Ask a Spaceman!
Episodes
AaS! 162: What the Heck are Gamma Ray Bursts?
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are the different kinds of gamma ray bursts? What powers them? What do we still have to understand about them? I discuss these questions and more...
AaS! 161: Is There a Crisis in Cosmology? RELOADED
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is there more to say about the "crisis in cosmology"? What are the fundamental disagreements? Is there any way out of this mess? Why am I talking abou...
AaS! 160: What's the Best Way to Search for Life?
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What kind of signals are we searching for from aliens? What are technosignatures and biosignatures? How are we looking for non-intelligent life? Is th...
AaS! 159: Why Should We Geek Out Over Maxwell?
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why is James Clerk Maxwell so dang awesome? How was he able to unify the forces of electricity and magnetism? Why was his work so revolutionary? I dis...
AaS! 158: What's So Groovy About Gravitational Waves? (Part 2)
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2 of 2! How did the observation of a kilonova change astronomy? How did that one observation kill off alternate models of gravity? What's in stor...
AaS! 157: What's So Groovy About Gravitational Waves? (Part 1)
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1! What are gravitational waves? What makes them? How can we detect them here on Earth, and why is it a big deal? I discuss these questions and m...
AaS! 156: What are Asteroids Good For?
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are the different kinds of asteroids? What are they made of? How can we send missions to capture them, and what will we do once we get one? I dis...
AaS! 155: Who's Going To Clean Up All That Space Junk?
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did so much junk get up in space? How can we clean it up? How is it making light pollution worse? I discuss these questions and more in today's As...
AaS! 154: Is There REALLY a Crisis in Cosmology?
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do we measure the age of the universe? Why are different methods giving different results? How do we solve this problem? I discuss these questions...
AaS! 153: What is a Black Hole Firewall, and Do They Really Exist??
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is a black hole firewall? How does it solve some paradoxes when it comes to black holes? Do the firewalls actually exist? I discuss these questio...
AaS! 152: Could We Really Terraform Mars?
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What killed Mars billions of years ago? How can we kickstart a warming trend to transform Mars to look like Earth? What kind of technology do we need,...
AaS! 151: How Do Quantum Computers Work?
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What makes quantum computers so powerful? What kinds of problems can they solve? How do we actually build one? I discuss these questions and more in t...
AaS! 150: Why Don't Neutrinos Make Any Sense?
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How did we discover neutrinos? What don't they make any sense? Why do they have mass, and how do they change their identities? I discuss these questio...
AaS! 149: Is the Universe a Fractal?
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is our universe a fractal? How do we test this? Are there any places in the universe that look like fractals? I discuss these questions and more in to...
AaS! 148: What's Outside the Universe?
16 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the meaning of the horizon of the universe? Is the Earth in a special place? What's the "dark flow"? Can this explain dark energy? Why don't w...
AaS! 147: What's the Deal with the Uncertainty Principle?
02 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What are the origins of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle? Is there any way to cheat it? What does this all have to do with waves? I discuss these ...
AaS! 146: Astro101 Part 8 - What is the Future of Astronomy?
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we'll have: What does it ta...
AaS! 145: Astro101 Part 7 - What is the Universe?
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we'll have: How did the uni...
AaS! 144: Astro101 Part 6 - What are Galaxies?
19 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we'll have: What is a galax...
AaS! 143: Astro101 Part 5 - What are Neutron Stars, White Dwarfs, and Black Holes?
05 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we'll have: What is a white...
AaS! 142: Astro101 Part 4 - What Happens When Stars Die?
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we have: What's the differe...
AaS! 141: Astro101 Part 3 - What is a Star?
01 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we'll have: What are the di...
AaS! 140: Astro101 Part 2 - Who lives in the solar system?
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we'll have: How did the sol...
AaS! 139: Astro101 Part 1 - Why bother with astronomy?
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for school! The Astro101 series will cover some of the most important questions in astronomy. In today's lesson, we'll have: Why did people ...
AaS! 138: Could the "emdrive" really work?
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What does the "emdrive" claim to do? How does it violate almost all of known physics? What were the problems with the experiments? I discuss these que...
AaS! 137: What's really at the center of a black hole?
06 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What can possibly replace the singularity? What are Planck stars and Gravastars? What's it like to fall into a rotating black hole? I discuss these qu...
