NASA's Curious Universe

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Our universe is a wild and wonderful place. Join NASA astronauts, scientists and engineers on a new adventure each week — all you need is your curiosity. First-time space explorers welcome.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)


    • Sep 17, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 21m AVG DURATION
    • 170 EPISODES

    4.4 from 667 ratings Listeners of NASA's Curious Universe that love the show mention: nasa, astronomy, background music, perfect podcast, critical, 2020, fascinating, short, awesome podcast, understand, stars, love, learn, thank, great, like, amazing, sewing for spaceflight.


    Ivy Insights

    The NASA's Curious Universe podcast is an informative and engaging show that provides listeners with a wealth of knowledge about space and the universe. As a first-year earth science teacher, I have found this podcast to be incredibly useful in brushing up on my knowledge and finding content to share with my students. The episodes are well-paced, with speakers speaking at a normal rate, and the sound effects enhance the listening experience without being overwhelming. It's great to have a resource like this to listen to in the car or share with my students in the classroom.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is the abundance of useful content provided by NASA. From episodes about the creation and launch of the Hubble telescope to discussions about galaxies and astronomy basics, there is something for everyone interested in space exploration. The podcast features interviews with scientists, engineers, and other experts who provide valuable insights into their work and discoveries. The episodes are well-researched and presented in a way that is easily understandable for listeners of all ages.

    While there are many positive aspects of The NASA's Curious Universe podcast, one potential downside is the long breaks between seasons. As someone who enjoys listening to this podcast regularly, I find it disappointing when there are long periods between new episodes. However, I understand that quality takes time, and I appreciate that the developers prioritize delivering high-quality content over frequent releases.

    In conclusion, The NASA's Curious Universe podcast is an excellent resource for anyone interested in space exploration and learning more about our universe. It offers informative and engaging episodes that cover a wide range of topics related to astronomy, earth science, and space missions. While there may be occasional gaps between seasons, the quality of the content makes up for it. Overall, I highly recommend this podcast to anyone looking for an educational yet enjoyable listening experience.



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    Latest episodes from NASA's Curious Universe

    An Asteroid by Any Other Name With Special Guest Latif Nasser

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2024 38:38


    The idea of an asteroid from outer space crashing into Earth has captured the imaginations of science fiction directors for decades. But here at NASA, we take potentially hazardous near-Earth objects seriously. We have a planetary defense office that plans for every scenario—we've even practiced nudging an asteroid off course with spacecraft. But there are tens of thousands of objects in near-Earth space, and the first step in protecting against potential impacts is spotting, tracking and managing every single one of them. Learn how NASA does just that from Joe Masiero, a scientist on the asteroid survey mission NEOWISE. Then, join friend of the show Latif Nasser, co-host of the podcast Radiolab, to untangle the mystery of a strange space rock that's not quite a moon but not quite a normal asteroid, either.

    Sun Series: Bonus: Dispatches from the Path of Totality

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2024 35:42


    On April 8, 2024, North America experienced its last total solar eclipse until the 2040s. As the Moon's shadow fell across the U.S., NASA sent Curious Universe producers out into the field across the path of totality to talk to space nerds and eclipse scientists. In this special bonus episode of our Sun Series, we'll relive the special day together.

    Sun Series: Soaring Toward the Sun

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2024 35:50


    For the first time, a NASA spacecraft is flying through the Sun's atmosphere. Nour Raouafi, project scientist for Parker Solar Probe, explains why the Sun's corona is the source of one of the biggest mysteries in all of space science. So, what does it take to build a probe that can touch the Sun—including surviving temperatures of 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and barreling through sudden eruptions of solar plasma—and live to tell the tale? We'll also go inside the fleet of NASA spacecraft studying the Sun from many angles, including the rescue mission to save a wildly spinning observatory before it became lost in space forever.

    Sun Series: Space Weather

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2024 34:30


    From Earth, the Sun can seem steady and predictable. But when you look at our star close up, there's a lot going on. Go behind the scenes with NASA's Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office, a team monitoring space weather—eruptions of radiation and plasma from the Sun that can wreak havoc on spacecraft and pose dangers to astronauts. We'll also revisit the most powerful geomagnetic storm on record, an 1859 event that produced northern lights visible in the tropics and made electrical systems go haywire. This is episode fiof the Sun and Eclipse series from NASA's Curious Universe, an official NASA podcast.

