April 5, 2026

Black Hole Dilemmas, Pulsar Planets & Bennu’s Chemical Secrets | Q&A | Space Nuts: Astronomy...

Black Hole Dilemmas, Pulsar Planets & Bennu’s Chemical Secrets | Q&A | Space Nuts: Astronomy...
Black Hole Dilemmas, Pulsar Planets & Bennu’s Chemical Secrets | Q&A | Space Nuts: Astronomy...
Space News Today
Black Hole Dilemmas, Pulsar Planets & Bennu’s Chemical Secrets | Q&A | Space Nuts: Astronomy...

Black Holes, Pulsar Planets, and the Mysteries of Bennu

In this captivating Q&A episode of Space Nuts , hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson tackle an array of intriguing listener questions that delve deep into the cosmos. From the nature of black holes and their supermassive growth to the discovery of planets orbiting pulsars, and the latest findings from the asteroid Bennu, this episode is packed with cosmic insights and scientific discussions.

Episode Highlights:

- Understanding Black Holes: Andrew and Fred explore the complexities of black holes, addressing how they can accrete enough matter to become supermassive within cosmological time scales, and the fascinating concept of time dilation at the event horizon.

- Pulsar Planets: Hazel's question about planets orbiting pulsars sparks a discussion on the survival of these celestial bodies after supernova explosions and the potential effects of pulsar radiation on their environments.

- Asteroid Bennu Update: David inquires about the latest findings from the asteroid Bennu, and the hosts reveal exciting new research on the complex chemical landscape and the implications of liquid water's interaction with organic materials on this carbon-rich asteroid.

- Neutrinos and Black Holes: Keith's question leads to a discussion on the elusive neutrinos, their ability to pass through matter, and what happens to them when they encounter a black hole.


For more Space Nuts, including our continuously updating newsfeed and to listen to all our episodes, visit our website. (https://www.spacenutspodcast.com/) Follow us on social media at SpaceNutsPod on Facebook, Instagram, and more. We love engaging with our community, so be sure to drop us a message or comment on your favorite platform.

If you’d like to help support Space Nuts and join our growing family of insiders for commercial-free episodes and more, visit spacenutspodcast.com/about (https://www.spacenutspodcast.com/about) .

Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.


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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/32586832?utm_source=youtube

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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Hi there. Thanks for joining us again.


00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:04.070
This is Space Nuts. It's a Q&A edition.


00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:06.070
My name is Andrew Dunley. Great to have


00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:08.310
your company. Questions today about


00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:11.110
falling into a black hole and how can


00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:13.430
black holes get super massive? Have they


00:00:13.440 --> 00:00:15.110
got enough time? It doesn't make sense.


00:00:15.120 --> 00:00:17.269
We'll see if we can explain that.


00:00:17.279 --> 00:00:19.750
Planets orbiting pulsars. That's a


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question that's been raised. And


00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:24.710
somebody wants an update on the asteroid


00:00:24.720 --> 00:00:27.109
Bennu and what's going on with


00:00:27.119 --> 00:00:29.109
neutrinos. We'll try and answer all of


00:00:29.119 --> 00:00:31.189
that on this episode of Space Nuts.


00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:35.990
>> 15 seconds. Guidance is internal. 10 9


00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.750
Ignition sequence start.


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>> Space Nuts.


00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:41.190
>> 5 4 3 2


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>> 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1


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>> Space Nuts.


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>> Astronauts report. It feels good.


00:00:47.680 --> 00:00:50.549
>> And to furnish us with his vast amount


00:00:50.559 --> 00:00:52.470
of knowledge because the brain the size


00:00:52.480 --> 00:00:54.310
of a planet he has, Professor Fred


00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:56.790
Watson, astronomer at large. Hello,


00:00:56.800 --> 00:00:58.549
Fred.


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>> I've forgotten the name of the robot


00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:02.069
whose brain was the size of a planet.


00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:03.830
>> Marvin the paranoid android.


00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:05.750
>> Marvin. That's right. Yes, it was


00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:06.789
Marvin.


00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:09.510
>> Yes, Marvin.


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>> And he looked like this. He didn't have


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>> He would have been really terrible on


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radio.


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>> No color, no inflection,


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>> just nothing.


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>> And yeah, everything was just the end of


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the world for him.


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or the end of the universe, which is


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actually what the whole thing was about.


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>> Yes, it was. That's true. Yeah.


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>> Um, let's do some questions, Fred, if


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you um are ready and willing and able.


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It doesn't matter if you're able,


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adequacy is enough. Uh, let's go to our


00:01:42.240 --> 00:01:44.230
first question. Longtime listener, first


00:01:44.240 --> 00:01:46.870
time caller, uh, I've been rereading the


00:01:46.880 --> 00:01:49.350
threebody problem trilogy without


00:01:49.360 --> 00:01:51.190
spoilers. There's a moment where an


00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:53.749
image of someone who fell into a small


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man-made black hole is still visible.


00:01:57.040 --> 00:01:59.270
That got me thinking about time dilation


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at the event horizon. Given the that


00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.069
extreme gravitational time dilation


00:02:04.079 --> 00:02:06.950
occurs there, how are black holes able


00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:09.190
to accrete enough matter to grow to


00:02:09.200 --> 00:02:12.070
super massive scales within cosmological


00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:15.030
time scales? Uh, thanks for all the time


00:02:15.040 --> 00:02:16.710
and effort you both put into the


00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:21.510
podcast. Nick from the UK. Milton Kees,


00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:24.150
I think is the name of his locality.


