Universe Today Podcast

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Episode 625: Q&A 116: When Will the Cosmic Microwave Fade Away? And More... Featuring James Davenport Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I answer when the cosmic microwave background will shift into radio waves, what the Sun would sound like if space was filled with air, and limits of our knowledge about planets through simulations.

Visit James Davenport's YouTube channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg6zx6fQG_Xo639TIjwJSZA

00:45 When does the CMB turn into radio waves?
03:49 Sounds in space
06:06 How much can we learn about planets through simulations?
09:16 What does clearing an orbit mean?
11:22 Could a science experiment cause the Great Filter?
13:49 What about putting telescopes on ships?
15:45 How hard would it be to send a radio signal out in all directions?
18:05 Is Earth a good place to sustain life, but not create it?
20:05 Will we have an interstellar health organization?
22:02 Why can we find exoplanets, but not planets in the Solar System?
23:12 Why do larger stars have shorter lives?

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.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
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Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 626: This is the Highest Resolution Image Ever Taken of the Sun Feb 11, 2020

Show notes

You’re looking at the highest resolution image that has ever been taken of our Sun, using the brand new Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope in Maui.

These lighter regions are convection cells, blobs of hot gas the size of Texas which have carried heat from deep below the surface of the Sun, releasing it into space. The darker lines are cooler regions, where the material is sinking back down into Sun.

This image is just a demonstration of the incredible power of this 4-meter observatory, which will join NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter in ushering in the golden age of solar astronomy.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
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RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
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Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.nso.edu/inouye-solar-telescope-first-light/
https://www.universetoday.com/144814/destructive-super-solar-storms-hit-us-every-25-years-or-so/
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/news/stereo_astronauts.html
https://www.nso.edu/telescopes/dkist/dkist-telescope/m1/
https://spie.org/news/1432-large-off-axis-mirrors-key-to-giant-astronomical-telescope?SSO=1
https://www.nso.edu/telescopes/dkist/fact-sheets/resisting-the-heat/
https://www.nso.edu/telescopes/dkist/dkist-telescope/tma/

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Episode 624: Open Space 61: Do I Think We'll Ever Travel Faster Than Light? And More... Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

In this week's life Q&A, I explain why we don't send animals to space any more, why I don't think we'll ever travel faster than the speed of light, and how graveyard orbits work.

00:35 Why don't we send animals to space anymore?
06:02 Will faster than light travel ever possible?
07:34 What are graveyard orbits?
09:05 Should we go to the Moon or Mars?
12:49 High resolution images of the Sun
14:44 How do you refine metal in space?
16:11 Will SLS use pre-flown RS-25 engines
20:48 How will the ISS end?
22:49 Why we'll never build a space elevator
24:40 Is Betelgeuse continuing to dim?
26:30 Do black holes increase in volume?
28:28 What's happening with the DarkSat?
29:56 Would we detect neutrinos from Betelgeuse first?
31:25 Do I think astronomers will use legal action to stop Starlink?
35:15 How's my light pollution?
38:15 What about postponing the Moon landings to 2028?
39:40 Would I attend Stellafane?
41:15 Would I pay for others to access the internet?
42:27 Are winters bad on Vancouver Island?
43:32 Could we use the Sun as a gravitational lens?
44:50 What if the Earth doubles its rotational speed?
48:05 Does the Fermi Paradox apply to all animals?
51:05 Books I'm reading
52:25 When will Ethan Siegel return?
53:52 Can we create simulated lunar regolith?
54:44 Why doesn't gravity slow down light?
57:12 Canadian sounds for the Golden Record

Our Book is out!
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Audio Podcast version:
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What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
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Weekly email newsletter:
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Support us at: https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 623: Escape! Spaceflight Abort Systems from the Launch Pad to Interplanetary Travel Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

On Sunday, January 19th, 2020, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying its newly designed Crew Dragon spacecraft. 84 seconds into flight, at the moment of maximum aerodynamic pressure, the capsule fired its eight SuperDraco thrusters, detaching from the top of the rocket and flying ahead.

Moments after, the Falcon 9 rocket exploded in midair, destroying a completely good rocket, but the capsule was completely safe, jettisoning its trunk and landing gently in the ocean a few minutes later.

