Fraser Cain
@fcain.universetoday.com
Space journalist and skywatcher. I'm the publisher of Universe Today (universetoday.com) and co-host of Astronomy Cast (astronomycast.com). YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@frasercain
Just a quick meeting with my editor to see why I've been neglecting to refill my bird-feeder.
September 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Just a quick meeting with my editor to see why I've been neglecting to refill my bird-feeder.
I wonder if I should answer the doorbell? Pretty skinny bear, hopefully he'll fatten up now that berry season is here.
June 26, 2025 at 2:53 PM
I wonder if I should answer the doorbell? Pretty skinny bear, hopefully he'll fatten up now that berry season is here.
Another clear night of using the Seestar S50. I set this up in Plan mode, picked 4 targets and went to bed. The pictures were waiting for me on the telescope when I got up. Neat.
April 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Another clear night of using the Seestar S50. I set this up in Plan mode, picked 4 targets and went to bed. The pictures were waiting for me on the telescope when I got up. Neat.
Finally figuring out how to operate my new Seestar S50. I did a 20 minute exposure of M51 before the clouds rolled in. Nice, it's time for a whole new hobby rabbithole.
April 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Finally figuring out how to operate my new Seestar S50. I did a 20 minute exposure of M51 before the clouds rolled in. Nice, it's time for a whole new hobby rabbithole.
I don't think I'll be livestreaming the eclipse tonight.
March 14, 2025 at 12:54 AM
I don't think I'll be livestreaming the eclipse tonight.
Exoplanets have been found orbiting two stars. While giant exo-jupiters won't be habitable, their moons could be.
A new paper looked into the evolution of circumbinary planet moons and found 30-40% of surviving moons migrate into habitable zones.
arxiv.org/abs/2412.02847
A new paper looked into the evolution of circumbinary planet moons and found 30-40% of surviving moons migrate into habitable zones.
arxiv.org/abs/2412.02847
December 5, 2024 at 6:16 PM
Exoplanets have been found orbiting two stars. While giant exo-jupiters won't be habitable, their moons could be.
A new paper looked into the evolution of circumbinary planet moons and found 30-40% of surviving moons migrate into habitable zones.
arxiv.org/abs/2412.02847
A new paper looked into the evolution of circumbinary planet moons and found 30-40% of surviving moons migrate into habitable zones.
arxiv.org/abs/2412.02847
An explanation for the Fermi Paradox is the "Sustainability Solution." We don't see advanced civilizations because exponential growth and expansion are unsustainable. Any advanced civilization would be indistinguishable from nature. Which makes them hard to find.
arxiv.org/abs/2411.08057
arxiv.org/abs/2411.08057
December 3, 2024 at 9:44 PM
An explanation for the Fermi Paradox is the "Sustainability Solution." We don't see advanced civilizations because exponential growth and expansion are unsustainable. Any advanced civilization would be indistinguishable from nature. Which makes them hard to find.
arxiv.org/abs/2411.08057
arxiv.org/abs/2411.08057
A new paper suggests that Venus has been a hellscape for its entire history. No oceans, ever. This result comes from the estimated ratio of water vapor in volcanic outgassing. On Earth, eruptions are mostly steam from interior water, but on Venus, they're 6% at most.
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
December 3, 2024 at 7:21 PM
A new paper suggests that Venus has been a hellscape for its entire history. No oceans, ever. This result comes from the estimated ratio of water vapor in volcanic outgassing. On Earth, eruptions are mostly steam from interior water, but on Venus, they're 6% at most.
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
Although white dwarfs aren't actively fusing any more, they're still hot and could support life. A new paper calculates white dwarfs could provide a habitable zone for 7 billion years. They're small and dim; easier to study planets for biosignatures. 1 hour of JWST time.
arxiv.org/abs/2411.18934
arxiv.org/abs/2411.18934
December 2, 2024 at 3:28 PM
Although white dwarfs aren't actively fusing any more, they're still hot and could support life. A new paper calculates white dwarfs could provide a habitable zone for 7 billion years. They're small and dim; easier to study planets for biosignatures. 1 hour of JWST time.
arxiv.org/abs/2411.18934
arxiv.org/abs/2411.18934
Here's the view out my window one morning in May.
