Universe Today Podcasts With Fraser Cain

Particle physicists have announced an exciting discovery about the W Boson particle that challenges the Standard Model of Physics. To help me understand what was discovered and what it means for physics, I've invited Dr. Paul Sutter back to explain it. Paul is a fantastic science communicator and has a PhD in particle physics. The perfect person to help us make sense of this. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBr7XOxxQyBHEwqkhoci7vw Timecodes: Start 00:00:00 Edge of Knowledge 00:01:26 What is the W Boson? 00:03:14 How is the mass of the W boson measured? 00:07:32 What was the result of the experiment? 00:09:14 What explains the result? 00:11:37 What comes next? 00:19:35 Follow Paul's work 00:22:55

My guest today is Dr. Surjeet Rajendran, a physics professor at Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his teaching, Dr. Rajendran's research is in theoretical physics, with a strong focus on what comes after the standard model. What could dark matter be? How can gravity be merged with quantum mechanics? https://physics-astronomy.jhu.edu/directory/rajendran/

In this week's questions show, I explain how other planets can have geostationary orbits, if sending tardigrades to the Moon is a violation of the Outerspace Treaty, and why everything orbiting the Sun is in perfect balance. Here's a link to our Discord server: https://discord.gg/3nk8kAARUm 00:00 Start 00:53 Does Venus have a geostationary orbit? 02:34 Is sending tardigrades to the Moon violate the Outerspace Treaty? 06:30 Why is everything in stable orbit around the Sun? 08:50 Is there a telescope on the ISS? 10:33 How does the solar maximum work? 13:05 Does space solar power make sense? 15:40 Do rockets have to go into orbit around the Earth first? 17:15 When will a microscope go to Mars? 19:57 Could gravitational lensing let us see beyond the observable Universe? 21:53 Where will we see the surface of other worlds? 24:19 Could you go faster to blue shift light? 26:47 Do nuclear rockets need fuel? 28:03 Does time travel slower at the centre of the Universe? 29:49 Can black holes go supernova? Want to be par

My guest today is Dr. Thayne Currie, an astrophysicist at NASA-Ames Research Center and the Subaru Telescope. Dr. Currie was part of a team that directly imaged a newly-forming planet, providing evidence of another way large planets can form, and could have formed here in the Solar System. https://subarutelescope.org/staff/currie/

My guest today is Chris Prophet, a freelance writer who has been covering the rise of SpaceX. He has written several books, including SpaceX from the Ground Up. His new book is called SpaceX Evolution and explains some of the company's long-term strategies to create a sustainable human civilization on Mars and beyond. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6442069.Chris_Prophet

My guest today is Dr. Robin Hanson, an associate professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University. Dr. Hanson is famous for writing a paper describing the Great Filter, a theory that explains why we don't see aliens across the Universe. https://www.overcomingbias.com/

In this week's live Questions and Answers show, I explain how big black holes are, what coordinate system astronomers use to map objects in the sky, and what could have collapsed clouds of hydrogen to form the first stars? 00:00 Start 00:42 How big are black holes? 03:15 What coordinate system do astronomers use to map objects in space? 06:50 What created the first stars? 08:19 If Planet 9 is a black hole, how could we detect it? 10:10 How do gamma rays escape the gravity of a black hole? 11:04 Any alternative theories to the Big Bang that I find convincing? 14:51 Where is Starman right now? 15:44 How do we know the shape of the Milky Way? 18:50 How far is James Webb in light-seconds? 19:45 Are filaments and dark matter related? 21:24 How do orbits become and stay stable? 24:11 How dangerous is the Universe to life? 27:39 What do I think of the Dark Forest theory? 29:25 Are rubble pile asteroids dead comets? 30:52 Are some galaxies more habitable? 32:03 Could a Dyson Sphere stay inflated by the Solar Wind? Wa

In this week's questions and answers show, I answer the question: could we build a star? How far will humans realistically explore within the Solar System? Is there any way we can escape the heat death of the Universe? 00:00 Start 01:03 Could we create a new star? 04:17 How far will humans explore in the Solar System? 08:59 Can we escape the heat death of the Universe? 13:29 Where is the surface of Jupiter? 15:53 Can a rocket escape Venus? 18:50 Will we find life in the Solar System? 19:45 Why do we see those spikes in the James Webb image? 23:52 Could we communicate back out of a black hole? 24:57 Could we use laser sails within the Solar System? 27:09 Will humans really survive more than a few years? 29:52 Can Webb handle space radiation? 32:02 Are some of the first stars still around? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here.