00:02:24.160 --> 00:02:24.630
>> It is.


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>> So, um, yeah, you'd know that area. I


00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:29.270
imagine you'd know just about every


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square foot of the UK, wouldn't you?


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>> I do. I certainly know that bit quite


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well because my brother used to live in


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Newport Pagnel, which is right next door


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to Milton Kees.


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>> Um, Newport Pagnel is a charming sort of


00:02:41.760 --> 00:02:45.190
old country village. Milton Kees is a


00:02:45.200 --> 00:02:47.430
new town. Uh, and so they're quite


00:02:47.440 --> 00:02:48.869
different, but they both had their


00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:50.550
pluses, and I'm sure they both had their


00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:52.630
minuses. He doesn't live there anymore,


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but that's another story which we won't


00:02:54.160 --> 00:02:56.710
go into on space.


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>> So, what was the question?


00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:00.150
>> Well, well, he he made a reference to


00:03:00.160 --> 00:03:02.710
threebody problem where someone fell


00:03:02.720 --> 00:03:04.550
into a man-made black hole and they were


00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:07.430
still visible. I must say, um, Nick,


00:03:07.440 --> 00:03:10.710
that I I read the first book and I found


00:03:10.720 --> 00:03:12.710
it pretty heavy going, so I I haven't


00:03:12.720 --> 00:03:14.710
actually tried to read the rest, but I


00:03:14.720 --> 00:03:16.149
might get around to it. They're still


00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:18.229
making the TV series, but there's


00:03:18.239 --> 00:03:21.350
there's a bit of a um like the first


00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:23.509
season was out a couple of years ago as


00:03:23.519 --> 00:03:26.710
it turns out now, but um they initially


00:03:26.720 --> 00:03:27.910
announced that they weren't going to


00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:29.670
keep going. Then they said, "Yes, we


00:03:29.680 --> 00:03:31.190
are. We're going to make two more


00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:33.990
seasons and and align them both with the


00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:37.350
two more books." Now, they're starting


00:03:37.360 --> 00:03:38.869
to think, "No, we'll make one more


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season and combine the two books." So,


00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:43.270
we don't quite know where it's at, but


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uh great series if you haven't had a


00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:48.630
look at it, The Threebody Problem. Um uh


00:03:48.640 --> 00:03:50.470
the first season, I'm going to watch it


00:03:50.480 --> 00:03:53.030
again cuz it's so so very good. His


00:03:53.040 --> 00:03:56.149
question, um he's thinking about time


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dilation at the event horizon. Given


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that extreme gravitational time dilation


00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:02.710
occurs there, how are black holes able


00:04:02.720 --> 00:04:04.550
to accrete enough matter to grow to


00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:07.110
super massive scales within cosmological


00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:10.229
timelines? I love that question. It's


00:04:10.239 --> 00:04:12.070
great, isn't it? And it's a good


00:04:12.080 --> 00:04:15.110
question, too. But, um, the the crucial


00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:18.469
point here, it's all dependent on your


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on the observer's frame of rest. In


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other words, where you are and what


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you're doing. So, um, the person


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splattered on the event horizon of a of


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a a black hole for whom time appears to


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have stopped to an outside observer,


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that person's already long gone. They've


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been sucked into the black hole. uh it's


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only their time dilated image that we


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are seeing. The outside observer sees


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the time dilation. The person going


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through doesn't they just basically


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expect experience time ticking away in


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the normal way. Uh and as they get


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spaghettified, they probably wish they


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weren't there. Uh so it's it's all about


00:04:59.440 --> 00:05:02.629
your kind of your vantage point. Uh but


00:05:02.639 --> 00:05:04.469
we would call it the the frame of


00:05:04.479 --> 00:05:07.749
reference. So yes, it is possible for uh


00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:10.310
black holes to accrete and become super


00:05:10.320 --> 00:05:13.029
massive black holes. And um you and I I


00:05:13.039 --> 00:05:17.270
think Andrew spoke recently about um the


00:05:17.280 --> 00:05:20.629
idea that black holes uh can become


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super massive much more quickly than we


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thought. Uh and I can't remember the


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mechanism by which that happened. Uh we


00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:30.950
we did cover it. It's a story we


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covered. Uh and there was there was a


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sort of trick to it. uh that if you do


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this uh then your black hole can gather


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uh material so quickly that you find


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yourself in the situation that we find


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when we observe the early universe with


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the James Webb telescope. We find super


00:05:48.400 --> 00:05:50.390
massive black holes that are much more


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massive than we thought they should be.


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We thought the accretion of material


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onto these black holes would be


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relatively gentle and a long process


00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:00.950
taking most of the age of the universe


00:06:00.960 --> 00:06:03.350
but it's not. It all happens within the


00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:05.909
first few hundred million years.


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>> Uh yeah, it's called the uh it exceeds


00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:12.230
the Edington limit apparently. Um this


00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:14.309
this faster growth.


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>> Um these objects often reaching billions


00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:19.189
of solar masses, matured only 900


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million years after the Big Bang,


00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:22.550
implying they formed extremely early and


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grew unexpectedly fast or had massive


00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:29.110
initial um seeds. It says


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>> um I'd have to do a lot more reading to


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um find out


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>> but but they refer to a feeding frenzy.


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Abundant gas fueled a feed feeding


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frenzy.


