BONUS PART STARTS AT 24:48

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0RvsOFWZFtw

There soon will be tens of thousands of satellites in orbit. Possibly, even millions. Does it mean that ground-based Astronomy is a lost cause? How can we make it work? Also, how is New Horizons doing?

🟣 Guest: Dr. Alan Stern https://alanstern.space/

New Horizons: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/

LUCY: https://lucy.swri.edu/

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:57 How's New Horizons doing

• 02:17 Next target

• 08:43 More science for New Horizons

• 11:07 Possible follow-up missions

• 13:18 Funding issues

• 19:05 New Horizons continues to do science

• 23:48 LUCY mission

• 30:00 Mega-constellations vs ground-based astronomy

• 46:06 Current obsessions

• 50:38 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 11:23

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1E7v7lv0U-o

Can you DYI a binocular telescope at home? Which binoculars should you get for stargazing? How many supernovae it took to create the Solar System? And in Q&A+ what happens is the Voyagers come back?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:25 [@evandotpro] Does it make sense to DIY a binocular telescope?

• 03:30 [@JackRay-1] What magnification level and lens size would be good for binoculars used to stargaze?

• 08:24 [@szolosiseb773] How many stars went supernova before the formation of our current Solar System?

• 11:23 [@OneOfAMineRocks] What Happens When We See Voyager Coming Back From The Other Direction?

• 17:30 Final thoughts

BONUS STORY STARTS AT 25:06

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8eMctTM-dug

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

My sister's website: https://haislacollins.com/

Japan’s Phobos mission is almost ready to launch and so is Roman, NASA needs help re-inventing the wheel, why Earth is inevitable, and on Space Bites+, melting diamonds to learn more about ice giant interiors. All this and more in this week’s Space Bites.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:17 MMX Is Ready

• 03:18 Possible Origin of Deimos https://www.universetoday.com/articles/marss-funky-moon-deimos-was-shaped-by-an-impact

• 05:36 Phobos Transit https://science.nasa.gov/photojournal/perseverance-captures-another-phobos-transit/

• 07:09 Starship aboard https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:255286

• 08:40 SpaceX's $100B expansion plan https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/spacex-intends-to-invest-up-to-100-billion-in-massive-louisiana-spaceport/

• 10:30 Reinventing the Wheel for NASA https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/johnson/nasa-challenge-tests-wheel-designs-for-moon-base-mobility/

• 13:20 Skyfall Drones https://www.universetoday.com/articles/nasas-skyfall-mars-helicopters-will-feature-a-revolutionary-antenna-design

• 16:45 More Leads for Dark Matter https://www.universetoday.com/articles/a-distant-stream-of-stars-may-offer-new-clues-to-dark-matter

• 18:56 Vote results

• 19:34 Earth is inevitable https://www.universetoday.com/articles/new-solar-system-models-show-earth-is-no-fluke

• 21:33 Roman's ready to launch

• 23:23 New image of Betelgeuse https://www.almaobservatory.org/en/audiences/alma-reveals-long-lived-hotspots-on-betelgeuses-bubbling-surface/

• 25:06 Bonus story https://www.universetoday.com/articles/scientists-melted-a-diamond-and-cracked-a-secret-of-ice-giants

• 27:08 More space news

• 27:56 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:37

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2gtlfvI9JJ0

How much of the Universe's life has already passed? Is the Universe spinning? How do binary planets work? And in Q&A+, does solar wind influence the orbits of planets?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:24 [@adamredwine774] What percent of the Universe's total lifetime have already passed?

• 05:41 [@DamingoFlave] Do you think that Deja Vu and Dreams could be glimpses into our multiverse versions of our lives we live?

• 07:45 [@ragetail3] Is the idea of adding a slingshot connected to earth for slinging rockets in to space a realistic idea?

• 12:26 [@HudsonAnsley] How do binary planets work??

• 14:37 [@danielguite3914] Do solar winds influence planet orbits?

• 17:23 Final thoughts

BONUS PART STARTS AT 20:51

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QD5sJ636wxM

More interviews: https://www.patreon.com/collection/44300/

🟣 Guest: Dr. Sanjoy Som https://www.bluemarblespace.org/

📜 Multistage Rocket Optimization, Geophysics, and the Spacefaring Envelope of Habitable Super-Earths https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.02691

Rockets fight against gravity to help us as a civilization escape into space. But what if a planet is much heavier? How big and dense does it need to get before a civilization gets permanently trapped and can't go to space?

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:16 Escaping the gravity well

• 06:53 Limiting factors

• 09:47 Rockets

• 15:18 Can a civilizations get trapped

• 20:51 Geology-driven civilization

• 32:54 Current obsessions

• 39:11 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 21:21

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

Couldn’t we use the entire moon as a data center? Does the vastness of space ever scare me? Do solar systems have Lagrange points? And in Q&A+, will we ever get to a Jetsons reality?

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:23 [@rwarren58] Couldn’t we use the entire moon as a data center?

• 03:58 [@jonathanchamberlain6260] Is the vastness of space and the unknown nature ever unnerving for you. I love space content but sometimes it gives me major anxiety.

• 11:16 [@ashstar42] How do you stay motivated when the world seems to be turning its back on progress?

• 20:04 [@DamingoFlave] Do Solar Systems have Lagrange points?

• 21:21 [@Stanton415] How quickly do you believe the robots will be able to give us Jetsons reality?

• 25:04 Final thoughts

BONUS QUESTION STARTS AT 14:13

Watch the video here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://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 help creating an atmosphere on Mars? And in Q&A+, how much does YouTube really pay for views.

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:27 [@JamesMcIntosh-r7j] Will an artificial magnetosphere help retain Mars' atmosphere?

• 03:36 [@1000dots] Wouldn't that cut off heat and light from the sun too?

• 04:20 [@emilianolaneri] Does the Earth always follow the same path through on the milky way?

• 07:07 [@sciencecompliance235] How should we celebrate the first contact?

• 11:16 [@drewd2] How old is the Universe if you include pre-big bang?

• 14:13 [@JohnnyApplleseed] How much does 3M views pay?

• 15:55 Final thoughts