PBS_SpaceTime

Let’s look further into what we don’t yet know about the Big Bang, and how the theory could progress in the future. Since there is a discrepancy between general relativity and quantum mechanics, we continue to search for a grand unifying theory... one which may finally lead to a description of the actual moment of the Big Bang!

Our universe is not a very diverse place when it comes to shapes. Large celestial bodies become spheres, galaxies become discs, and there is little room for variation. Why is this? Well it turns out physics has some pretty strict rules when it comes to creating new planetary bodies.

Although much of the Big Bang Theory is widely accepted to be true, it only gets us part of the way there. Observable truths such as the CMB and the flatness of our universe reveal that there is no way the universe has been expanding at a constant rate since its beginning. It turns out Cosmic Inflation solves the Big Bang's major problems quite well.

Stars are our stellar alchemists. They spend their entire lifespan creating and molding elements. In their final moments, a supernova spreads these elements out into the universe, providing the building blocks for new stars, planets, and even us!

Throughout history, there has been much speculation about what the fate of the universe would be. Many theorized that the universe would eventually succumb to the pull of gravity, and reverse its expansion in what was being called ‘The Big Crunch.’ However, with the help of mathematical equations from Newton, Einstein, and Alexander Friedmann, we now have an answer.

We know the universe will continue to expand forever, so now we can begin to complete the first Friedmann equation, and determine the shape and geometry of our universe. At first glance, it would seem that the equation doesn’t quite add up, and that our universe is a hyperbolic plane. But when we add in the cosmological constant, the equation balances out, and we return to a flat universe.

How does dark energy affect the universe's expansion? Measuring past expansion history should tell us the future expansion without ever having to count any galaxies. To measure this we need to measure the redshift-distance relationship, which we will talk about in detail in this episode.

Yuri Milner’s Breakthrough Starshot is an interstellar travel expedition unlike any other before it. It’s many years in the making and is contingent on a series of incredible advancements in nanotechnology, materials science and laser power. Just how likely is it that Starshot’s journey to Alpha Centauri will succeed?

We’ve come a long way in our understanding of dark energy. In previous episodes we’ve looked at how our universe is paradoxically flat and how dark energy is exponentially accelerating the expansion of the universe. Now, let's dive into the true nature of dark energy and how its antigravity effect and its other properties are having such bizarre effects on our universe.

We’re living in a brief window of time where our planet isn’t frozen underneath a giant layer of glaciers. How much longer will the moderate climate that we’ve come to know as “normal” continue? This episode looks at how the changes in our planet’s orbit and rotation impacts our climate.

Where are you right now? Until you interact with another particle you could be any number of places within a wave of probabilities. Matt dives into these counter-intuitive ideas and explains the bizarre phenomenon known as quantum tunneling in this episode of Space Time.

The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics tells us that observation collapses a probability wave into a single definitive outcome, but this isn’t the only interpretation of quantum mechanics. The many worlds theory proposes that the wavefunction never actually collapses. The observer simply follows one of those many possible paths into their present reality while all the other paths conti

In the world of our mind’s eye, light travels in a straight line. In reality, spacetime is deflected and magnified through the lens of gravity. Find out how this works and what it allows us to learn about our universe in this episode of Space Time.

Planck's Length is the length below which the concept of length loses its meaning. What exactly does that mean and what are the incredible implications this fact has upon our reality? To find out check out this episode of Space Time where Matt digs into the early history of quantum mechanics.

Why are we talking about dark energy again? Because another team has just announced a new analysis of updated supernova data. They claim that the data are consistent with there being NO dark energy – no accelerating expansion. They suggest that the universe may just be expanding at a constant rate – never speeding up, but also not slowing down.

Neutron stars are made of a substance known as Neutronium. It was thought that this was the densest form of matter possible but some theoretical physicists believe that at the core of some neutron stars the Neutronium breaks down even further, into quark matter. It may even evolve one step further into “strange matter", the densest and most stable substance in the universe.

On September 14th, 2015 LIGO announced the first detection of a gravitational wave. This was hailed at the time as the dawn of gravitational wave astronomy. However that’s only true if the we ever detect another gravitational wave. Now we have. On December 26th LIGO again observed the merger of two different black holes.

The double slit experiment radically changed the way we understand reality. Find out what the ramifications of this experiment were and how we can use it to better comprehend our universe.

There are some pretty out-there explanations for the processes at work behind the incredibly successful mathematics of quantum mechanics - things are both waves and particles at the same time, the act of observation defines reality, cats are alive and dead, or even: the universe is constantly splitting into infinite alternate realities.

What do we do to protect ourselves from extinction level events? And what if some of those events are unavoidable? Can we survive adrift in space? Find out in this episode of Space Time.

What really happens when you approach the event horizon of a black hole?

Causality is meant to move in one direction: forward. But the Quantum Eraser experiment seems to reverse causality. How and why can this happen and what are the implications of this experiment on how we understand Quantum Mechanics and our greater universe?

In the last episode Matt discussed how the Penrose Diagram enabled you to map how black holes affect Space Time. In this episode you can use that knowledge to stop an all-too-real threat to our planet. Aliens are trying to destroy the Earth by creating a Kugelblitz under our feet. Will you use a Dyson Sphere to stop them or a satellite based deflector array? Choose wisely and save humanity.

The Kepler telescope recently noticed a strange partial eclipse that some have speculated could be a Dyson Sphere. Are Dyson Sphere's possible? Are they practical? What other alternatives to futuristic energy capture do we have to choose from?

Are aliens watching Earth TV?