First Aired: February 11st, 2015
Status: Continuing
Network: PBS
Summary: Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth with our astrophysicist host - Matthew O’Dowd.
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# of Episodes: 340
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Season 2017
Episode 3: The Phantom Singularity
Air Date: January 20th, 2017
Summary: Isaac Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation tells us that there is a singularity to be found within a black hole, but scientists and mathematicians have found a number of issues with Newton’s equations. They don’t always accurately represent reality. Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity is a more complete theory of gravity. So does using the General Theory of Relativity eliminate the singularity? No. Not only does it concur with Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation but it also reveals a second singularity, not at the center of the black hole but at the event horizon.
Episode 4: Why Quasars are so Awesome
Air Date: January 26th, 2017
Summary: When Quasars were first discovered the amount of light pouring out of such a tiny dot in space seemed impossible. A hysterical flurry of hypothesizing followed - swarms of neutron stars, alien civilizations harnessing their entire galaxy’s power, bright, fast-moving objects being ejected by our own galaxy’s core. But by the 1980’s we were converging on the most awesome explanation. It goes a little like this - Take a black hole of millions to billions times the mass of the sun. Where from? It turns out every decent-sized galaxy has one at its core. Now drive gas into the galactic core. One way this can happen is when galaxies merge and grow. That gas descends into the waiting black hole’s gravitational well and gains incredible speed on the way. It is swept up in a raging whirlpool around the black hole that we call an accretion disk, where its energy of motion is turned into heat. The heat-glow of the accretion disk is so bright that we can see quasars to the ends of the universe.
Episode 8: The Treasures of Trappist-1
Air Date: March 2nd, 2017
Summary: Can humanity survive on one of the seven earth-like Trappist-1 planets?
And be sure to check out Physics Girl’s Trappist episode right here https -//youtu.be/lK2iJe7AM_Q
Last week, seven earth-like planets were discovered orbiting a Red Dwarf star 39 light years away. Each one could be capable of supporting life.
Episode 9: The Race to a Habitable Exoplanet - Time Warp Challenge
Air Date: March 9th, 2017
Summary: You’ve discovered a habitable exoplanet, but so has an an evil interplanetary mining corporation. Can you get to the planet before they strip it bare and leave it unsuitable for life? You’re going to need a ship, the Lorentz Transformation and the Wait Equation. Hang on, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Episode 19: The Fate of the First Stars
Air Date: June 1st, 2017
Summary: Soon after the Big Bang, the first generation of monstrously large stars ignited, lit up the universe, and then died. The resulting swarms of supernova explosions enriched the universe with the first heavy elements and LOTs of black holes. They shaped everything that came after. These were the stars of Population III, and they are one of the most enduring mysteries in astrophysics.
Episode 20: Supervoids vs Colliding Universes!
Air Date: June 8th, 2017
Summary: If you study a map of the Cosmic Microwave Background, or CMB, you may notice a large, deep blue splotch on the lower right. This area, creatively named the Cold Spot. Is this feature a statistical fluke, the signature of vast supervoids, or even the imprint of another universe?
Episode 22: The First Quantum Field Theory
Air Date: June 29th, 2017
Summary: Quantum mechanics is perhaps the most unintuitive theory ever devised. And yet it’s also the most successful, in terms of sheer predictive power. Simply by following the math of quantum mechanics, incredible discoveries have been made. Its wild success tells us that the mathematical description provided by quantum mechanics reflects deep truths about reality. And by far the most successful, most predictive formulation of quantum mechanics is quantum field theory. It is our best description we have of the fundamental workings of reality. And the first part of quantum field theory that was derived – quantum electrodynamics – is the most precise, most accurate of all.
Episode 26: The Secrets of Feynman Diagrams
Air Date: July 27th, 2017
Summary: Unlock the secrets of Feynman Diagrams. Part 5 in our Quantum Field Theory series. And if you're submitting an answer to our challenge question email your answer by August 2nd to [email protected] with the subject line "Feynman Diagram Challenge."
Episode 34: Are the Fundamental Constants Changing?
Air Date: September 29th, 2017
Summary: The laws of physics are the same everywhere in the universe. At least we astrophysicists hope so. After all, it’s hard to unravel the complexities of distant parts of the universe if we don’t know the basic rules. But what if this is wrong? There is a hint of evidence that the fundamental constants that govern our universe may evolve over time, and even from one location to another.
Episode 41: Suicide Space Robots
Air Date: November 23rd, 2017
Summary: Let’s take a moment to remember the selfless sacrifices made by some amazing robotic explorers. And be sure to learn more about your personal DNA story by going to 23andMe.com/spacetime and taking advantage of their special holiday offer.
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