Nezemnoy: astronomer Surdin

What it is

"Nezemnoy Telegram" ("Unearthly Telegram") is the channel of the team behind the Russian-language "Nezemnoy Podcast", with commentary from astronomer Vladimir Surdin, one of Russia's best-known science communicators. When we checked, it had about 97,000 subscribers and posted almost daily. Everything is in Russian.

The feed is built on short science notes based on new papers — stars, planets, the Moon, Mars, supernovae, neutrinos — interspersed with links to new podcast episodes on YouTube, where Surdin goes deep on one topic. There are occasional sponsored posts, which is worth knowing up front.

Why we picked it

It translates astronomy into everyday language without dumbing it down. Take the note about ice at Mars's north pole. Older models put dust at about a quarter of the upper ice layer by mass; a new estimate says roughly 3%. Rather than leave the numbers floating, the authors switch to kitchen terms: it used to be about 250 grams of dust per kilogram of ice, now it is closer to 30. That sticks.

Other posts follow the same pattern — hook, substance, why it matters. Why the universe is making fewer stars than it used to, when the peak came at "cosmic noon" about 10 billion years ago. How astronomers directly observed, for the first time, a compact companion grabbing a stream of gas from a giant star at about 540,000 km/h. What a bright swirl on the far side of the Moon tells us about whether it once had its own magnetic field.

When big news breaks, the channel explains it quickly. This year's Nobel Prize in Physics went to the creators of a neutrino telescope frozen into Antarctic ice, and the channel offered both a short explainer and a full podcast episode with Surdin. When NASA released the Artemis II lunar flyby archive — more than 800 GB of photos, audio and crew notes — the channel explained why seeing the Moon through human eyes again matters.

Where to start

• Read the post on the Nobel-winning neutrino telescope for a clear intro to catching near-invisible particles.
• Find the Mars ice note with its kitchen-scale comparison.
• Read the "star birth crisis" post, then watch the matching podcast episode.
• Open the Artemis II archive post if you want to see the Moon through astronauts' eyes.

Who it's for

Russian-speaking space fans who do not want to wade through journal papers. School and university students curious about what astronomy is doing right now. Physics and astronomy teachers looking for fresh classroom examples. And anyone already watching Surdin's lectures who wants bite-sized updates between episodes. Non-Russian speakers can follow along with a translator, since posts are mostly text.

Quick answers

Who is behind it? The editorial team of the Nezemnoy Podcast, with astronomer Vladimir Surdin providing commentary and video episodes.

Is it a news channel? It covers science news only — new space research, no politics.

Are there ads? Yes, occasional sponsored posts appear; an advertising contact is listed in the bio.