Universe Today Podcast

🟣 Guest: Dr. John Banovetz https://www.bnl.gov/world/
📜 Uncovering the Next Galactic Supernova with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.12094
We should be getting 1-2 supernovae per century in a galaxy like the Milky Way. Yet, the last one observed was about 1000 years ago? Where are all the galactic supernovae? Why don't we see enough of them. Can Vera Rubin help? Finding out in this interview.
00:00 Intro

01:41 Supernovae in the Milky Way

09:33 Why don't we see the supernovae

13:32 Vera Rubin 24:37 Working with the data pipeline

39:10 Current obsessions

41:08 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 16:16
Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gac8HkEO9AE
How will we power the Moon bases? Which places will be the primary targets for the Habitable World Observatory? Which nuclear reactor is the new NASA proposal about? And in Q&A+, how long will it take to clear the L2 Lagrange point?
00:00 Intro

00:26 [@Noonyuh] Could moonquakes or marsquakes cause problems for humans?

02:44 [@rJaune] Are there promising battery technology?

04:08 [@1000dots] Which nuclear reactor will NASA use for its new Mars mission?

09:20 [@smkolins] Is anyone setting up a public access list of new finds of Vera Rubin?

11:24 [@TestingTesting-1234] Where will HWO look first?

14:46 [@Matthew...1979] Could we see other planets in realtime?

16:16 [@C.Lo.87] How long to clear out L2?

17:22 Previously hidden content

Full livestream: https://www.youtube.com/live/6oMnUsxwsQM

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 20:55
Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VHLROLaOCFc
There's a new scar on the moon. The Artemis II astronauts return home safely. A new survey has just wrapped up its scan for dark energy. Supermassive black holes ready to merge. And in Space Bites Plus, astronomers find one of the oldest stars in the universe.
00:00 Intro

00:20 New Scar on The Moon https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-moon-just-got-a-new-scar

02:20 Artemis 2 Recap https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-world-welcomes-the-crew-of-artemis-ii-home

04:33 DESI 5-year observations https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/04/15/desi-completes-planned-3d-map-of-the-universe-and-continues-exploring/

07:34 SMBHs about to merge https://www.universetoday.com/articles/two-monsters-one-galaxy-and-a-collision-100-years-away

10:04 Reuse of the New Glenn's booster https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/04/16/blue-origin-hot-fires-its-first-previously-flown-booster-prepares-for-weekend-launch/ 11:14 Blue Alchemist https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/from-moon-dust-to-moon-colonies/

12:32 Demarcation of Stars and Planets https://www.universetoday.com/articles/wheres-the-dividing-line-between-a-star-and-a-planet-ask-the-jwst

14:53 Vote results

15:51 Stardust in the clouds of Venus https://www.universetoday.com/articles/stardust-in-the-clouds-of-venus

17:25 More NASA Nuclear Missions https://www.universetoday.com/articles/exploring-the-moons-shadowy-craters-with-nuclear-powered-rovers

19:35 Most Powerful Telescope https://www.universetoday.com/articles/the-universes-most-powerful-telescope

20:55 BONUS STORY https://www.universetoday.com/articles/student-team-finds-one-of-the-oldest-stars-in-the-universe-that-migrated-to-the-milky-way

22:45 Even more space news

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 19:38
Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/N1yFECYcRYs
How can you wrap your head around the true scale of the Universe? Will humanity ever colonize gas giant moons? Can ISS missions compare to future Mars missions? And in Q&A+, did JWST produce any good science papers?
00:00 Intro

00:25 [@chiroptile2881] Will humanity ever colonize the gas giants' moons?

04:32 [@nickstokes9386] How can you comprehend the scale of the Universe?

08:16 [@SantiagoT75] Is space less beautiful for our human eyes?

11:32 [@nephilim20111] Do ISS missions compare to future Mars missions?

19:38 [@derrickdibble3860] Any good papers been released from JWST?

22:36 Interviews with scientists

BONUS PART STARTS AT 27:40
Watch here (with no ads and a bonus part) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nX5Ou28VGwQ
LISA Interview https://youtu.be/AUS8A9J3d5g
LIGO Interview https://youtu.be/_jmQVH9L8vI
🟣 Guest: Dr. Chiara Mingarelli https://www.chiaramingarelli.com/
📜 Fingerprints of Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in Pulsar Timing Arrays https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.05722
00:00 Intro

01:41 Pulsar Timing Array

09:27 Detecting individual mergers

18:31 What's next?

27:40 Alternative ways of detecting black holes

41:14 Final thoughts