Podcast · Tech & Science

Spacepod

by Carrie Nugent · English · Tech & Science

Hear stories about the alien moons orbiting our Sun, of cold stars, and the future of space exploration. Every week, scientist Dr. Carrie Nugent chats about an amazing part of our universe with an expert guest. Spacepod is the podcast that gives you an inside look into space exploration. Learn more

New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 22 min
Latest: 1 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

1 Oct 2026 · 10 min

239: What will happen when the sun explodes?

A question from Laura, age 12. Professor Catherine Neish answers. For more on Prof. Neish, listen to episode 192 . Also check out her podcast with John Moores, Popcorn Science .

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E238 · 1 Sep 2026 · 16 min
238: When will the universe stop expanding?
A question from Jacob, age 7. Dr. Andrés Plazas Malagón answers. For more on Dr. Malagón's work, see episode 208 or listen to his podcast, Visión Cósmica .
E237 · 1 Aug 2026 · 14 min
237: Why does an asteroid hit the Earth? And why so big?
A question from Lyla, age 5. Dr. Federica Spoto answers. For more on Dr. Spoto's work, see episode 190 .
E236 · 1 Jul 2026 · 16 min
236: Are there rainbows on other planets? (Part II)
We try, a second time, to answer a question from Maeve, who is almost 3 years old. Dr. Matthew Kenworthy answers. For more on rainbows on other planets, see episode 232 .
E235 · 1 Jun 2026 · 9 min
235: Why is the sun hot?
A question from Ida, age 4. Miho Janvier answers. Find out more about the Solar Dynamics Observatory , the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) , Solar Orbiter , and Proba-3 . For more on Dr. Janiver's work, see episode 121 .
E234 · 1 May 2026 · 10 min
234: How many stars are there in space?
A question from Kellan, age 6. Professor Kim McLeod answers. To learn more about Wellesley College's Whitin Observatory, including public visit nights, go here . For more on what you can do to reduce light pollution, see these resources from Dark Sky International.
E232 · 1 Apr 2026 · 11 min
232: Are there rainbows on other planets?
A question from Maeve, who is almost 3 years old. Dr. Alejandro Soto answers. For more on Dr. Soto's work, see episodes 44 and 136 .
E232 · 2 Mar 2026 · 6 min
232: How many potholes are on an asteroid?
A question from Issac, age 5. Dr. Nancy Chabot answers. For more on Dr. Chabot's work, see episodes 7 and 152 . For more on the Planetary Defense, see this NASA website . For more on the DART mission , see the mission website.
E231 · 1 Feb 2026 · 10 min
231: How big is space?
A question from Issac, age 4. Dr. Jeff Rich answers. For more on Dr. Rich's work, see episodes 14 , 81 , 118 , or 159 , or visit the Carnegie Observatories website . Find the pocket solar system instructions here .
E230 · 1 Jan 2026 · 5 min
230: What is the fastest planet?
A question from Renny, age 4. Dr. Jessie Christensen answers. For more on Dr. Christensen's work, see episodes 42 and 102 .
E229 · 1 Dec 2025 · 7 min
229: What do asteroids smell like?
A question from Sabine, age 5. Dr. Christopher Snead answers. For more on Dr. Snead's work, see Episode 184 of Spacepod. Do you know a kid with a space question? Upload it at listentospacepod.com and I'll do my best to get an answer!
E228 · 20 Nov 2025 · 7 min
228: Do other planets really have diamond rain?
Dr. Sabine Stanley answers. For more about planetary insides, check out her book, " What's Hidden Inside Planets ". Do you know a kid with a space question? Upload it at listentospacepod.com and I'll do my best to get an answer!
E227 · 15 Oct 2025 · 6 min
227: What is the fastest asteroid?
Dr. Michael Busch answers. Do you know a kid with a space question? Upload it at listentospacepod.com and I'll do my best to get an answer!
E226 · 2 Mar 2025 · 22 min
226: The intersection of computer science and astronomy with Dr. Kubica
Dr. Jeremy Kubica talks about his work on the LINCC Frameworks project, and how he brings together astronomers and computer scientists to create software tools. He shares advice for students and talks about his books, which explain computing concepts in fun and accessible ways.
E255 · 22 Dec 2024 · 41 min
225: A newly discovered Martian volcano with Dr. Lee
Dr. Pascal Lee tells the story of how he and his collaborators found a new volcano on Mars. He tells us about the "convergence of lines of evidence" that led to this discovery. He also explains why this site may be a good place to look for life.
E224 · 30 Oct 2024 · 54 min
224: Aurora borealis with Tina Ibsen
Astrophysicist Tina Ibsen tells us about the northern lights. She talks about her research and gives tips on how to observe the lights. She tells us how Denmark is a space nation and shares her thoughts about the future of space exploration. We also talk about RumSnak , the space podcast she co-hosts with Anders Høeg Nissen.
E223 · 13 Oct 2024 · 23 min
223: Preparing for something we haven't seen yet with Dr. Holt
Dr. Carrie Holt talks about how she's getting ready for the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. She explains how astronomers are using simulated and real data to prepare in advance of this new data.
E222 · 4 Aug 2024 · 22 min
222: Measuring the emptiness of space with Dr. Becker