    Sun Series: Minisode! Countdown to Total Solar Eclipse 2024

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2024 11:57


    It's time. On April 8, 2024, millions of people across North America will see a total solar eclipse. Get the most out of totality with this special bonus episode. Listen up for safety tips, learn how to make your own pinhole projector to safely and learn how anyone—including you!—can contribute to NASA research through citizen science. And if you're not in the path of totality, watch NASA's live broadcast starting at 1 p.m. EDT. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. See when the eclipse starts where you are with NASA's Eclipse Explorer: go.nasa.gov/EclipseExplorer

    Sun Series: You (Yes, You!) Can Help NASA Study the Sun

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2024 44:36


    How often do you think about your nearest star? Though it may not seem like it from here on Earth, our trusty Sun is a place of mystery. Take a good look at its influence on our planet – through the otherworldly experience of eclipse, maybe, or the aurora – and you might get "sucked" in... to a citizen science project, that is. Join NASA Sun scientists like Liz Macdonald and volunteers like Hanjie Tan to listen to crickets fooled by the false night of an eclipse, discover new colors in the aurora, and hunt for comets hiding in the plasma of our Sun's atmosphere. And learn how you can get involved in NASA science while experiencing our nearest star firsthand. This is episode three of the Sun and Eclipse series from NASA's Curious Universe, an official NASA podcast.

    Sun Series: How to Experience a Total Solar Eclipse

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2024 41:12


    On April 8, 2024, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun, casting a shadow across Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Total solar eclipses have fascinated human beings for thousands of years. Watching the Moon eclipse the Sun is a surreal, multi-sensory experience that you're not likely to forget. But Eclipses also offer unique opportunities for NASA to study the relationship between our star and home planet. Join current and former NASA sun scientists Kelly Korreck, Fred “Mr. Eclipse” Espenak and Cherilynn Morrow on a journey through time and space to solve eclipse mysteries.

    Sun Series: The Sun, Our Star

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 36:23


    The Sun is our closest star. Billions of years ago, it shaped the formation of our home planet and the beginning of life on Earth. Today, it provides the heat and energy that powers our civilization, but it can also disrupt our technology and spacecraft through explosive outbursts of radiation. Join NASA Sun scientist Joe Westlake on a journey from the surface of Earth to the Sun's core to learn how intricately we're connected to our star and the progress we've made unraveling its mysteries. This is episode one of the Sun and Eclipse series from NASA's Curious Universe, an official NASA podcast.

    Here Comes the Sun Series

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2024 2:44


    Meet the Sun. Even if you think you know our star, our new mini series from NASA's Curious Universe will show you why Sun science is heating up in 2024—and why NASA experts have so much more to discover. Get ready for the hair-raising experience of a total solar eclipse, and learn how anyone can pitch in through citizen science. See the vibrant and sometimes chaotic close-up details of the Sun, and hear how NASA keeps astronauts and spacecraft safe from solar outbursts. And go inside a pioneering mission to touch the Sun's atmosphere and investigate some of its biggest unanswered questions. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    Planet Hunting with Host Padi Boyd

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2024 37:45


    In this special episode, we turn the tables and put host Padi Boyd in the interview seat. Padi shares stories from her time with NASA's groundbreaking Kepler mission, which showed us many more exoplanets—planets orbiting other stars—than we had previously discovered. She also tells us about her dream astronomical dinner companion and her go-to karaoke song. Plus, we'll wrap up another season of wild and wonderful adventures by answering questions from listeners like you and sharing behind-the-scenes tidbits from Season 6 episodes. For the first time, this episode of Curious Universe is also available as a video podcast. Check it out at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse and NASA's YouTube channel.

    A Year in Mars Dune Alpha

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2023 25:36


    To prepare for the day when humans travel to Mars, NASA is conducting a one-year experiment in a Mars simulation environment. So what's it like to spend a year in CHAPEA, the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog? In this season finale episode, travel through the airlock with voice recordings made by the four-person crew, including what it feels like—and smells like—inside their realistic 3-D printed habitat and how virtual reality gives them the sensation of walking on the Red Planet. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    Exploring the Early Universe with Webb

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2023 27:57


    The James Webb Space Telescope promised to show us “baby pictures” of the universe. Now in its second year of science, Webb is fulfilling that promise—and more. NASA scientists Jane Rigby, Taylor Hutchison, and Gerónimo Villanueva explain how they use Webb to peer back to the earliest stages of the universe and examine stunning plumes of water in our own solar system. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    Special Delivery from Outer Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2023 38:10


    On September 24, 2023, a capsule from space parachuted down into the Utah desert. Tucked inside it were 4.5-billion-year-old bits of rock and dust from a faraway asteroid named Bennu collected by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. These pristine space rocks, which contain carbon and other building blocks of life, could rewrite scientists' understanding of our solar system. In this episode, sit in mission control and ride aboard helicopters with asteroid mission leaders like Dante Lauretta and Mike Moreau for a behind-the-scenes look at the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission's epic conclusion. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    Tiny but Mighty