AaS! 136: Can Planets Survive the Death of Their Star?
15 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When stars die, do their planets die too? What can possibly survive after a supernova explosion? How will the death of the sun affect our solar system...
AaS! 135: Why Aren't There More Black Physicists?
01 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What are the accomplishments of black astronomers and physicists? Why does diversity remain so low in higher education, especially physics? What can w...
AaS! 134: Is There a Fifth Force of Nature?
18 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are there more than four forces of nature? Is dark matter connected to dark energy? What the heck are dark photons? I discuss these questions and more...
AaS! 133: How Do We Know the Earth Is Curved?
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why do people believe the Earth is flat? How do we know it's curved? Is a debate even worth it? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Sp...
AaS! 132: What Did Einstein Get Wrong?
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Was Einstein ever wrong? How did he miss out on a major prediction for the universe? What was his major beef with quantum mechanics? How did he go fro...
AaS! 131: What's So Cool About the TRAPPIST-1 System?
07 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why is the TRAPPIST-1 system so fascinating? Is it really habitable? How are we figuring all this out? I discuss these questions and more in today's A...
AaS! 130: What's the Most Amazing Thing About the Universe?
16 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What blows me away about the universe? How is it all connected? How does universality give physics the power to explain everything? I discuss these qu...
AaS! 129: Did the Big Bang Make Black Holes?
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What kind of crazy physics made primordial black holes? What does that have to do with the LIGO observations of merging black holes? How can we possib...
AaS! 128: Why Are We Missing All the Baryons?
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is the "missing baryon problem"? How do we know how many baryons there ought to be? What does the cosmic web have to do with it? What the heck is...
AaS! 127: What Was Newton's Big Deal?
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What was Newton's genius? Why was his work so controversial? Why are his laws of motion so radical? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask ...
AaS! 126: What's the Wildest Weather in the Solar System?
21 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What makes the Earth's atmosphere so special? What makes the atmospheres of other planets so special? Why are atmospheres so special anyway? I discuss...
AaS! 125: Does Planet Nine Exist?
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we think the solar system might have another planet? Why do we think it doesn't? How do test for something that's too far away to see? I discus...
AaS! 124: Why Is the Speed of Light the Way It Is?
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Why is the speed of light so important in physics? Why does the value not matter at all? And why does it have the speed that it does? I discuss these ...
How to Die in Space: Sneak Preview
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
My next book, How to Die in Space, is coming out June 2020! Here's a special sneak preview reading from the book, and info about how you can get a fre...
AaS! 123: What Powers a Hypernova?
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How can a supernova become even more powerful? Why do we have such a hard time studying them, let alone defining them? What happens when you let a gia...
AaS! 122: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 8: An Armageddon of Strings)
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 121: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 7: A Correspondence from a Dear Friend)
04 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 120: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 6: We Should Probably Test This)
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 119: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 5: Duality of the Fates)
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 118: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 4: What We Need is a Superhero)
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 117: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 3: Dimension is Destiny)
03 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 116: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 2: Tuning the Strings)
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 115: Is String Theory Worth It? (Part 1: Unify This!)
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did String Theory get started? What has made the idea so popular over the decades? Can we ever truly have a theory of quantum gravity? What is sup...
AaS! 114: How Did Spectroscopy Revolutionize Astronomy?
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did chemists save astronomy? What's so important about the spectrum, and how are they made? How can we tell what things in space are made out of? ...
AaS! 113: Is the James Webb Space Telescope Worth the Wait?
01 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why is infrared astronomy so hard? How do we fit giant telescopes into tiny rockets? What will the James Webb uncover? I discuss these questions and...
AaS! 112: Why Can't I Quantum Tunnel Myself?
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Where does the quantum world begin? Why do we have a hard time fundamentally understanding quantum systems? What connects quantum and classical physic...
AaS! 111: What's It Like to Fall Into a Black Hole? (Redux)
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to fall into a black hole (again)? What does the outside universe look like? Is there any way to avoid your grisly fate at the singular...
AaS! 110: Is the Universe Really Predictable?
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is chaos theory? How can something be both deterministic and unpredictable? Is there are hope at all for physics? I discuss these questions and m...
AaS! 109: What Are the Mysterious Cosmic Strings?