Nobody was on board the spacecraft, just a couple of test dummies, but this test proved that in the case of an emergency during the ascent stage fo the mission, Crew Dragon would be able to carry its astronaut crew to safety.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
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Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://spacenews.com/spacex-performs-in-flight-abort-test-of-crew-dragon-spacecraft/
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017921.pdf
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/albums/72157649018048375/with/22609781825
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzIcDDJyTRI
https://spaceflightnow.com/2015/05/06/spacex-crew-capsule-completes-dramatic-abort-test/
https://spacenews.com/boeing-performs-starliner-pad-abort-test/
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/12/world/soyuz-accident-quietly-conceded.html
https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/space/5-myths-of-challenger-shuttle-disaster-debunked.aspx
https://apnews.com/50c3be84147652b242204463a5b036d5
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/successful-orion-test-brings-nasa-closer-to-moon-mars-missions
https://www.space.com/42319-soyuz-launch-abort-russia-identifies-cause.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1985/07/30/us/challenger-limps-into-a-low-orbit-as-an-engine-fails.html
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19690017921.pdf
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/nasa-international-space-station-iss-computer-spacewalk-broken-mission-emergency-a7749956.html
http://www.spaceref.com/iss/ops/iss.emergency.ops.pdf
https://history.nasa.gov/afj/ap13fj/10day3-free-return.html
https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAC/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Inspiration-Mars-2018-Free-Return-Trajectory-Edelman-Hughes-Longuski-Loucks-Carrico-Tito.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6lPMFgZU5Q

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Episode 622: Finally! An Explanation for One of the Most Powerful Supernovae Ever Seen Jan 31, 2020

Show notes

In 2006, astronomers spotted the telltale sign of a supernova detonating in the galaxy NGC 1260, located about 240 million light-years away in the constellation of Perseus. As telescopes around the world turned their collective light-gathering power on the expanding explosion designated as SN 2006gy, they realized they were seeing something very unusual.

This clearly wasn’t a regular supernova. It grew to be 100 times brighter than the typical stellar explosion and lasted much much longer.

More than a decade after that cosmic explosion, astronomers finally think they know what series of events led to the release of this much energy, now called a superluminous supernova. A red giant ate a white dwarf. An event so rare it probably accounts for only 1 in 1000 supernovae.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
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Astronomy Cast:
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Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2007/07may_bigsupernova
https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2020/01/24/the-brightest-supernovae-of-all-have-a-suspiciously-common-explanation/#179f6c4e20c0
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6476/415
https://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/797272/news20200124
https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/cataclysmic_variables.html
https://www.space.com/superluminous-supernova-explosion-explained.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZKiWGT4Za4&list=PLbJ42wpShvml6Eg22WjWAR-6QUufHFh2v&index=153&t=0s

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Episode 621: Q&A 115: Could We See a Nuclear Explosion on the Moon? And More... Featuring Dr. Amber Straughn Jan 30, 2020

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I explain if we'd be able to see a nuclear bomb explode on the Moon, have we already passed the Great Filter, and where we could put DNA to keep it safe in the Solar System.

00:22 Could we see a nuclear bomb on the Moon?
02:18 Have we already passed the great filter?
05:28 Where could we put our DNA to keep it safe?
07:52 Could rogue planets explain dark matter
09:12 Will Betelgeuse create a nebula?
10:35 ET will use quantum mechanics?
12:04 What if there isn't water on the Moon?
14:00 Low metal stars with planets?
16:20 Could we use neutrinos to communicate through the Moon?
18:19 Why bother astronomy when we should be studying the Solar System?
20:46 Would it be worth it to have Starlink to have more telescopes?
24:35 Will James Webb be good for Solar System objects?

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.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
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Astronomy Cast:
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Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 620: Is There A Shadow Biosphere? Life On Earth That Isn't Related To Us Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

Whenever I talk about the search for life in the Universe and its emphasis on water, I get comments that scientists aren’t being creative enough. Why does life rely on water? Couldn’t there be lifeforms which are completely different from life on Earth? Isn’t that the textbook definition of alien?