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2023 31:15


    What do air pollution, thunder clouds and climate change have in common? Aerosols! These tiny particles, generated by everything from desert dust storms to car exhaust, play a huge role in our atmosphere, affecting our health when we breathe them in and even changing the weather. Globally, they play an even bigger role, changing how much sunlight gets through to Earth's surface and heating or cooling our entire planet. Through new satellite missions, NASA atmospheric scientists like Kirk Knobelspiesse and public health experts like Susan Anenberg are working together to untangle aerosol mysteries. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    How You (Yes, You!) Can Do Science With NASA

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 28:19


    Anyone can participate in the process of NASA science and engineering through what we call citizen science, regardless of your citizenship. You might have heard it called “participatory science” or “community science.” It all means that thousands of people around the world are helping the professionals make discoveries about our planet, our solar system, and our universe at large, through these projects. Meet three volunteers whose perspectives have changed by participating in citizen science. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    Hum of the Sun

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2023 32:02


    What does space sound like? It's a question that has fascinated composers and scientists alike throughout history. Through a process called data sonification, heliophysicists are using NASA satellites like audio recorders to listen to the electromagnetic symphony our Sun plays, and making new discoveries along the way. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    Welcome to the Dark Side

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2023 25:20


    Normal matter—the kind that makes up our home planet and everything we can see—adds up to just five percent of the known universe. The other 95 percent is dark matter and dark energy, a tag team that ranks among the biggest mysteries in all of science. NASA astrophysicists Jason Rhodes and Ami Choi explain how we study this dark side and why it's making scientists reconsider what we think we know about the universe. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    Introducing Season Six

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2023 1:54


    In season six, meet researchers who are using sounds from the Sun to unlock new details about our star, explore the “dark side” of the universe with scientists who study dark matter and dark energy, and get a behind-the-scenes look at the first NASA mission to deliver an asteroid sample to Earth. A new episode drops every Tuesday. NASA's Curious Universe is an official NASA podcast. Discover more adventures with NASA astronauts, engineers, scientists, and other experts at nasa.gov/curiousuniverse

    To the Stars with Astronaut Jessica Watkins

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2023


    In this special season five finale episode, join NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, self-proclaimed “rock nerd” on a journey to the stars.

    Curious Universe Season 5 Ep 8: To the Stars with Jessica Watkins

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2023


    In this special season five finale episode, join NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, self-proclaimed “rock nerd” on a journey to the stars.

    To the Stars with Jessica Watkins

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2023 17:42


    In this special season five finale episode, join NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, self-proclaimed “rock nerd” on a journey to the stars.

    Suiting up for Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2023


    Spacesuits are more than just garments – in the airless vacuum of space or on the freezing surface of the moon, they keep astronauts alive. Explore how NASA engineers like Amy Ross and Paromita Mitra have contributed to the development of the next generation of spacesuits.

    Curious Universe Season 5 Ep 7: Suiting up for Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2023


    Spacesuits are more than just garments – in the airless vacuum of space or on the freezing surface of the moon, they keep astronauts alive. Explore how NASA engineers like Amy Ross and Paromita Mitra have contributed to the development of the next generation of spacesuits.

    Suiting up for Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2023 27:25


    Spacesuits are more than just garments – in the airless vacuum of space or on the freezing surface of the moon, they keep astronauts alive. Explore how NASA engineers like Amy Ross and Paromita Mitra have contributed to the development of the next generation of spacesuits.

    Curious Universe Season 5 Ep 6: "Field Notes: Nhulunbuy, Australia"

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2023


    Tropical rainforests, snowy mountain peaks, even the Australian outback – NASA experts travel to a wide range of environments right here on Earth to better understand our universe. Miles Hatfield, NASA heliophysics science writer, recaps a recent reporting trip to cover a sounding rocket launch in Australia's remote Northern Territories.

    Field Notes: Nhulunbuy, Australia

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2023


    Tropical rainforests, snowy mountain peaks, even the Australian outback – NASA experts travel to a wide range of environments right here on Earth to better understand our universe. Miles Hatfield, NASA heliophysics science writer, recaps a recent reporting trip to cover a sounding rocket launch in Australia's remote Northern Territories.

    Field Notes: Nhulunbuy, Australia

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2023 18:10


    Tropical rainforests, snowy mountain peaks, even the Australian outback – NASA experts travel to a wide range of environments right here on Earth to better understand our universe. Miles Hatfield, NASA heliophysics science writer, recaps a recent reporting trip to cover a sounding rocket launch in Australia's remote Northern Territories.