06 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How do cracks appear in spacetime? What does it have to do with symmetry? Could we ever hope to find a cosmic string? I discuss these questions and mo...
AaS! 108: What Do We Learn From Eclipses?
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it so hard to predict solar eclipses? How did Newton and Halley team up to solve it? What have we learned from solar eclipses since then? I dis...
AaS! 107: Is Interstellar Travel Possible?
02 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How hard is interstellar travel? What are the possible ways to achieve the required energy? Is there anything at all feasible in the works? I discuss ...
AaS! 106: How Do We Measure the Expansion of the Universe?
18 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What's the deal with redshift? How can we actually interpret velocities when it comes to cosmic expansion? And what's with the recent tension over mea...
AaS! 105: Is Everything a Wave or a Particle, and Why Does My Head Hurt?
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is light made of waves or particles? Is matter made of waves or particles? What does it mean for matter to "wave", anyway? Why is this so hard to unde...
AaS! 104: What Turned Venus Into Hell?
21 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What's so bad about Venus, besides everything? How did it get so bad? And are we next? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! S...
AaS! 103: What's Wrong With the Cosmic Calendar?
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is the "cosmic calendar"? What are some important scales in the universe? Why is it so hard to judge "importance" of events? I discuss these ques...
AaS! 102: What Are the Mighty Clusters of Galaxies?
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What are galaxy clusters made of, besides galaxies? How can we use them to understand dark matter? And how can we make pretend ones on a computer? I d...
AaS! 101: What Is the Black Hole Information Paradox?
02 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is "information" in physics? Why do we think it's preserved, and what happens to information when it falls into a black hole? Why is this a probl...
AaS! 100: Why Avoid the Cosmic Voids?
19 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How do cosmic voids form? What do they teach us about dark energy? What did the early universe look like? What does all this have to do with cupcakes?...
AaS! 99: Do We Live in the Multiverse?
05 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What's the difference between the universe and the multiverse? How can cosmic inflation make bubble universes? Do those universes get different physic...
AaS! 98: Who's in Charge of the Quantum World?
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How did Max Planck accidentally discover quantum mechanics? Why is his constant so special? What happens at the quantum level? I discuss these questio...
AaS! 97: What Makes the Strong Force So Strong?
05 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why is the strong force better known as the "color force"? What's the best way to think about protons and quarks? What do the Three Musketeers have to...
AaS! 96: Hey, Who Took All the Antimatter?
15 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why are matter and antimatter symmetric? What happened in the early universe to make matter win? Do we have any clue as to why? What do puppies have t...
AaS! 95: Does Light Experience Time? (And Other Mysteries)
01 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What does 'time' mean for light? What is the real lesson of the twin paradox? How can we all agree on the true age of the universe? Why is it all so t...
AaS! 94: How Did We Figure Out That Stuff Is Made of Atoms?
18 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How and when did we realize that atoms exist? How did we learn to understand their properties? How was Ernest Rutherford hogging all the science for h...
AaS! 93: Does the Oort Cloud Exist?
04 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Where is the Oort Cloud and what is it made of? Why do we think some comets come from there? If the Oort Cloud exists, how did it form? I discuss thes...
AaS! 92: I Give Up, What Is Time?
20 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What makes time so hard to understand? Why is it so different from the spatial dimensions? Is time in any way connected to that most difficult of conc...
AaS! 91: Could We Blow Up a Star?
06 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How much energy is needed to blow up the sun? How is this connected to the idea of binding energy? Where is all the energy in the universe? I discuss ...
AaS! 90: Why Are Brown Dwarf Stars So Weird?
16 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What do brown dwarfs teach us about stars? What do they teach us about planets? What keeps them warm, and how long do they live? And are they really b...
AaS! 89: What Makes All the Light?
02 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What are the many sources of light in the universe? Why is a spectrum so important? What's the difference between synchrotron and Cherenkov radiation?...
A Reading from the Book of Paul
25 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Today I'm reading a sample from my new book, Your Place in the Universe! I'm also sharing details about how you can a) buy the book, b) contribute to ...
AaS! 88: Is the Drake Equation Useful?
18 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What does the Drake Equation teach us about extraterrestrial civilizations? What does it NOT teach us? What complexities does it hide? Is it even scie...
AaS! 87: How Do Magnets Work?