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>> Feeding frenzy. Uh that was it. It's to


00:06:42.080 --> 00:06:44.469
do with the properties of the gas cloud


00:06:44.479 --> 00:06:47.110
in which it's sitting. That was right.


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>> You've reminded me. You see there's a


00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:51.029
few neurons in there that are still


00:06:51.039 --> 00:06:51.430
remembering


00:06:51.440 --> 00:06:54.230
>> firing. Yeah.


00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:57.510
>> So um so it's not so unusual. It's not


00:06:57.520 --> 00:07:00.150
so unusual is basically what um the


00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.150
answer is to Nick's question. This is


00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:04.790
this is um yeah, it's the time scale


00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:07.029
isn't really the issue. It's it's what


00:07:07.039 --> 00:07:09.350
they've got to eat.


00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:11.510
>> That's right. In terms of uh Yes, in


00:07:11.520 --> 00:07:13.430
terms of how how fast these things can


00:07:13.440 --> 00:07:15.990
accrete. But, you know, the the basic


00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:17.830
premise of Nick's question is answered


00:07:17.840 --> 00:07:19.110
by the fact that you're talking about


00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:21.189
two different reference frames. We


00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:22.629
observing the black hole from the


00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:24.870
outside see somebody falling into it.


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Their time seems to go slower and slower


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and it's stationary on the event


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horizon. But for the person themselves,


00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:31.270
they're just whizzing down through the


00:07:31.280 --> 00:07:33.510
event horizon and straight into the


00:07:33.520 --> 00:07:36.790
black hole in very long strings.


00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:40.230
I Okay, so let's just say we observe


00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:42.390
somebody who's obviously been sucked


00:07:42.400 --> 00:07:44.150
into a black hole and we can see their


00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:46.629
image there. How long would that image


00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:48.390
last? Would they they'd have to


00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:50.390
disappear eventually, wouldn't they? I


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think so. Well, probably by covered up


00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:53.990
by whatever else falls into the black


00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:57.430
hole because there's lots of stuff going


00:07:57.440 --> 00:07:59.670
going in. Uh yeah, it's something I've


00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.629
tried to um envisage as well. And I'm


00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:04.469
not really sure of what the you know


00:08:04.479 --> 00:08:06.390
what the answer is, but I think it I


00:08:06.400 --> 00:08:08.550
suppose if you think of it like um


00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:11.510
raindrops on a dry pavement or something


00:08:11.520 --> 00:08:13.990
uh where one raindrop hits and you see


00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:16.950
it, you know, sort of sitting there and


00:08:16.960 --> 00:08:18.309
another one covers it up and then


00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:19.830
another one covers it up. Don't know.


00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:22.309
That's my That's how the the Watson


00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:23.270
brain might do it.


00:08:23.280 --> 00:08:24.869
>> Yeah, that's that's a good example.


00:08:24.879 --> 00:08:26.070
Yeah.


00:08:26.080 --> 00:08:27.909
>> No, that that covers it. I understand.


00:08:27.919 --> 00:08:31.270
If I understand, everyone's got it.


00:08:31.280 --> 00:08:33.029
>> Hey, I should be on radio, shouldn't I?


00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:36.230
>> You should. Yeah, I think you are a lot.


00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:37.909
>> A lot more than I am these days, I must


00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:39.909
say.


00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:41.829
>> Yeah. All right. Thanks, Nick. Great


00:08:41.839 --> 00:08:44.310
question. Very thoughtprovoking. And uh


00:08:44.320 --> 00:08:46.470
thanks for sending it in. And don't uh


00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:48.870
don't make it your last time seeing it's


00:08:48.880 --> 00:08:51.350
your first time. Uh next question comes


00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:53.509
from Hazel. I have in my studies just


00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:55.350
come across something completely new to


00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:58.150
me but uh sort of makes sense. We've


00:08:58.160 --> 00:09:00.870
found evidence of what look like planets


00:09:00.880 --> 00:09:03.110
orbiting pulsars. This would mean


00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.670
somehow these orbiting bodies survive


00:09:05.680 --> 00:09:08.630
massive stars that went supernova. Also,


00:09:08.640 --> 00:09:10.870
the sweeping beams of seriously strong


00:09:10.880 --> 00:09:13.030
electromagnetic radiation would, I


00:09:13.040 --> 00:09:15.990
assume, have some fascinating effects on


00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:18.230
these planets. As always, love the show


00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:20.310
and keep up the great work. All the best


00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:24.070
from uh cloudy skyed Scotland. Well, it


00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:25.670
wasn't cloudy skyed when I was there


00:09:25.680 --> 00:09:27.509
because the sky was falling. It was


00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:30.870
raining cats and dogs,


00:09:30.880 --> 00:09:33.670
but um I'm sure that's not uncommon, but


00:09:33.680 --> 00:09:36.790
um yes, thanks for the question, Hazel.


00:09:36.800 --> 00:09:39.910
All right, Fred, over to you.