In this week's live Questions and Answers show, I explain how a more powerful rocket could reduce the need of a heat shield, if we could detect objects beyond the edge of the observable Universe through their gravity, and what are the largest objects (or spacecraft) that could hang out at a Lagrange Point? 00:00 Start 00:13 Why do we even need heat shields? 03:12 Could we detect objects beyond the observable Universe through their gravity? 05:42 Can massive objects last at Lagrange Points? 08:03 Will fusion drives enable interstellar travel? 11:35 Why does gas need to be cold to form stars? 13:11 Why do we assume dark energy is accelerating the expansion of the Universe? 17:08 Can Webb look in all directions? 19:01 Could we detect the Earth from 100 light-years away? What about our satellites? 22:24 Is everything still trapped inside the Big Bang? 24:34 How can people support Universe Today? 27:06 Are black holes really dark stars? 28:10 Would geothermal work on Mars? 30:53 How can Webb orbit L2 if nothing's

My guest today is Dr. Jason Hofgartner, a planetary scientist specializing in icy worlds of the Solar System. Jason wrote a recent paper about the nature of Neptune's moon Triton, first discovered by Voyager 2 back in 1989. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jason-Hofgartner

In this week's Questions and Answers show, I explain how astronomers use the Doppler Effect to know if objects are moving towards or away from us, I give my thoughts on Starlink as a user, and I suggest ideas on how to become a better writer. 00:00 Start 01:50 How do we know light is red or blue shifted? 04:24 What do I think of Starlink? 08:07 Why don't we visit the atmosphere of Venus? 10:33 What do I like about my job? 12:54 When is something standing still? 14:39 What is the Sun an average star? 16:16 How do we know we're not special? 18:06 What will sanctions on Russia do to space exploration? 22:24 Will the US be patrolling the Moon? 24:09 Any advice for being a writer? 27:14 Why are we sending probes to L2? 28:36 Could we find life around red dwarfs? 30:18 Where are the stars that formed with the Sun? 32:32 How can Parker Solar Probe survive being close to the Sun? 34:13 How would I spend a billion dollars? 36:24 What's my most controversial opinion? 36:48 Would tides be a problem for a habitable moon?

My guest today is Matthew Campbell, a Mechanical Engineer, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. He's a member of the Bargatin Group, researching nanomaterials and their applications. https://bargatin.seas.upenn.edu/people/

My guest today is Dr. Elena D'Onghia, an associate professor at the University of Wisconson--Madison's Department of Astronomy. Her research is focused on the dynamics of galaxies through simulations, theory, and observations. https://www.madastrodynamics.com/team#elena

In this week's episode, I explain how we could use Jupiter as a source of fuel for our fusion reactors, what it means to say there's a scientific consensus, and if gravitational waves can trigger earthquakes. 00:00 Start 01:26 Could we mine Jupiter for hydrogen? 03:24 What does "scientific consensus" mean? 07:04 Could gravitational waves trigger earthquakes? 08:47 Is there really a need to build Dyson Spheres? 10:52 Could aliens know our history? 12:33 When will there be good pictures from JWST? 14:19 What's holding up Starship? 16:21 What happens to ISS if Russia pulls out? 19:35 Would life be better at a K-star? 22:12 Where can we invest in space mining? 23:15 How do we know the source of gravitational waves? 24:22 Could the Solar System leave the Milky Way? 27:06 Are we Von Neumann probes? 28:17 Does SpaceX really land rockets? 29:29 Why aren't there more rovers going to the ice on the Moon and Mars? 30:43 How can Webb get solar power? 31:35 Are there any other uses for ISS? 33:18 Do neutron stars have cru