04 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What's the connection between motion and magnetism? How can something like a black hole have a magnetic field? What's the connection to quantum mechan...
AaS! 86: Why Do We Need Cosmic Inflation? (Part 2)
21 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2! What was going in the very early universe? How does inflation provide the seeds of larger structures? How can we possibly test this? I discuss...
AaS! 85: Why Do We Need Cosmic Inflation? (Part 1)
07 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1! What are some weaknesses with the standard Big Bang model? What are the horizon and flatness problems? How does accelerated expansion solve th...
AaS! 84: How Does Dark Energy Accelerate the Universe?
17 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What is the cosmological constant? How is the expansion of the universe related to quantum fields? How does a vacuum energy produce accelerated expans...
AaS! 83: Can Entangled Particles Communicate Faster Than Light?
03 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What is a quantum state? How can two particles share the same state? What is entanglement, and does it really allow for faster-than-light communicatio...
AaS! 82: What Awoke the Cosmic Dawn?
19 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Were the dark ages really dark? What is a perturbation, and how did they grow in the early universe? When the first stars awoke, what happened? I disc...
AaS! 81: How Do You Build a Rocket-Ship?
05 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What does momentum have to do with rockets? Why are nozzles so dang important? What is a "potent mixture", anyway? I discuss these questions and more ...
AaS! 80: What Made the "OMG Particle" So Special?
15 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What is the so-called "OMG Particle"? Where could it possibly come from, and how are magnetic fields involved? How can we detect these cosmic rays? I ...
AaS! 79: Seriously, What Is Gravity? (Part 3)
01 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3! How did Einstein develop General Relativity? What does it mean for different kinds of masses to be equivalent? How does gravity do what it doe...
AaS! 78: Seriously, What Is Gravity? (Part 2)
17 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2! How did Einstein develop General Relativity? What does it mean for different kinds of masses to be equivalent? How does gravity do what it doe...
AaS! 77: Seriously, What is Gravity? (Part 1)
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1! How did Einstein develop General Relativity? What does it mean for different kinds of masses to be equivalent? How does gravity do what it doe...
AaS! 76: Iceland Question Bonanza!
20 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Where did all the monopoles go? Do other planets have auroras? Can binary stars host planets? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spac...
AaS! 75: Why Is Iceland So Warm?
06 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What makes Iceland so warm despite its high latitude? What powers everything from glaciers to geysers? How are the aurora connected to volcanoes? I di...
AaS! 74: Why Are Small Stars Such a Big Deal?
20 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Why are small stars red? Why are small stars so common? Why are small stars so interesting for the hunt for life? I discuss these questions and more i...
AaS! 73: Why Should We Believe The Big Bang?
06 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What did Hubble really discover? Why does redshift imply an expanding universe? Why is the night sky dark? Why is there so much hydrogen, and how is t...
AaS! 72: How Does Gravity Make a Lens?
16 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
How does gravity bend the path of light? Does it seriously act like a lens or is that just a metaphor? What does it take, and how do we know? What can...
AaS! 71: Who Lives in the Particle Zoo?
02 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
What strange creatures inhabit the so-called "particle zoo"? Why is it a zoo instead of something simpler? Is there anything that connects the force...
AaS! 70: Can We Have Some Quark Stars, Please?
19 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
How does degeneracy pressure work? What kinds of particles exist below the level of neutrons? Can they hold up a star against gravity? I discuss the...
AstroTour: Atacama Dark Sky Retreat
08 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Join me for an all new AstroTour adventure, one that I'm personally very excited about: a trip to the Atacama Desert of Chile to spend a week at an al...
AaS! 69: What Makes a Blazar Blaze So Brightly?
05 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What powers a quasar? Just how strong is a blazar? What's the connection to giant black holes? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a S...
AaS! 68: Do We Live in a Hologram?
21 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What's the idea behind the holographic principle? What does it have to do with black holes and the early universe? Does this…mean something? I dis...
AaS! 67: Why Can't I Be an Astrophysicist?
07 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it tough to become a scientific researcher? What are some of the barriers in the field? Are there any other options? I have a PhD - now what? I...
AaS! 66: What in the World Is Metallic Hydrogen?
17 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
What in the world is metallic hydrogen? What does it even mean? Where does it exist in nature, and can we make it in the lab? I discuss these question...