Astronomy Cast
Take a fact-based journey through the cosmos. Tune in to hear weekly discussions on astronomical topics ranging from planets to cosmology. Hosted by Fraser Cain (Universe Today) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (Planetary Science Institute), this show brings the questions of an avid astronomy lover direct to an astronomer. Together Fraser and Pamela explore what is known and being discovered about the universe around us. Astronomy Cast is supported thru patreon.com/AstronomyCast.
Episodes
Streamed live 18 Oct 2026.
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)
Today we continue looking at space exploration technologies. This time we will examine thrusters, which can reorient a spacecraft and help it maneuver in space. Maximum flexibility but you need to bring along some propellant.
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Spinney things!
Streamed live 18 Oct 2026.
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)
Our journey through space exploration technology continues! Today we look at the things that spin: gyros, reaction wheels, servos. Newton's laws are large and in charge today as spinning has a very useful benefit when you're in weightlessness! Today we are going to understand the nemesis of space exploration missions ...
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Instead of sending up an entire space station for every mission, you can just send up a tiny can filled with astronauts. But that takes docking. And today we're gonna talk about what it takes to connect two spacecraft together. How to keep a cargo safe to get into orbit, and how to get in and out of your spacecraft without killing everyone!
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@fraser...
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)
Streamed on October 3, 2026.
Today our series continues with our deep dive into rockets, their engines & stages. We fall into the tyranny of the rocket equation and discover what it takes to escape Earth's gravity and head off into deep space.
We removed all ads from the show. We need to get to 1,500 patrons to keep it this way. We need your support!
Help us keep Astronomy Cast ad-free: https://patreon.com/astronomycast
We removed all ads from the show. We need to get to 1500 patrons to keep it this way. We need your support!
Streamed live on Sep 21, 2026
Hosted by: Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela L. Gay
Today we begin a new series on rockets and spacecraft, dealing with each of their components. It's a big job, so it'll take us a bunch of episodes to get through. Today let's do an ...
Help us keep Astronomy Cast ad-free: https://patreon.com/astronomycast
We removed all ads from the show. We need to get to 1500 patrons to keep it this way. We need your support!
Streamed live on Sep 7, 2026.
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)
This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast
Today we do the sequel to our 2-part series. We jump to the end of the Univ...
After 20 years, it's time to make some changes. With your patronage we can ditch the ads & turn up the science. Please join our Patreon community at patreon.astronomycast.com
Streamed live on Sep 7, 2026.
Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest)
This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast
To celebrate our 20th season, we thought we'd go back right to the beginning… of everything. Let's wind the clock back to the earliest moments of the Universe, where we'll measure time in fractions of a second. As the foundational laws of physics we...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 799: Heavy Lift Rockets
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live June 22, 2026.
The Saturn 5 was a monster, capable of sending humans and a lander to the Moon and bringing them back again. But the number of heavy lift rockets since then has gotten pretty sparse. Now, with tens if not hundreds of thousands of satellites in the works, giant new space telescopes and multi-ton lunar landers in development th...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 798: Our Summer Media List
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live on Jun 15, 2026.
Well, we're just a couple of weeks away from summer hiatus and so it's time to give you some homework. Here's our list of stuff we've been reading watching and playing. This should fill the Astronomy-Cast-shaped hole in your media landscape. On the plane, on the beach, from the passenger seat in a car, summer is a time f...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 797: Summer in Space
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live June 10, 2026.
We're about to take a much needed 2 month hiatus. But just because we're not here doesn't mean space stops existing and doing things. Today, let's give a preview of the big events due to happen in space this summer so you can prepare yourself and make sure you don't miss a thing! From meteors to moon landings and more, join Fras...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 796: Oceans & Organics on Mars
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live on Jun 1, 2026.
Mars is cold & dry today, but the evidence is growing that it used to be warmer & wetter. with seas & oceans that covered large parts of its surface. With the additional findings of the chemicals for life, the search for life on Mars is getting pretty interesting! New results from Perseverance and Curi...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 795: Expanse Science
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live on May 10, 2026.
This is the final episode of our series on sci-fi universes. And this week we will tackle "The Expanse". Now we've got fusion drives, Proto-matter, g-forces! Listen up, belta lawda! Let's look at the science of our own possible (with a side of aliens) future.
This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/Astro...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 794: Stargate Science
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live on May 10, 2026.
We continue our ad-hoc miniseries through sci-fi franchises. This week we'll talk about Stargate, worm holes, mind parasites and self-replicating bots. There's a lot to talk about!
This show is supported through people like you on Patreon.com/AstronomyCast
In this episode, we'd like to thank: Andrew Poelstra, Burry Gowen, Da...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 793: Star Trek Science
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live May 4, 2026.
Today we continue our mini-series; evaluating the science of various sci-fi franchises. We did Star Wars last week, this week tackle Star Trek. From transporters to warp drives, from phasers to photon torpedos. Let's tackle what Star Trek gets right and wrong about science. Let's look at the science of our galaxy, some day far i...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 792: Star Wars Science
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live April 29, 2026.
May the fourth be with you! Isn't that what people say on the international holiday known as Star Wars Day? Today we're gonna talk about the science in everyone's favorite sci-fi fantasy stories. Which of it is real, and which is essentially magic? Let's find out! Let's look at the science of a galaxy long ago and far away. (...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 791: Chang'e Sample Return
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live on Apr 20, 2026.
Last week we talked about samples from other worlds delivered to Earth by meteorites. But sometimes you've gotta do the job yourself. Visit the far off place and bring the samples home. And today we're gonna talk about China's Chang'e sample return program. How they've delivered rocks from different parts of the Moon, an...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 790: Meteorites From Other Worlds
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live April 17, 2026.
Even though humanity has returned samples from a fraction of the worlds in the solar system, the cosmos has delivered many more without us having to lift a finger. Meteorites. We have meteorites from the Moon, Vesta and even Mars! What have we learned about these rocks from other worlds? Space missions to other wor...
Astronomy Cast Ep. 789: What Happens When a Planet's Star Dies
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live on Mar 30, 2026.
A star like the Sun only lasts about 10 billion years and it becomes a red giant and finally a white dwarf. This is catastrophic for some of the planets, consumed by the expanding red giant star. But most survive. What happens next in the long, slow cooling to the background temperature of the Universe?
...Astronomy Cast Ep. 788: Life's Molecules Form in Space
By Fraser Cain & Dr. Pamela Gay
Streamed live on Mar 23, 2026.
The theory of evolution how life takes on its wildly different forms. But how did life get started in the first place? It appears the Universe has been making life's molecules in space for billions of years, setting up the conditions for life… everywhere? One of humanity's fundamental questions is "where ...
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