00:09:39.920 --> 00:09:43.430
Uh, yes. Uh, in fact, the first planet


00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:45.750
that was discovered beyond the solar


00:09:45.760 --> 00:09:48.070
system was exactly what Hazel has just


00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:51.350
described. It's a planet around a pulsar


00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.590
and it won its discoverers, the Nobel


00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:58.070
Prize. Uh, this was I think it was 1978


00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:00.310
when that was discovered. Uh and the


00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:02.389
first planet orbiting a normal star was


00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:05.030
discovered in 1995


00:10:05.040 --> 00:10:08.790
uh by Mayor Mayor and Quos were the two


00:10:08.800 --> 00:10:11.829
scientists who discovered that. Um, but


00:10:11.839 --> 00:10:16.389
the one orbiting a pulsar uh was uh it's


00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:19.430
partly because pulsars are very very


00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:22.069
accurate clocks and you can use their


00:10:22.079 --> 00:10:24.550
accuracy of their clocks to time


00:10:24.560 --> 00:10:26.150
basically how they're rotating and


00:10:26.160 --> 00:10:28.150
whether there's anything gravitational


00:10:28.160 --> 00:10:29.910
going on in their environment and that's


00:10:29.920 --> 00:10:32.230
how the planet was discovered. Uh the


00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:34.230
first planet known to exist beyond the


00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:36.389
solar system. Quite a big quite a big


00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.870
discovery. Uh so there are others like


00:10:38.880 --> 00:10:40.870
that now others known to be in the same


00:10:40.880 --> 00:10:43.990
situation and I think the question Hazel


00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:46.550
postulates is still an active question.


00:10:46.560 --> 00:10:49.350
How does a planet survive that kind of


00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:53.350
scenario? Um did it form after the


00:10:53.360 --> 00:10:56.069
supernova explosion uh form in the


00:10:56.079 --> 00:10:58.230
debris of what happened or did it


00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:00.790
survive the supernova explosion? And I'm


00:11:00.800 --> 00:11:03.350
not sure what the current thinking of my


00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:05.509
learned colleagues is on that but I


00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:08.470
might ask them. uh because uh I um I


00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:10.790
think it's it's a valid question. Uh for


00:11:10.800 --> 00:11:13.110
a long time we we it was a puzzle. How


00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:16.310
how does a how does a star um that goes


00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:17.829
supernova? How does it still have a


00:11:17.839 --> 00:11:20.310
planet in its retinue?


00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:22.710
>> But but we're assuming that it would


00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:25.509
destroy the planet, but it it might mess


00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.670
it up a bit, but the the rocket still be


00:11:27.680 --> 00:11:29.590
there, wouldn't it?


00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:31.829
Um well, when you think of the energy


00:11:31.839 --> 00:11:33.910
that goes into a supernova, a supernova


00:11:33.920 --> 00:11:35.829
when it's at its peak is brighter


00:11:35.839 --> 00:11:37.509
usually than the rest of its host


00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:40.630
galaxy. So there's huge amounts of


00:11:40.640 --> 00:11:44.230
energy there and a lot of that's optical


00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.630
energy, visible light energy, but uh


00:11:46.640 --> 00:11:48.550
there are shock waves that we see. Shock


00:11:48.560 --> 00:11:51.190
waves will be disastrous for a for a


00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:55.829
planet. So my my guess is it's still not


00:11:55.839 --> 00:11:57.670
well understood how a planet can survive


00:11:57.680 --> 00:11:59.030
something like that.


00:11:59.040 --> 00:12:03.509
>> Yeah. Um what effect would those those


00:12:03.519 --> 00:12:05.110
I don't know what what do you call them


00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:08.790
with the the um that come out of a puls


00:12:08.800 --> 00:12:10.710
>> neutron star


00:12:10.720 --> 00:12:14.790
>> or the or the the be um the uh the beams


00:12:14.800 --> 00:12:16.949
of radiation you mean caused by the


00:12:16.959 --> 00:12:17.990
magnetic fields.


00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:20.310
>> So that that in itself would be just


00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.629
>> Yep. Yeah. Horrific.


00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.430
>> Yeah, that's right. You'd think so


00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:27.269
because they're very powerful. That's


00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:29.829
what we see when we see a pul pulsar.


00:12:29.839 --> 00:12:32.550
See the flash flashlight beams of uh of


00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:35.110
energy. Yeah. Not somewhere you want to


00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:36.230
be really.


00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:38.230
>> No, it's hard to imagine that there


00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:41.190
might be life on some of these pulsar


00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:42.629
planets.


00:12:42.639 --> 00:12:45.829
>> Yeah. Do do we know how how many planets


00:12:45.839 --> 00:12:47.670
we've discovered that have sort of


00:12:47.680 --> 00:12:49.670
managed to survive in this environment?


00:12:49.680 --> 00:12:50.389
Wouldn't


00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:52.389
>> I'm sure we do. Uh I'd have to check it


00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:54.150
out. I don't know the number off hand,


00:12:54.160 --> 00:12:58.150
but I'm sure with your adept fingering,


00:12:58.160 --> 00:13:00.389
you could very quickly tell me how many


00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:04.230
planets are in orbit around pulsars.


00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:08.069
>> Yes, I'm going to do that now.


00:13:08.079 --> 00:13:10.150
>> Meanwhile, I'll wax.


00:13:10.160 --> 00:13:12.870
>> And the answer is um the answer isn't


00:13:12.880 --> 00:13:15.509
big. As early as this year, between six


00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:17.590
and eight planets have been confirmed


00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:19.910
orbiting pulsars. That sounds


00:13:19.920 --> 00:13:22.069
>> that that suggests the survival rate is


00:13:22.079 --> 00:13:24.470
pretty pretty low.


00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:26.710
>> Yes, it it does.


00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:28.949
>> It does. On the other hand, you know,


00:13:28.959 --> 00:13:31.750
stars that um that go supernova and


00:13:31.760 --> 00:13:32.949
create


00:13:32.959 --> 00:13:36.150
>> a pulsar have got very short lives.