Astrobiologists have only scratched the surface in their search for life in the Universe, and they’re going after the low-hanging fruit. Since life on Earth can be found wherever there’s water, why not check out the water on other worlds? If that doesn’t pan out, then they’ll expand the search.

But it’s possible there are aliens living right here on Earth among us, in a shadow biosphere, we just haven’t detected them yet.

Thumbnail credit:
http://blogs.esa.int/caves/2019/09/11/a-new-journey-into-earth-for-space-exploration/

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
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Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2478661/
https://www.jcvi.org/gos
https://aeon.co/ideas/there-are-more-microbial-species-on-earth-than-stars-in-the-sky
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24206781_Signatures_of_a_Shadow_Biosphere
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/nonprotein-amino-acids
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/looking-for-life-on-mars-viking-experiment-team-member-reflects-on-divisive-findings/
https://www.livescience.com/64829-hachimoji-dna.html
https://phys.org/news/2012-07-dispel-shadow-biosphere-earth.html

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Episode 619: Open Space 60: Will Aliens Be Kind Or Cruel? Jan 28, 2020

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I wonder whether any aliens out there would be nice to us or try to wipe us out. What would be their motivations? Why are planets turning in the wrong direction? Would Betelgeuse generate gravitational waves?

XKCD Solar System Changes
https://m.xkcd.com/2258/

Phil Metger's take:
https://twitter.com/DrPhiltill/status/1220519840315736064

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

What Fraser's Watching Playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbJ42wpShvmkjd428BcHcCEVWOjv7cJ1G

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
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Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

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Episode 618: The Future Of Gravitational Waves. Seeing Every Black Hole Collision In The Observable Universe? Jan 24, 2020

Show notes

In 2015, scientists discovered the telltale signal from ripples of spacetime sweeping over the Earth. It was the very first direct detection of gravitational waves, generated by the merger of two massive black holes 1.3 billion light-years away.

This discovery was the culmination of decades of research and construction of huge instruments called interferometers to detect the warping of spacetime caused by gravitational waves.

Today, the most advanced detectors, the LIGO/VIRGO collaboration, have turned up over 50 gravitational wave discoveries - on average one every week - allowing astronomers to perceive the Universe in a completely different way.

What new gravitational wave instruments are in the works, and what does the future hold for this relatively new field of study?

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
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Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

References:
https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/page/what-is-interferometer
https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/system/media_files/binaries/313/original/LIGOHistory.pdf
https://gwcenter.icrr.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/plan
http://www.gw-indigo.org/tiki-index.php
https://www.osa-opn.org/home/articles/volume_29/may_2018/features/gravitational_waves_the_road_ahead/
http://www.et-gw.eu/
https://tds.virgo-gw.eu/?call_file=ET-0106C-10.pdf
https://cosmicexplorer.org/
https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1907/1907.04833.pdf
https://sci.esa.int/web/lisa/-/61367-mission-summary
https://sci.esa.int/web/lisa-pathfinder/-/59238-lisa-pathfinder-to-conclude-trailblazing-mission
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1907.11305.pdf

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Episode 617: Q&A 114: Why Isn't There A Microscope On Mars? And More... Featuring Stella Kafka from AAVSO Jan 23, 2020

Show notes

In this week's questions show, I explain why it doesn't make sense to send a microscope to Mars, how we could use a black hole to see a reflection of Earth and see dinosaurs, and why we don't just send a solar sail down to the Sun.

Featuring Stella Kafka from the American Association of Variable Star Observers
https://www.aavso.org/

00:42 Why no microscopes to Mars?
02:38 Could we see a reflection of Earth?
04:37 Send a solar sail to the Sun?
07:03 How will red dwarfs die?
08:51 Do radio telescopes have pixels?
10:58 Do aliens have to be close to detect us?
13:21 Will civilizations want to settle every star?
15:17 What is expanding in between space?
17:18 Will we get out of balance with nature?
21:42 Do black holes come in different shapes?
24:03 How could a civilization go extinct?
26:37 Are their models for dying stars?

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.

Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/

Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio

Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter

Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/

Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg

Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com

Support Universe Today Podcast

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