    Curious Universe Season 5 Ep 5: How to Build A Spacecraft

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023


    Spacecraft go through a lot - exploring dangerous worlds across the cold expanse of space. Not to mention the chaos of a launch! So how do we build a mission that can take on dangerous environments and the harrowing trip to reach them? Explore the world of mission-building with scientists from Venus' DAVINCI mission.

    How to Build A Spacecraft

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023 20:41


    Spacecraft go through a lot - exploring dangerous worlds across the cold expanse of space. Not to mention the chaos of a launch! So how do we build a mission that can take on dangerous environments and the harrowing trip to reach them? Explore the world of mission-building with scientists from Venus' DAVINCI mission.

    How to Build A Spacecraft

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023


    Spacecraft go through a lot - exploring dangerous worlds across the cold expanse of space. Not to mention the chaos of a launch! So how do we build a mission that can take on dangerous environments and the harrowing trip to reach them? Explore the world of mission-building with scientists from Venus' DAVINCI mission.

    Curious Universe Season 5 Ep 4: “Stargazers Welcome”

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2023


    The night sky isn't just for experts, it belongs to all of us! And we here at NASA love to encourage people to go out and take a look. Amateur astronomer Kevin Hartnett, Hubble Social Media Lead Elizabeth Tammi, and the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt take us on a tour of the stars and share how you can join from your own backyard.

    Stargazers Welcome

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2023 19:44


    The night sky isn't just for experts, it belongs to all of us! And we here at NASA love to encourage people to go out and take a look. Amateur astronomer Kevin Hartnett, Hubble Social Media Lead Elizabeth Tammi, and the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt take us on a tour of the stars and share how you can join from your own backyard.

    Stargazers Welcome

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2023


    The night sky isn't just for experts, it belongs to all of us! And we here at NASA love to encourage people to go out and take a look. Amateur astronomer Kevin Hartnett, Hubble Social Media Lead Elizabeth Tammi, and the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt take us on a tour of the stars and share how you can join from your own backyard.

    Curious Universe Season 5 Ep 3: “Wildfires from Space”

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2023


    Wherever you live on Earth, wildfires touch your life. Explore how NASA scientist Doug Morton and Canadian firefighter-turned-researcher Josh Johnston use satellites to track the changing landscape of wildfires from space.

    Wildfires from Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2023 22:17


    Wherever you live on Earth, wildfires touch your life. Explore how NASA scientist Doug Morton and Canadian firefighter-turned-researcher Josh Johnston use satellites to track the changing landscape of wildfires from space.

    Wildfires from Space

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2023


    Wherever you live on Earth, wildfires touch your life. Explore how NASA scientist Doug Morton and Canadian firefighter-turned-researcher Josh Johnston use satellites to track the changing landscape of wildfires from space.

    Curious Universe S.5 Ep 2: The Invisible World of Gravitational Waves

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2023


    Information about the universe is all around us. But there's more than meets the eye! Gravitational waves are the invisible ripples in spacetime caused by supermassive interstellar activity. Join astrophysicists Ira Thorpe and Judy Racusin on an exploration of how NASA studies these unseen bends in time and space.

    The Invisible World of Gravitational Waves

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2023 22:07


    Information about the universe is all around us. But there's more than meets the eye! Gravitational waves are the invisible ripples in spacetime caused by supermassive interstellar activity. Join astrophysicists Ira Thorpe and Judy Racusin on an exploration of how NASA studies these unseen bends in time and space.

    The Invisible World of Gravitational Waves

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2023


    Information about the universe is all around us. But there's more than meets the eye! Gravitational waves are the invisible ripples in spacetime caused by supermassive interstellar activity. Join astrophysicists Ira Thorpe and Judy Racusin on an exploration of how NASA studies these unseen bends in time and space.

    Curious Universe Season 5 Ep 1: “Defending the Planet from Asteroids”

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2023


    Our solar system contains millions of asteroids, orbiting our sun and rocketing through the night sky! Join scientists Kelly Fast, Tom Statler, and Davide Farnocchia as we discover what we can learn from these building blocks of the universe, and how NASA would respond if one were ever headed our way.

    Defending the Planet from Asteroids

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2023 27:39


    Our solar system contains millions of asteroids, orbiting our sun and rocketing through the night sky! Join scientists Kelly Fast, Tom Statler, and Davide Farnocchia as we discover what we can learn from these building blocks of the universe, and how NASA would respond if one were ever headed our way.

    Defending the Planet from Asteroids

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2023


    Our solar system contains millions of asteroids, orbiting our sun and rocketing through the night sky! Join scientists Kelly Fast, Tom Statler, and Davide Farnocchia as we discover what we can learn from these building blocks of the universe, and how NASA would respond if one were ever headed our way.

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