00:13:36.160 --> 00:13:38.550
Their lives times are measured in tens


00:13:38.560 --> 00:13:41.590
of millions of years rather than


00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:43.750
tens of billions of years like our our


00:13:43.760 --> 00:13:45.509
son is at probably 10 billion years


00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:50.150
total lifetime. So um that's you know


00:13:50.160 --> 00:13:52.230
for a planet to have time to coales


00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:54.550
properly and form uh and do all the


00:13:54.560 --> 00:13:57.110
things that planets do in their infancy


00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:59.269
uh it's not very long if you've got a


00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.310
looming explosion on your doorstep.


00:14:02.320 --> 00:14:05.110
>> Absolutely. Yes. Um thankfully we don't


00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:06.790
live in that kind of environment.


00:14:06.800 --> 00:14:08.949
>> We don't. No, that's right. Although


00:14:08.959 --> 00:14:11.509
although um yeah that that famous old


00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:13.350
story keeps popping up and I saw it


00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:15.509
again the other day about uh the the


00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:18.790
impending explosion of Beetlejuice


00:14:18.800 --> 00:14:20.870
>> and you know we don't want to be in the


00:14:20.880 --> 00:14:22.389
way of that.


00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:24.470
>> We don't know it's um it's about 700


00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:27.269
light years away so it's survivable. Uh


00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:27.670
but


00:14:27.680 --> 00:14:29.189
>> yeah good


00:14:29.199 --> 00:14:31.350
>> yeah we don't really want to be on the


00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.030
on the Beetlejuice side of the earth


00:14:33.040 --> 00:14:35.189
when it goes off because of all the


00:14:35.199 --> 00:14:36.230
radiation.


00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:40.150
>> Exactly. M but um you know uh if you


00:14:40.160 --> 00:14:41.509
read the popular press it's going to


00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:45.430
happen next week but uh it could be you


00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:49.430
know tens or maybe 100 thousand years or


00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:51.829
something like that couldn't it


00:14:51.839 --> 00:14:53.990
>> it's certainly people are talking about


00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.750
thousands of years that's correct


00:14:55.760 --> 00:14:58.949
>> yeah okay thank you Hazel hopefully that


00:14:58.959 --> 00:15:01.350
uh sorted out your question thanks for


00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:04.389
sending it in and please send us another


00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:06.629
one when it pops into your head this is


00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:08.470
Space Nuts. Andrew Dunley here with


00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:12.550
Professor Fred Watson.


00:15:12.560 --> 00:15:14.870
>> We choose to go to the moon in this


00:15:14.880 --> 00:15:17.350
decade and do the other things. Not


00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:19.670
because they are easy, but because they


00:15:19.680 --> 00:15:20.310
are hard.


00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:22.710
>> These nuts.


00:15:22.720 --> 00:15:25.590
>> Okay, Fred, we have uh an audio


00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:28.310
question. Let's hear from David.


00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:29.990
>> Good day. David here from the Sunshine


00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:32.389
Coast. Longtime listener. Uh fairly


00:15:32.399 --> 00:15:34.069
short question today. I see that you


00:15:34.079 --> 00:15:37.509
were looking for phone in questions. Um,


00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:39.590
just wondering what we've learned uh


00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:41.990
with regard to the material that came


00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.150
back from Benu. Um, I haven't heard a


00:15:44.160 --> 00:15:46.310
lot in the mainstream media at all. It's


00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:48.069
been quite some time and I know they had


00:15:48.079 --> 00:15:49.829
trouble uh dealing with the sample when


00:15:49.839 --> 00:15:51.670
it first came back. Uh, just wondering


00:15:51.680 --> 00:15:53.269
if you could fill us in. Thanks very


00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:55.749
much. Keep up with the great show.


00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:56.389
>> See you later.


00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:57.670
>> Thank you very much and we'll see you


00:15:57.680 --> 00:16:00.310
later too, David. Um,


00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.150
yeah, Benu, it's funny that the question


00:16:02.160 --> 00:16:04.310
should turn up when it does because, uh,


00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:06.150
I think Beno's just got back into the


00:16:06.160 --> 00:16:07.749
news, has it not?


00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:09.430
>> Yes, that's right. There's a really


00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:11.749
interesting story which came out this


00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:14.470
week in the proceedings


00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:16.949
of the National Academy of Science in


00:16:16.959 --> 00:16:19.509
the United States. Um, and because this


00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:21.590
is a press release, it means I can read


00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:24.949
from it with impunity. Uh, and so it


00:16:24.959 --> 00:16:26.629
introduces the issue very well.


