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StarTalk Podcast: Cosmic Queries – Black Holes and Dark Energy, with Neil deGrasse Tyson

StarTalk・44 minutes read

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jugnu discuss cosmic queries on black holes, dark energy, neutron stars, and the vastness of the universe, highlighting the dense and mysterious nature of these celestial bodies and forces. The conversation delves into the physics behind gravitational forces, pulsar signals, black hole consumption, and the enigmatic properties of dark matter, emphasizing the complexity of these phenomena that are beyond human comprehension and perception.

Insights

  • Black holes are incredibly dense, denser than neutron stars, with the ability to distort and consume space-time due to their high surface gravity, altering the gravitational dimples in their vicinity.
  • Dark matter and dark energy, two enigmatic cosmic forces, remain elusive and mysterious, with dark matter being invisible and non-interacting with light, while dark energy, responsible for the universe's expansion, manifests in the vacuum of space without visible effects on everyday life, posing significant challenges to scientific understanding and potential Nobel Prize-winning discoveries.

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Recent questions

  • What is the concept of black holes?

    Black holes are incredibly dense regions in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from them. They form when massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycle.

  • How are neutron stars different from black holes?

    Neutron stars are incredibly dense remnants of massive stars that have exploded in supernovae. They are not as dense as black holes but are still some of the densest objects in the universe, made up mostly of tightly packed neutrons.

  • What is the role of dark energy in the universe?

    Dark energy is a mysterious force that is causing the universe to expand at an accelerating rate. It makes up about 68% of the universe and has no visible impact on everyday life due to its manifestation in the vacuum of space.

  • How does dark matter differ from dark energy?

    Dark matter is a mysterious substance that makes up about 27% of the universe and does not interact with light, atoms, or molecules. It is invisible and its presence is inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter.

  • How do black holes affect objects around them?

    Black holes have intense gravitational forces near their centers, which can cause them to consume mass from nearby stars. They distort and crumble objects that come too close, consuming the space-time around them.

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Summary

00:00

"Exploring Black Holes and Dark Energy"

  • Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jugnu discuss cosmic queries on black holes and dark energy.
  • Jugnu tweeted during the Superbowl halftime, enjoying the game with his Latino household.
  • They delve into the physics of resonance and constructive interference.
  • Sunil from Patreon asks about black holes at the center of galaxies, comparing them to the eye of a hurricane.
  • The presence of black holes is inferred from the speed of stars' orbits around them.
  • Hubble observations confirm the existence of black holes in galaxies, with larger galaxies hosting more massive black holes.
  • The discussion touches on the movie "Marooned" and the concept of black holes orbiting each other.
  • Neil explains electron degeneracy and the collapse of matter into white dwarfs.
  • The analogy of a football stadium illustrates the vast emptiness within atoms.
  • The combination of protons and electrons results in a neutral charge.

16:11

"Neutron stars, pulsars, and black holes"

  • Neutron stars are formed by packing neutrons together, creating the densest matter that is not a black hole.
  • Neutron stars that rapidly rotate have magnetic fields that emit pulsing radio waves, known as pulsar signals.
  • Anthony Hewish won the Nobel Prize for discovering pulsars in the 1970s.
  • Neutron stars are incredibly dense, with the density equivalent to cramming 300 billion elephants into a thimble.
  • The pressure required to prevent a neutron star from collapsing further is immense.
  • Black holes are denser than neutron stars, with the density equivalent to cramming 300 billion elephants into a thimble.
  • If the Sun were to become a black hole, Earth's orbit would remain unchanged due to the consistent mass.
  • Black holes have high surface gravity, leading to intense gravitational forces near their centers.
  • Black holes can consume mass from stars, altering the gravitational dimples in space-time.
  • Dark energy, a mysterious force causing the universe's expansion, has no visible impact on everyday life due to its manifestation in the vacuum of space.

32:31

"Dark Matter, Black Holes, and Galaxies"

  • Dark matter is invisible and does not interact with light, atoms, or molecules.
  • Albedo is the ability of a surface to reflect light, with a value of 1 reflecting 100% of light.
  • The moon has a low albedo, reflecting only about 10% of light.
  • Dark matter remains a mystery as it cannot be interacted with or harnessed.
  • The person who solves the mystery of dark matter may win a Nobel Prize.
  • If Earth encountered a black hole, it would be stretched and crumble into smaller rocks.
  • Black holes allow objects to get close to their center of mass without being aware of their danger.
  • Black holes consume the space-time around them, distorting and crumbling objects.
  • Earth's core would become a glowing iron-nickel ball if it encountered a black hole.
  • Galaxies do not revolve around anything in our vicinity, but superclusters may revolve around a central point like a black hole.

50:10

Universe's vast timescale challenges human comprehension

  • The universe's vast timescale is illustrated by comparing it to a football field, where the Big Bang is in one end zone and modern day in the other, with the thickness of a blade of grass representing 30,000 years of human history.
  • Humans, limited by their lifespan, are unable to comprehend events lasting longer than their existence, highlighting the challenge of understanding phenomena beyond our temporal scope, such as the universe's communication through various undetectable wavelengths.
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