Universe Today Audio

Elon Musk recently announced SpaceX's plans to send a spacecraft to the surface of Mars by 2018. It’s never been easier to die on Mars.

If our Universe could be likened to a playground, our Sun would be one of the little kids playing in it. And the big kids, it turns out, are really big!

It’s going to be almost impossible to travel to another star, but a new idea was announced that might get us to a nearby star within our lifetime. How will it work?

Are you having trouble keeping track of all the planets in the Solar System? Good news! Astronomers have found evidence that there’s another huge planet far out in the Solar System. Textbooks will need to be rewritten again. You’re welcome.

I’ve said in the past that the Universe isn’t expanding into anything. But what if we’re living in a vast multiverse, and our Universe is bumping up against other universes?

We’re always concerned about the weather here on Earth, but what about the Moon? Is there any weather up there that astronauts will have to worry about?

The Moon is tidally locked to the Earth so it always shows us the same face. But the Earth is slowing down so that it’ll eventually lock to the Moon as well. What are the forces involved and when will this happen?

We’re focused on Mars and Pluto, but what about Jupiter? Doesn’t the biggest planet in the Solar System deserve a little love? How long does it take spacecraft to reach Jupiter?

In ancient times, astronomers and philosophers thought that the Earth was the center of the Universe. We know that’s wrong, but is there anything special about where we live?

Black holes are pretty dangerous, so it’s a good idea to keep an idea on where all the nearby ones are. How close is the closest one, anyway?

Fraser “Asks a Spaceman” Dr. Paul Matt Sutter – why do we call the Big Bang a singularity, when we also call black holes singularities? The Universe is filled with coincidences. Like the size of the Moon and the Sun in the sky, even though they’re so far apart. Or the shape of the Pac […]

Planet come in a wide variety of sizes, compositions, and colors – and they can sometimes have rings. Where do these rings come from? My favorite object to see through a telescope is Saturn. Seriously, if you’ve never had a chance to see it with your own eyes, find a friend who owns a telescope […]

Did scientists find a giant alien structure around KIC 8462852? Probably not, but if they did, what would these structures look like? In the summer of 2015, astronomers announced a strange new discovery from NASA’s planet hunting Kepler space observatory. Some object was blocking out about 22% of the light from its parent star: KIC […]

What is this thing we keep hearing about – the Higgs Boson, and why is it important? It’s been said that the best way to learn is to teach. And so, today I’m going to explain everything I can about the Higgs boson. And if I do this right, maybe, just maybe, I’ll understand it […]

When space tourism gets underway, companies will have many options for getting people to and from the Moon, some faster than others.