00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:28.790
Scientists studying samples from the


00:16:28.800 --> 00:16:30.949
asteroid Bennu have uncovered a


00:16:30.959 --> 00:16:33.269
surprisingly complex chemical landscape


00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.470
at the tiniest scales. A new study shows


00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:38.710
that at an extremely small scale,


00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:41.590
organic material and minerals inside the


00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:44.150
asteroid asteroid Bennu are organized


00:16:44.160 --> 00:16:46.310
into three clearly different chemical


00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.470
groupings. These patterns provide


00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:51.829
important clues about how liquid water


00:16:51.839 --> 00:16:57.189
once altered the atmosph


00:16:57.199 --> 00:16:59.030
relatively close to the Earth. It formed


00:16:59.040 --> 00:17:01.269
from fragments left behind after its


00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:03.749
original parent body broke apart because


00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:06.309
the samples returned from Bennu have not


00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:08.069
been exposed to Earth's atmosphere or


00:17:08.079 --> 00:17:10.470
whether they offer a rare untouched


00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:13.110
record of how water, minerals, and


00:17:13.120 --> 00:17:15.350
organic compounds interacted in the


00:17:15.360 --> 00:17:17.110
early solar system. So, it's a great


00:17:17.120 --> 00:17:20.549
story. Um, and um, it comes from


00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:24.549
scientists uh, I think in the US. I'm


00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:25.829
not sure actually. That's a good


00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:27.350
question. Where are these scientists


00:17:27.360 --> 00:17:29.669
from? We might answer that during the


00:17:29.679 --> 00:17:32.230
during the talk. But yes, remembering


00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:35.110
Bennu, Benu is an asteroid visited by


00:17:35.120 --> 00:17:38.789
the spacecraft Osiris Rex uh which had


00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:41.590
um a marvelous mechanism on board called


00:17:41.600 --> 00:17:44.230
Tag SAM, the touchandgo sample


00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:47.270
acquisition mechanism uh which basically


00:17:47.280 --> 00:17:49.590
sank the spacecraft onto the asteroid


00:17:49.600 --> 00:17:52.470
surface uh and let it grab some of the


00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:54.710
soil. Bennu is a rubble pile. It's


00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.190
shaped very much like two cones end to


00:17:57.200 --> 00:17:59.029
end. A typical shape for a rubble pile


00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:01.590
asteroid. So what they grabbed was quite


00:18:01.600 --> 00:18:04.950
a lot of uh material. Uh I think it was


00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:07.430
uh if I remember rightly 60 grams comes


00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:08.870
into mind. That might not be the number


00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:10.630
but it's something like that. A


00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:14.390
significant amount. So asteroid Bennu is


00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:16.470
very much in the headlines. A lot of


00:18:16.480 --> 00:18:20.950
interesting stuff. Um the um the paper


00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:24.230
that uh re reveals these results is


00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:27.110
called nanocale infrared spectroscopy


00:18:27.120 --> 00:18:29.750
reveals complex organic mineral


00:18:29.760 --> 00:18:32.390
assemblages in asteroid Bennu. So that


00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.710
seems to be the crucial aspect of this.


00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:37.270
Not the minerals and organic or carbon


00:18:37.280 --> 00:18:40.310
containing molecules uh that are there


00:18:40.320 --> 00:18:42.470
but the fact that they're organized in


00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:45.430
such a way that they have been subjected


00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:48.230
to water related processes and that


00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:52.549
means basically liquid water.


00:18:52.559 --> 00:18:54.870
>> It's quite extraordinary. Uh once again


00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:56.390
reading from the press release, these


00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:59.590
uneven nanocale structures indicate that


00:18:59.600 --> 00:19:02.070
water did not affect Bennu in a single


00:19:02.080 --> 00:19:04.390
uniform way. Instead, water interacted


00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:06.630
differently in separate areas, producing


00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:08.549
a patchwork of chemical environments


00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:11.350
across the asteroid. It's almost poetic,


00:19:11.360 --> 00:19:12.230
isn't it?


00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:16.230
>> It is. It is. Uh from my research, uh


00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:20.470
the sample return was 121.6 g of


00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:21.590
material.


00:19:21.600 --> 00:19:22.630
>> There you go.


00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:25.110
>> 4.29. half right


00:19:25.120 --> 00:19:27.190
>> 4.29 O and


00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:30.310
>> you're right they um the the the authors


00:19:30.320 --> 00:19:33.350
are from the United States um places


00:19:33.360 --> 00:19:37.669
like uh the department of geosciences


00:19:37.679 --> 00:19:41.190
um Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory


00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:44.870
etc. So yes, definitely a USbased


00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.430
uh based study that uh has has been


00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:50.549
released on on the latest from uh


00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:53.590
asteroid Bennu. Um I'm just trying to


00:19:53.600 --> 00:19:55.510
remember where that sample landed. Was


00:19:55.520 --> 00:19:57.350
that the one that landed in Australia or


00:19:57.360 --> 00:19:58.789
was that another one?


00:19:58.799 --> 00:19:59.430
>> That was


00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:01.110
>> No, that was a Japanese mission, wasn't


00:20:01.120 --> 00:20:01.990
it?


00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:04.470
>> So Benu's sample Sirius Rex is the


00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:07.110
spacecraft which I think is on its way


00:20:07.120 --> 00:20:09.029
might be on its way to Apous. It's been


00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:10.630
redirected. I can't remember where it's


00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:12.789
going though. What it did was dropped a


00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:16.150
capsule which has the uh which has the


00:20:16.160 --> 00:20:19.270
um uh samples in it and they landed in


00:20:19.280 --> 00:20:22.230
Utah. That's where the landing site was.


00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.150
Uh our samples that came to Australia


00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:25.909
are from the two Hayabusa missions, the


00:20:25.919 --> 00:20:28.630
two Japanese asteroid sample return


00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:29.590
missions.


00:20:29.600 --> 00:20:31.270
>> Yeah. And you're right. It's headed for


00:20:31.280 --> 00:20:32.870
Apous.


00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:34.149
>> Good. I thought it was


00:20:34.159 --> 00:20:36.149
>> they refer to it as a mission extension


00:20:36.159 --> 00:20:39.510
to study um a near-Earth asteroid. and


00:20:39.520 --> 00:20:43.190
it should arrive in April of 2029.