November 29, 2024 at 12:16 AM
Here's the view out my window one morning in May.
New paper examines 11 ways to make concrete/cement on Mars, from lime concrete to more exotic materials that might only be possible on a cold, nearly airless, low gravity world. They found sulfur concrete the most promising: strength, quick hardening, no water.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 28, 2024 at 9:46 PM
New paper examines 11 ways to make concrete/cement on Mars, from lime concrete to more exotic materials that might only be possible on a cold, nearly airless, low gravity world. They found sulfur concrete the most promising: strength, quick hardening, no water.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Oh absolutely. It looks fake if you know what you're looking at, but it'll fool people and drive engagement. Here, I made a fake "astrophoto" with AI.
November 25, 2024 at 1:49 PM
Oh absolutely. It looks fake if you know what you're looking at, but it'll fool people and drive engagement. Here, I made a fake "astrophoto" with AI.
When they really want to do this.
November 22, 2024 at 6:08 AM
When they really want to do this.
Here are the power outages on Vancouver Island. Essentially the entire island. I suspect we'll be out of power for quite a while, even beyond the capability of my backup battery. Those numbers are collections of power outages, not homes. It's about 150,000 homes right now. #bombcyclone
November 20, 2024 at 3:24 PM
Here are the power outages on Vancouver Island. Essentially the entire island. I suspect we'll be out of power for quite a while, even beyond the capability of my backup battery. Those numbers are collections of power outages, not homes. It's about 150,000 homes right now. #bombcyclone
Since people are sharing pictures of their "death stairs," check out this terrifying stairway my father built. He turned a cedar tree into a spiral staircase with a platform on the top. I could never work up the courage to climb it. Don't worry; I didn't let the kids go any higher. #deathstairs
November 19, 2024 at 4:57 PM
Since people are sharing pictures of their "death stairs," check out this terrifying stairway my father built. He turned a cedar tree into a spiral staircase with a platform on the top. I could never work up the courage to climb it. Don't worry; I didn't let the kids go any higher. #deathstairs
The 1999 Leonids were the best meteor shower I've ever seen, with a new meteor every few seconds. Normally, they're not great, 20-30 per hour, and the next storm is a decade away. But 2024 could be surprisingly good.
Watch the sky Saturday/Sunday.
www.universetoday.com/169124/is-an...
Watch the sky Saturday/Sunday.
www.universetoday.com/169124/is-an...
November 16, 2024 at 11:09 PM
The 1999 Leonids were the best meteor shower I've ever seen, with a new meteor every few seconds. Normally, they're not great, 20-30 per hour, and the next storm is a decade away. But 2024 could be surprisingly good.
Watch the sky Saturday/Sunday.
www.universetoday.com/169124/is-an...
Watch the sky Saturday/Sunday.
www.universetoday.com/169124/is-an...
I was honoured to be one of the judges for the New Zealand Astrophotography Competition 2024. There were so many amazing photos, and choosing the best was agony. Here's the winner, but you'll want to check them all out.
nzastrocompetition.com/winners-2024/
nzastrocompetition.com/winners-2024/
November 13, 2024 at 6:59 PM
I was honoured to be one of the judges for the New Zealand Astrophotography Competition 2024. There were so many amazing photos, and choosing the best was agony. Here's the winner, but you'll want to check them all out.
nzastrocompetition.com/winners-2024/
nzastrocompetition.com/winners-2024/
Another test shot with our new telescope setup for the Virtual Star Party. We're using a Celestron Origin, which should make the process really fast so we can get through a lot of objects every night.
October 22, 2024 at 10:52 PM
Another test shot with our new telescope setup for the Virtual Star Party. We're using a Celestron Origin, which should make the process really fast so we can get through a lot of objects every night.
We're preparing to bring back the Virtual Star Parties with a Celestron Origin scope. Here's a test shot I did of Comet A3. Very cool.
October 21, 2024 at 3:48 PM
We're preparing to bring back the Virtual Star Parties with a Celestron Origin scope. Here's a test shot I did of Comet A3. Very cool.