My guest today is Dr. John Mather, Senior Astrophysicist in the Observational Cosmology Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr. Mather received a Nobel Prize for his influential cosmology work, helping to confirm the Big Bang. He's been involved in almost every major astronomy mission in the last few decades, including Hubble, and of course, James Webb. https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/meetTheTeam/people/mather.html

My guest today is Dr. Chenoa Tremblay, a Post Doctoral Researcher at the SETI Institute. Dr. Tremblay and her team used the Murchison Widefield Array to scan the core of the Milky Way for any sign of signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. https://twitter.com/chenoachem

In this week's questions show, I explain how astronomy would be different if we didn't have space telescopes, what was the Universe like shortly after the Big Bang?, and what if James Webb detects oxygen in the atmosphere of another planet? 00:00 Start 00:45 What if we couldn't build space telescopes? 05:01 Did the Universe act like a big star after the Big Bang? 06:30 If James Webb detects oxygen, does that mean life? 10:59 Will James Webb pictures be colorized? 14:45 Do I believe the Big Bang is the beginning of the Universe? 16:25 Where could we find alien space junk? 18:24 What causes the warp in the Milky Way? 19:48 Will we get portals, or warp drives? 23:15 Are there any private space missions coming up? 25:44 Could we see the Earth in a mirrored planet? 26:51 Would AI be a threat to other civilizations? 28:36 Will humans evolve in space? 31:44 What causes the spiral arms to turn in a galaxy? 32:55 What's inside a neutron star? 34:40 Why is weightlessness called microgravity? 36:16 Is Titan better to ex

In this week's questions and answers show, I explain why people might see extraterrestrials as a threat. What could we learn about astronomy if we lived at the center of a supervoid, and how far away are we from the Big Bang? 00:00 Start 01:10 Why do we assume extraterrestrials are evil? 07:40 Could we see anything from within a supervoid? 09:40 What if we lived near the Big Bang? 10:25 Will James Webb ever look at Earth? 11:34 What's the benefit of helium 3? 14:47 Can we take animals to Mars? 17:13 Will machines do all our exploring? 20:36 Was the Universe as small as a grapefruit? 21:42 Does the expansion of the Universe travel faster than the speed of light? 23:04 Should we be worried about rogue black holes? 25:14 When will we see the calibration star from James Webb? 27:08 Did the Three-Body Problem change my opinion about extraterrestrials? 30:07 Could there have been many Big Bangs and other universes? 31:52 What is the Oort Cloud? 33:00 Why do stars like Sirius shimmer? 35:15 Will James Webb see the f

In this week's episode, I explain why James Webb is actually the perfect telescope for detecting advanced civilizations, could we hide the Earth from snooping aliens, could spacecraft go into polar orbit around the Sun? And more... 00:00 Start 00:39 Could James Webb Detect a Type 2/3 Civilization? 05:31 How can Earth hide from aliens? 07:10 Polar orbit around the Sun? 09:41 Could dark matter be alien robots? 11:25 Could iterative design work for JWST? 14:28 Could Betelgeuse have planets? 16:01 Could we replenish Mars atmosphere? 17:34 Are exomoons more habitable? 19:05 Could anything go wrong with JWST? 20:26 Does light redshift to nothing? 22:14 Are Lagrange points filled with debris? 24:12 What are the benefits of a Moon or Mars base? 28:24 How much water will protect against radiation? 29:34 Do photons travel forever? 30:48 What's the best way to refuel in space? 32:57 Are there any ways to communicate instantaneously? 34:33 What are my favorite Bortle-1 locations? 37:32 What am I most excited to see from

My guest today is Dr. Andrei Lobanov, a staff astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Bonn, Germany. Dr. Lobanov was part of a team that just took the highest resolution image ever seen of a blazar, using a network of space and ground-based radio telescopes. https://www3.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/staff/alobanov/