00:20:43.200 --> 00:20:45.909
So, they're extraordinarily long


00:20:45.919 --> 00:20:47.350
missions, aren't they? When you when


00:20:47.360 --> 00:20:49.110
you're out there in the


00:20:49.120 --> 00:20:50.870
>> in the nether regions of the solar


00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:52.950
system.


00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:54.789
>> That's right. It's um you know, that's


00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:57.430
just the way space works. You kind of


00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:59.990
tied tied up with gravity and time and


00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:01.830
you can't really do much about either of


00:21:01.840 --> 00:21:02.950
those two things.


00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:05.190
>> Oh, you can in a science fiction story.


00:21:05.200 --> 00:21:06.710
Yes. Amazing what you can do in a


00:21:06.720 --> 00:21:07.590
science fiction book.


00:21:07.600 --> 00:21:10.549
>> Stories. Yes.


00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.950
And I keep saying it, a lot of science


00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:14.789
fiction has turned into reality over the


00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:16.789
years. So,


00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:19.110
um, you know, you never know. In fact, I


00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:21.190
can't remember what the what the the


00:21:21.200 --> 00:21:24.390
problem was, but they they did actually


00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:27.909
not so long ago, um, get science fiction


00:21:27.919 --> 00:21:30.149
writers together. I don't know if it was


00:21:30.159 --> 00:21:32.230
NASA or someone else to try and solve a


00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:33.909
problem that they couldn't get their


00:21:33.919 --> 00:21:35.190
heads around to see if the science


00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:37.350
fiction community could come up with an


00:21:37.360 --> 00:21:39.990
answer for them. Can't remember any more


00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:41.510
about it than that. And I wish I could


00:21:41.520 --> 00:21:43.990
because I the story fascinated me. They


00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:45.990
never called me Fred.


00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:49.190
obviously sold anything


00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:50.789
>> your


00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:52.789
I would think being a best-selling


00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:55.029
author of one or two copies that have


00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:57.430
been sold over the years that I would be


00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:01.029
the go-to guy.


00:22:01.039 --> 00:22:02.470
>> Not the case.


00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:04.310
>> Not the case. Um have we finished


00:22:04.320 --> 00:22:06.789
answering that question?


00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:09.029
>> Yes. Basically, there's a lot going on.


00:22:09.039 --> 00:22:11.669
Um you know, I urge David just to check


00:22:11.679 --> 00:22:13.990
it out on the web. this um quite a lot


00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:16.630
of stuff on on Benu. It's u it's been


00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:18.710
interesting. I've I've I've noticed over


00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:21.190
the last few weeks things popping out


00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.270
particularly about the minerals which


00:22:23.280 --> 00:22:25.510
have been water affected which in itself


00:22:25.520 --> 00:22:26.870
tells you something about where it's


00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:28.070
come from somewhere where there was


00:22:28.080 --> 00:22:29.909
liquid water.


00:22:29.919 --> 00:22:31.510
>> That is fascinating.


00:22:31.520 --> 00:22:35.350
>> Yeah. Um and yes uh that um paper was


00:22:35.360 --> 00:22:38.630
published on sciencedaily.com


00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:40.870
uh David if you want to check it out. Um


00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:42.630
and it was published the paper was


00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:46.070
published on the 31st of March. Uh an


00:22:46.080 --> 00:22:47.990
auspicious day in history Fred I must


00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:51.190
say. Yeah. Um yes


00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:53.190
a certain non-successful science fiction


00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:57.669
writer was born on that day.


00:22:57.679 --> 00:22:59.750
>> So yes yesterday was


00:22:59.760 --> 00:23:01.510
>> yesterday our time. Yeah. Yeah.


00:23:01.520 --> 00:23:04.470
>> So that was your 64th. Is that right?


00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:06.789
>> Yes. I can I can uh officially play that


00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:07.830
Beatles song now.


00:23:07.840 --> 00:23:09.590
>> Good on you. I was just about to say


00:23:09.600 --> 00:23:11.909
that.


00:23:11.919 --> 00:23:12.149
>> Yeah,


00:23:12.159 --> 00:23:14.070
>> it's okay.


00:23:14.080 --> 00:23:15.909
>> Good old Paul McCartney. He hit the nail


00:23:15.919 --> 00:23:16.630
on the head.


00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:18.470
>> Yeah, I watched his doco the other day.


00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:20.789
They had they released a doco about him.


00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:23.830
Gosh, it's amazing what I didn't know


00:23:23.840 --> 00:23:25.590
about him.


00:23:25.600 --> 00:23:27.669
>> That's that's come out now. It's um


00:23:27.679 --> 00:23:30.470
yeah, quite incredible. But that's a


00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:32.070
different story. Completely different


00:23:32.080 --> 00:23:35.350
story. But uh yeah, 64. Can't believe


00:23:35.360 --> 00:23:37.669
it. Um, anyway, when I told my


00:23:37.679 --> 00:23:39.270
grandchildren I was 64, they looked at


00:23:39.280 --> 00:23:41.350
me and said, "And you're still alive?"


00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:44.149
No, they didn't.


00:23:44.159 --> 00:23:45.909
I said, "Well, hang on a minute. You


00:23:45.919 --> 00:23:47.510
should meet Fred." No, I didn't say that


00:23:47.520 --> 00:23:49.270
either.


