What if our world was about to end? Where could we go to survive? Unravelling the Cosmos e3: Extreme Environments
We began to learn not just about the Science but the men and women behind it. Secrets of the Universe: Great Scientists in their Own Words, BBC 2014
[Paul] Dirac’s unique understanding of sub-atomic particles won him a Nobel and led to a series of breakthroughs in Quantum Physics. ibid.
So the story of Physics in the twentieth-first century is more about collective endeavour. ibid.
Are we alone in the universe or could there be another Earth out there? ... One in five should have planets that are warm enough for life. Alien Planet Earths, Discovery 2014
Red Dwarfs outnumber other stars three to one, and they have a lot of Earth-sized planets orbiting them. ibid.
Exo-moons are the stuff of science fiction. ibid.
Five hundred light years away a twin Earth orbits a star like our sun. This distant world could harbor life. Closer to home there are moons with ice-caves and hidden oceans. Strip the Cosmos s1e6: Alien Worlds, Science 2014
And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. Joseph Smith’s Pearl of Great Price: Book of Moses 1:33
Well just recently I’ve started thinking about the universe, about how cosmic inflation at the time of the Big Bang means it’s constantly expanding until one day it’s going to burst … What is the point of cleaning above eye level? If one day the universe is going to explode, who cares if the oven is a bit gunky? Red Dwarf s11e5: Krysis, Kryten, BBC 2016
It’s the strangest idea in the whole of science. It emerged by accident from bizarre experiments. Scientists resisted it. But a maverick would force them to take it seriously. The idea means we live in a giant bubble. Parallel Universes, National Geographic 2011
Some of the world’s most respected scientists claim these other worlds may actually exist. ibid.
Some exist far beyond the further edge of our visible universe, others hang out in a mysterious landscape full of dark energy called the Multiverse, and others are right here in the same space we are all living, but we can’t see them obviously. ibid.
You might not want to meet your other self. ibid.
[Hugh] Everett wrote what’s become the definitive argument for parallel universes called Many Worlds. ibid.
An infinite number of other realities. ibid.
A UK, Canadian and Italian study has provided what researchers believe is the first observational evidence that our universe could be a vast and complex hologram.
Theoretical physicists and astrophysicists, investigating irregularities in the cosmic microwave background (the ‘afterglow’ of the Big Bang), have found there is substantial evidence supporting a holographic explanation of the universe – in fact, as much as there is for the traditional explanation of these irregularities using the theory of cosmic inflation.
The researchers, from the University of Southampton (UK), University of Waterloo (Canada), Perimeter Institute (Canada), INFN, Lecce (Italy) and the University of Salento (Italy), have published findings in the journal Physical Review Letters.
A holographic universe, an idea first suggested in the 1990s, is one where all the information, which makes up our 3D ‘reality’ (plus time) is contained in a 2D surface on its boundaries.
Professor Kostas Skenderis of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Southampton explains: ‘Imagine that everything you see, feel and hear in three dimensions (and your perception of time) in fact emanates from a flat two-dimensional field. The idea is similar to that of ordinary holograms where a three-dimensional image is encoded in a two-dimensional surface, such as in the hologram on a credit card. However, this time, the entire universe is encoded!’ EurekAlert online article January 2017
Unexplained sightings in space. Strange formations on the surface of Mars. And lunar missions rumoured to have secret agendas. Is NASA sharing all that it knows about the universe? Or is it protecting us from the truth? Ancient Aliens s4e5 The Nasa Connection, History 2012
For thousands of years we’ve wondered whether we’re alone in the universe ... All of our searching is leading to one ultimate goal: finding intelligent life somewhere in the vastness of the universe. Extreme Universe s1e1: Is Anyone Out There?
So is Earth the only planet where life has emerged in this vast cosmos? Are we alone or are we part of something bigger? A web of life that stretches light years through the universe. But for many years the question was taboo to science. ibid.
We thought all life needed access to sunlight. But working with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Bob Ballard found a thriving eco-system where there was no sunlight. ibid.
Europa sits well outside the Goldilocks Zone. But just like at the bottom of Earth’s oceans hydrothermic vents could be the energy source needed for life to emerge. Those ocean depths could be home to some bizarre life-forms, huge tube-worms feeding on the minerals coming from inside Europa’s core. There’s no telling what kind of life exists in Europa’s oceans. ibid.
From planetary hit-n-runs to galactic T-bones, the universe is on a collision course … There are rocks out there is space that not even Armageddon’s Bruce Willis can save us from. Extreme Universe s1e2: Collision Course
As the object ploughed into Earth, it blasted off hundreds of billions of tons of rock that fell into orbit around the planet. ibid.
Every day the Earth is pelted with twenty-five tons of dust and sand-sized particles, but they burn up in our atmosphere. ibid.
Impacts are the way of the universe … The biggest collisions in the universe involve the biggest things in the universe: galaxies. ibid.
Earth’s weather is packed with devastating power. But in the cosmos Mother Nature’s fury is unimaginable. Extreme Universe s1e3: Space Storms
The north pole of Saturn features a gigantic storm with an amazing geometric design. It’s a perfect hexagon with six very distinct sides and angles. ibid.
Not long ago we thought our solar system began with the sun and ended with Pluto 4.8 billion kilometres away. Beyond Pluto we thought space was empty. But then in the ’90s astronomers saw things out past Pluto in an completely unknown region of the solar system – they’re called the Kuiper Belt. Extreme Universe s1e4: Edge of Space
The Kuiper Belt nearly doubled the Solar System as we know it. ibid.
In the history of our planet few things have been as deadly as earthquakes and volcanoes … Planets, moons and stars are all at risk of violent upheaval. Extreme Universe s1e5: Time Bomb
Some believe the ancients had divine help from above … The skies began to take on religious significance. Extreme Universe s1e6: Star Gates
Supernovae, gamma ray bursts, solar flares – stars are the ticking time bombs of the universe. Phil Plait’s Bad Universe: Death Stars, Discovery 2010
A supernova is one of the most spectacular events in the universe. ibid.
When a star has thirty, fifty, a hundred times the mass of the sun ... It’s not just a supernova, it’s a hypernova. ibid.
A gamma ray burst from a hypernova explodes with such power that the beams are dangerous for a much greater distance. ibid.
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction. Rachel Carson
A Gamma Ray Burst viewed jet-on is a hundred million times more luminous that a supernova. They are the champions for brightness for sure. Stan Woosley
Gamma ray bursts were discovered completely by accident by our military satellites. And came as a result of the Test Ban Treaty in the 1950s under Dwight Eisenhower. Perry Hacking, El Camino College
5-4-3-2- we have ignition and we have lift-off of NASA’s Swift spacecraft on a mission to study and understand Gamma-Ray Bursts throughout the universe. NASA launch of Swift
Gamma Ray Bursts are the most violent event that we know of in the universe. Michelle Thaller