Dr Tracy Becker tells us about solar system science using ultraviolet light. She explains how the color of a planet's northern lights depends on the planet's atmosphere. She also describes how scientists repurposed the New Horizons spacecraft to measure how empty space is.
E221 · 23 Jun 2024 · 30 min
221: The queens of heaven with Prof. Tauris
Professor Thomas Tauris explains what gravitational waves can tell us about colliding neutron stars. He corrects Carrie's misconception about how gravitational waves affect people. He also explains how the last 400 years of astronomy have been like watching a silent movie, but now with gravitational waves, we have a soundtrack.
E220 · 19 May 2024 · 24 min
220: Walking on the roof of hell with Prof. Stanley
Prof. Sabine Stanley, author of "What's Hidden Inside Planets," tells us how the interior of Earth helps make this planet a nice place to live. She tells us that the Earth's mantle is actually solid rock, not liquid rock. She also explains what the Earth's interior and birthday balloons have in common. Spacepod listeners can get a 30% discount on "What's Hidden Inside Planets" with the code HPLAN if you order through Hopkins Press at press.jhu.edu . (This code is shared as a courtesy, Spacepod does not receive compensation if you order a book.)
E219 · 22 Apr 2024 · 32 min
219: Breaking the models with Dr. Merrison
Dr. Jon Merrison talks about the Mars Simulation Laboratory. Here, scientists study what happens in low temperature, low pressure, windy environments. He says visiting scientists often "come to our lab with some idea based on the conventional model and go away with data which makes no sense to them."
E218 · 24 Mar 2024 · 27 min
218: Anything we try is new with Dr. Cable
Dr. Morgan Cable returns to the show after nine years! She tells us how she creates new minerals in her laboratory. She explains how this work helps shape NASA's Dragonfly mission. She encourages listeners to have confidence in their results.
E217 · 19 Feb 2024 · 27 min
217: A beautiful experience with Dr. Villanueva
Dr. Geronimo Villanueva tells us about solar system discoveries with JWST. He talks about several projects, including observing water plumes from Saturn's moon Europa and looking for rings around Mars. He shares what it feels like to use this incredible space telescope.
21 Jan 2024 · 10 min
Bonus: Carrie's research update
I was sick for a few weeks this month and had to delay the scheduled interview. In the meantime, I've got a bonus episode for you. In this episode I talk about FindPOTATOs, which is software written by Nicole Tan and me, Carrie Nugent, to find asteroids and comets. I share some challenges we faced and how we overcame them. We hope that findPOTATOs can help astronomers find more asteroids, comets, and trans-Neptunian objects in their images of the sky!
E216 · 24 Dec 2023 · 25 min
216: Right and wrong theories in planetary science with Prof. McKinnon
Professor Bill McKinnon, 2023 recipient of the Kuiper Prize, reflects on his career as a planetary scientist. He tells us about a theory of his that was proven right, one that was proven wrong, and what he thinks might be proven wrong in the future.
E215 · 19 Nov 2023 · 26 min
215: Naming asteroids with Dr. Williams
Dr. Gareth Williams tells us about asteroid names. He explains the rules around naming asteroids and tells us how an asteroid name lead to a surprise trip to meet one of his heroes.
E214 · 27 Oct 2023 · 44 min
214: Astronauts on the moon with Dr. Denevi
Dr. Brett Denevi talks to us about the planned Artemis missions to the moon's South Pole. There, astronauts will collect rocks and other samples. She describes how geologists are working with the astronauts to ensure that the best, most interesting samples are collected. These samples will create a legacy set that scientists will study for decades.
E213 · 12 Sep 2023 · 37 min
213: The Six with Loren Grush
Loren Grush talks about her new book, "The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women in Space." She explains why Sally Ride was chosen to be the first American woman to go to space, and how the resulting attention was difficult for her. Loren also tells us how she researched and wrote the book during the pandemic.
E212 · 20 Aug 2023 · 31 min
212: A scientific legacy with Dr. Blaney
We hear from Dr. Diana Blaney, the principal investigator of the mapping imaging spectrometer on Europa Clipper. Europa Clipper will travel to Jupiter to see if its moon Europa is habitable. She describes how they tested the spectrometer in special rooms to make sure it will work at Europa.
E211 · 6 Aug 2023 · 33 min
211: The Sparkler Galaxy with Prof. Mowla
Professor Lamiya Mowla tells us about an exciting JWST discovery. She describes gravitational lensing as "nature's magnifying glass." She also explains why she likes calling telescopes time machines. We discuss pretty and shiny things, and why prettiness might indicate something is scientifically interesting.

About Spacepod

Spacepod is a English tech & science podcast from Carrie Nugent. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Carrie Nugent
Language: English
Category: Tech & Science
New episodes: Monthly
Typical length: 22 min
Latest episode: 1 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1025470195

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