Scientists have found a menagerie of complex organic compounds on the comet visited by the Rosetta spacecraft that connect it with the birth of our solar system.
Yesterday
Space artist Don Davis and a new view of Voyager 1
For more than 50 years, space artist Don Davis has shown us worlds no camera could reach. A protégé of Chesley Bonestell, the father of modern space art, Davis went on to paint the ancient Moon for the U.S. Geological Survey, built models for Carl Sagan's Cosmos, and was present ... Show More
59m 59s
Nov 6
Space Policy Edition: Whose JPL is it? A historian on the lab’s 90-year search for itself
Ninety years ago this Halloween, a group of Caltech graduate students hauled a small rocket motor into the Arroyo Seco near Pasadena and tried to fire it up. It didn’t go as planned, but that moment became the unofficial birthday of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Now, fo ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 4
The night the Universe got bigger: An event to honor Hubble’s discovery
On the night of Oct. 5, 1923, Edwin Hubble spotted a variable star in Andromeda from Mt. Wilson Observatory above Pasadena, California, proving that our galaxy is just one of countless others in the Universe. Now, California Rep. Judy Chu, co-chair of the Planetary Science Caucus ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 2025
Celestial Discoveries: The Oldest Comet, Pulsar Insights, and Axiom Space's Successful Splashdown
In this episode of SpaceTime, we explore the latest cosmic revelations, including the astonishing discovery of an ancient interstellar comet, the intricate workings of a rare pulsar, and the safe return of the Axiom 4 crew from their mission.Ancient Interstellar Comet 3I/AtlasAst ... Show More
23m 1s
Jul 2025
Interstellar Discoveries: The Arrival of Comet 3I Atlas and the Mars Sample Race
In this episode of SpaceTime, we dive into the latest astronomical discoveries and the implications for future space exploration.New Interstellar Visitor: Comet 3I AtlasAstronomers have identified a new interstellar object, designated 3I Atlas, which is currently traversing our s ... Show More
26 m
Sep 2025
How Webb Illuminates Stars’ Cloudy Origins
In the space between stars, dark clouds of gas, dust, and ice mingle in a chemical laboratory unlike any on Earth. Ewine van Dishoeck, an astronomer who studies molecules in space and who helped develop an instrument aboard NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, explains how Webb is ... Show More
22m 43s
Oct 2025
Enceladus’s Alien Ocean, Ancient Fungi and the Flavor of Influenza
Saturn’s moon Enceladus reveals complex organic molecules that could hint at extraterrestrial life. Researchers also uncover fungi’s ancient reign over Earth and warn that second COVID infections may pose greater risks to young people. Plus, ants ferment yogurt, and flu detection ... Show More
9m 47s
Aug 2021
Lucy in the Sky With Asteroids
How did the planets form? How did life happen? Where did Earth’s water come from? To answer questions like these, scientists used to go big—looking at planets, dwarf planets, and moons—but now small is the new big. Technology is zooming in on the pint-size stuff—asteroids, comets ... Show More
28m 51s