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The most surprising discoveries from our universe – with Chris Lintott

The Royal Institution・48 minutes read

Astronomical discoveries are often accidental and surprising, like water fountains on Enceladus and potential habitats on icy moons. The universe's dynamic nature and unexpected findings challenge previous assumptions, showcasing the ongoing surprises in astronomy.

Insights

Discoveries in astronomy often happen accidentally, such as Cassini's finding of water fountains on Enceladus, challenging the perception of science as a methodical process and leading to groundbreaking insights.
The search for extraterrestrial life involves exploring various methods beyond radio signals, like detecting planets through star observations, as seen with KIC 8462852, revealing the dynamic and surprising nature of the universe and reshaping our understanding of celestial bodies.

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Recent questions

How do astronomers make discoveries?
By observing the night sky for anomalies.

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Summary

00:00

Accidental Discoveries in Astronomy: Unveiling the Universe

The speaker introduces their new book, "Our Accidental Universe," focusing on how astronomers make discoveries and the chaotic nature of scientific progress.
Science is often portrayed as a methodical process of testing hypotheses, but in reality, discoveries in astronomy are often accidental and surprising.
An image of the night sky taken from Mars shows Earth and the moon, highlighting the accidental discoveries that teach us about the universe.
The story of the Cassini probe's discovery of water fountains on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, showcases how a routine check led to a groundbreaking finding.
Enceladus, initially thought to be an icy body, was found to have an ocean beneath its surface, making it a potential habitat for life.
The discovery of water on Enceladus has led to a reevaluation of icy worlds in the solar system, with other moons like Europa and Ganymede also suspected to have oceans.
The presence of potential habitats for life under icy caps on outer solar system moons suggests that these environments may be more common than habitable zones around stars.
The speaker speculates on how alien astronomers in these ocean worlds might view our existence and the precariousness of living on the surface of a planet.
The discovery of habitats on icy moons has broader implications, indicating that planets are common in the galaxy, with most stars likely having planets orbiting them.
The understanding that planets are prevalent in the galaxy reshapes our perspective when looking up at the night sky, realizing that many stars likely have planetary systems.

14:26

Exploring Potential Life Habitats in Galaxy

Planets in the galaxy are being explored for potential life habitats.
Earth-like planets are not the only potential homes for life.
Moons around planets could also support life.
Hundreds of billions of potential life habitats exist in the Milky Way galaxy.
The Fermi paradox questions the absence of evidence of alien life.
Various theories exist to explain the Fermi paradox, from self-destruction of societies to a National Park Hypothesis.
Radio astronomy has been used in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Fast radio bursts are mysterious signals detected from various sources in the sky.
Peratons, initially thought to be cosmic signals, were actually caused by a malfunctioning microwave.
A signal from Proxima Centauri, possibly indicating alien life, was later debunked as a satellite malfunction.

29:02

"Searching for Alien Signals and Planet Eaters"

The speaker discusses the lack of alien radio signals and the exploration of alternative methods to detect life in the cosmos.
Involvement in planet-searching activities with a team in Oxford and online volunteers through the Zooniverse platform is highlighted.
The method of detecting planets by observing their effect on stars, such as the dimming of a star when a planet passes in front of it, is explained.
Data from NASA satellites like Kepler and TESS is used to identify planets by analyzing dips in brightness.
An intriguing star, initially known as KIC 8462852, exhibits unusual dips in brightness, sparking curiosity among volunteers.
The star's significant 20% dip in brightness, lasting about a week, baffles astronomers as it defies typical star behavior.
Various hypotheses, including a comet and alien megastructure, are proposed to explain the star's unusual behavior.
Observations using telescopes sensitive to different colors reveal that the dips in brightness are not caused by solid objects like alien solar panels.
The conclusion is drawn that the star's anomalies are likely due to a cloud of dust orbiting it, ruling out the alien megastructure theory.
Recent research suggesting that stars consuming planets is not uncommon prompts contemplation on the stability of our solar system and the safety of Earth.

42:17

"Stability, Chaos, and Discoveries in Space"

Our solar system has been stable for about 4 billion years, despite potential disruptions from planetary interactions.
Computer simulations of our solar system showed that adding multiple planets can lead to chaotic behavior in the long term.
The presence of a large Jupiter-like planet in our solar system ensures its stability for the next billion years.
Venus, despite being similar in size to Earth, has extreme conditions with a thick, acidic atmosphere.
Phosphine, a potential biosignature, has been detected in Venus's atmosphere, hinting at the possibility of life.
The historical events that led to Earth's habitability, such as asteroid collisions and the formation of the moon, are crucial.
The Hubble Space Telescope initially had blurred vision due to a mirror error, which was fixed by installing CoSPA, improving its image quality.
After the repair, astronomers used Hubble to observe a seemingly empty patch of sky, discovering distant galaxies.
Despite skepticism, pointing Hubble at the empty patch led to groundbreaking discoveries, thanks to Robert Williams's decision.
Williams's simple act of pointing Hubble at the same patch of sky for a hundred hours led to significant scientific advancements.

56:40

Early Universe: Surprising Discoveries and Dynamics

The Hubble Deep Field revealed a field of approximately 10,000 distant galaxies, with only four stars visible in the image. These galaxies, seen as they were over 10 billion years ago, showcased an early universe filled with dramatic star formation, galaxy collisions, and intense black hole activity, contrary to previous assumptions of a more subdued early universe.
The JWST, a new space telescope, captured galaxies just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, further surprising astronomers with the early universe's dynamic nature, characterized by increased star formation and galaxy formation compared to the present universe. This ongoing trend of unexpected discoveries across various astronomical explorations highlights the accidental and constantly surprising nature of the universe.

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