end; ultimately, the host emphasizes that even highly speculative futures remain scientifically testable only if signals or effects are observable. The answer encourages listeners to explore public datasets and to consider long-term cosmological scenarios as thought experiments rather than imminent predictions.

[Interview+] Swarming The Rings of Saturn With Tiny Probes, NIAC 2026

Q: Tell me about the core idea—observing Saturn's rings with a swarm of femto satellites.

The swarm approach replaces a single flagship spacecraft with many tiny, fault-tolerant satellites; by losing some during ring passes, enough remain to collect meaningful data across multiple passes and locations.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Universe Today Podcast

What is Universe Today Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A science-focused show that concentrates on space, astronomy news, and thoughtful explorations of big questions in cosmology. Episodes mix concise space news roundups, ambitious technical interviews, and accessible Q&A that help listeners understand complex topics—from exoplanets and black holes to mission concepts and NIAC-funded research. Notable strengths include a steady stream of expert guests, a bias toward education and curiosity over hype, and a rare ad-free model supported by Patreon, which keeps the content audience-first and transparent. This mix makes it a strong fit for listeners who enjoy rigorous yet approachable science storytelling and expert perspectives on current and near-future space exploration.

It tends to attract li... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Universe Today Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Universe Today Podcast:

1. Astronomy Cast
2. SpaceTime with Stuart Gary
3. Ask a Spaceman!
4. The Supermassive Podcast
5. Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries

How many episodes of Universe Today Podcast are there?

Universe Today Podcast launched 13 years ago and published 1593 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Universe Today Podcast?

Recent guests on Universe Today Podcast include:

1. Mike Rubenstein
2. Austin Phoenix
3. Jeff Nosanov
4. Roy Kilgard
5. Zach Dicasse-Mansour
6. Aaron Rosengren
7. Paul Michael Friedman
8. Amy Dwyer

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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