Today Fraser is joined by exoplanet researcher Dr. Jason Wright from Penn State University. In addition to the more traditional hunt for exoplanets, Jason is helping define the search for extraterrestrials using all the new techniques available

Open Space 25 - Amateur Astronomy with Dean Regas

Feb 4th, 2019 1h 2m

Today I hang out with astronomer Dean Regas, author with the Cincinnati Observatory and author of 100 Things to See in the Night Sky.

372: Dark Energy Seems To Be Changing Over Time. Leading To A Big Rip?

Feb 4th, 2019 10m 43s

Astronomers working with the NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton have developed a technique to watch quasars and track the expansion of the Universe over the last 9 billion years. What they found is that the mysterious dark en

Open Space 24 - Going The Speed of Light With Dr. Paul Sutter

Feb 4th, 2019 1h

Today I hang out with astrophysicist Dr. Paul Sutter to talk about space and his new book, Your Place in the Universe.

371: Oldest Rock From Earth Was Found On The Moon (Of All Places)

Feb 2nd, 2019 8m 18s

Geologists think they’ve found the oldest Earth rock ever seen. And they found it in one of the last places you’d ever suspect, on the Moon. When the Apollo 14 astronauts returned their lunar samples back to Earth, they were carrying one rock t

QA77: Constant Acceleration For Artificial Gravity? And More... Featuring Astroathens

Jan 30th, 2019 30m 21s

In this week's Questions Show, I wonder if there's a way ion engines can give us artificial gravity, if electromagnetic rail guns can launch space craft, and should we be worried about returning alien pathogens back to Earth?

370: Can There Be Life On Planets Around Red Dwarf Stars?

Jan 23rd, 2019 9m 10s

As astronomers find more and more planets around other stars, the big question we want to know is: are they habitable, could there be life there?

QA 76: Can You Come To A Dead Stop In Space? And More... Featuring Launch Pad Astronomy

Jan 22nd, 2019 25m 9s

In this week's QA, I answer if it's possible to come to a dead stop, will Mars be more habitable when the Sun expands as a red giant, is there a stellar mass black hole nearby, and more...

Open Space 23 - Space and Futurism With Isaac Arthur

Jan 21st, 2019 1h 1m

In this week's live QA, I sit down with Isaac Arthur. He talks about the challenges of futurism, how he creates so much amazing content, and a new suggestion for the Prime Directive: Don't Be a Jerk.

369: Many New Fast Radio Bursts Found, Including Another Repeater

Jan 17th, 2019 10m 7s

One of the big mysteries in astronomy is unfolding right before our eyes: fast radio bursts. And now a new Canadian radio telescope has come online, detecting many new bursts, including the second ever seen repeating.

QA 75: Have We Already Infected Mars with Bacteria? And More...

Jan 15th, 2019 25m 26s

In this week's questions show, I wonder if we've already infected Mars with our Earth life, why we assume aliens build Dyson Spheres, and if you could link up 5 Hubble telescopes together.

Open Space 22: Photonic Propusion, Canada in Space, Big or Small Rockets, and More...

Jan 15th, 2019 1h

This week's Live QA was just me, no guest. Which gave us lots of time to get into your questions. We talked about photonic propulsion systems, the future of small rockets and whether space elevators will work better on the Moon or Mars.

368: Searching for Technosignatures. Evidence of Intelligent Alien Civilizations

Jan 10th, 2019 11m 32s

Are we alone in the Universe? It’s one of the most difficult and important questions that humanity can ask. As Arthur C. Clarke noted, it’s equally terrifying whether the answer is yes or no.

QA 74: Can We Be Ready for the Next Oumuamua? And More...

Jan 8th, 2019 23m 1s

In this week's questions show, I wonder what we'd do if we actually found life, if we can be ready for the next interstellar asteroid, why the Mars 2020 rover is going to help with sample return and more.

Open Space 21: Live QA with John Michael Godier

Jan 7th, 2019 1h 2m

This week I'm joined by sci-fi author and science writer John Michael Godier. We talk about the latest space news and what's happening with John's new Event Horizon Channel.

367: Project Dragonfly. A Laser-Powered Probe to Alpha Centauri

Jan 6th, 2019 10m 52s

The distances between stars are so vast, it’s hard to wrap your mind around it. Even our far flung Voyagers have barely reached interstellar space, and would take tens of thousands of years to get to even the nearest star. But scientists and en

QA 73: Is SETI Pointless? And More...

Jan 1st, 2019 21m 16s

In this week's questions show, I wonder if moons could be geostationary, if we could detect Hawking radiation, if SETI is pointless, and why I'm always talking to people like they're 11. as the Sun. In fact, this star is a virtual twin of the S

366: One of the Sun's Sibling Stars Has Been Found. And It's Actually Pretty Close

Nov 29th, 2018 9m 8s

Thanks to the hardworking Gaia spacecraft, astronomers think they’ve located a star that formed from the same solar nebula as the Sun. In fact, this star is a virtual twin of the Sun and it’s actually pretty close. Well, astronomical speaking.

QA 72: Escaping an Extinction Event and More...

Nov 26th, 2018 24m 15s

In this week's questions show, I wonder how well we'll be able to survive various extinction scenarios, can mobile apps help you learn the night sky? What would we do if Tunguska happened today? And more...

365: Is Oumuamua a Solar Sail Spacecraft from Another Star? Probably Not

Nov 19th, 2018 11m 12s

It’s been about a year since the mysterious interstellar asteroid (or maybe comet) Oumuamua passed through our Solar System. It was going so fast and was so far away that astronomers could see very little before it was off and away into deep sp

QA71: Could We React to An Incoming Asteroid? And More...

Nov 12th, 2018 15m 32s

In this week's questions show, I wonder if we'll have enough time to respond to an asteroid or comet, if we're going to fill the asteroid belt with space junk and if antimatter engines are the best way to explore space.

364: The Search for Neutrinos. Catching These Elusive Particles in a Gigaton of Ice

Oct 24th, 2018 13m

In the pristine icy environment of Antarctica, there’s a telescope, embedded into an ancient glacier. The telescope is observing the Universe, directly through the Earth, using a cubic kilometer of ice to capture elusive particles called neutri

Open Space 20: Live QA with Casey Dreier from the Planetary Society

Oct 1st, 2018 1h

Casey Dreier is the Planetary Society's Director of Space Policy, helping to advocate for planetary science with the US government. He's probably the best person I know to talk about the state of US space policy and the future of crewed and rob

QA 70: What is Space Itself? And More Featuring Dr. Paul Sutter

Oct 1st, 2018 25m 21s

We recorded this week's episode of the QA show from inside the Carnival Magic cruise ship, as part of our summer Astrotour. I saved up a bunch of tough questions for Dr. Paul Sutter, including: what is space itself? Could we use negative mass t