00:23:49.280 --> 00:23:55.430
>> I remember 64 just about.


00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:57.350
>> Oh dear. All right, let's move on. Uh,


00:23:57.360 --> 00:23:59.270
thank you, David. Um, yeah, good news


00:23:59.280 --> 00:24:01.590
about Benu and yeah, they've just


00:24:01.600 --> 00:24:03.909
published that paper on my birthday. Uh,


00:24:03.919 --> 00:24:06.070
our final question, uh, comes from


00:24:06.080 --> 00:24:08.149
Keith. Hello, gentlemen. Oh, well, he


00:24:08.159 --> 00:24:09.750
got that wrong straight away. Uh, this


00:24:09.760 --> 00:24:12.149
is Keith from Washington State, USA.


00:24:12.159 --> 00:24:14.230
This is my first time asking a question.


00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:15.590
We've had a couple of newbies on the


00:24:15.600 --> 00:24:17.750
show today. Uh, looking forward to your


00:24:17.760 --> 00:24:20.070
explanation. From what I understand,


00:24:20.080 --> 00:24:22.630
neutrinos travel vast distances through


00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:26.549
space and even from our own sun. Uh,


00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:28.630
they they pass through our bodies every


00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:31.190
second and easily through the Earth. But


00:24:31.200 --> 00:24:33.830
do they travel straight through a black


00:24:33.840 --> 00:24:36.710
hole or are they captured by it?


00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:38.070
Appreciate you guys and love the


00:24:38.080 --> 00:24:40.549
podcast. Look forward to every episode.


00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:42.310
Thank you, Keith. Hope all is well in


00:24:42.320 --> 00:24:43.830
Washington State. That's on the


00:24:43.840 --> 00:24:45.990
northwest corner of the United States.


00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:48.310
Seattle's in Washington State. I love


00:24:48.320 --> 00:24:50.630
Seattle. Bent went there a year bit over


00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:53.750
or couple of years ago now. Um terrific


00:24:53.760 --> 00:24:56.630
place. Terrific. Uh current Super Bowl


00:24:56.640 --> 00:24:59.990
champions Seahawks.


00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:01.350
I knew you'd be interested in that,


00:25:01.360 --> 00:25:02.310
Fred.


00:25:02.320 --> 00:25:05.909
>> Keep talking cuz I'm just googling this.


00:25:05.919 --> 00:25:08.070
>> I kind of figured I needed to pad, but I


00:25:08.080 --> 00:25:10.789
didn't pad long enough. Yeah. See, I'm


00:25:10.799 --> 00:25:12.070
I'm out of practice.


00:25:12.080 --> 00:25:14.549
>> I'm out of practice. I haven't been on


00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:17.269
radio for two years now, so I don't need


00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:19.909
to add lib like I used to. It used to be


00:25:19.919 --> 00:25:21.029
really funny when something went


00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:22.630
horribly wrong and you knew you had to


00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:25.430
fix it while you were talking. And have


00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:27.110
you ever tried to thread a tape on a


00:25:27.120 --> 00:25:29.909
realtore recorder while you're talking


00:25:29.919 --> 00:25:33.590
to an audience and making sense of what


00:25:33.600 --> 00:25:34.789
you're saying and you don't even know


00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.149
what you're Yeah. Gosh, it can be a fun


00:25:38.159 --> 00:25:42.630
moment. I miss those days so much.


00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:44.470
>> Are you Are you good now?


00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:46.870
>> Yes.


00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:49.110
I just I just you've conjured up an


00:25:49.120 --> 00:25:51.110
entirely different picture in my head of


00:25:51.120 --> 00:25:53.350
you threading a realtore recorder which


00:25:53.360 --> 00:25:54.789
I used to remember


00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:56.870
>> doing. The one the one piece of kit that


00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.350
I'd like that I don't have is a realtore


00:25:59.360 --> 00:25:59.830
machine.


00:25:59.840 --> 00:26:02.149
>> I can steal one for you. I I know I know


00:26:02.159 --> 00:26:04.789
a guy in town who's got one


00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:06.789
>> and if I took it he wouldn't notice for


00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:07.830
a few years.


00:26:07.840 --> 00:26:11.110
>> No,


00:26:11.120 --> 00:26:12.710
>> tell me more offline.


00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:15.430
>> Yes, I will. Yes. Good morning, Richard.


00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:16.789
Uh, hi Richard.


00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:18.390
>> Um,


00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:20.390
>> yeah, but look, what we're talking about


00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:22.789
radio, I it's changed so much because


00:26:22.799 --> 00:26:25.510
it's all digital now. So, you don't


00:26:25.520 --> 00:26:26.789
really


00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:30.470
>> all those those um what what do you call


00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:31.669
them? Skills


00:26:31.679 --> 00:26:33.590
>> that you developed in radio like like


00:26:33.600 --> 00:26:37.110
like cut splicing tape and and and drop


00:26:37.120 --> 00:26:38.470
editing and


00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:40.950
>> all of those special talents, they're


00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:43.110
gone. They're just gone. If you gave


00:26:43.120 --> 00:26:44.789
someone a a realtore to real tape and


00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:46.870
said, "Here, can you just um edit that


00:26:46.880 --> 00:26:49.190
piece out for me? Here's a razor blade."


00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:53.350
They'd go, "What?


00:26:53.360 --> 00:26:55.510
>> Remember to to make the cut diagonally


00:26:55.520 --> 00:26:57.510
so that it doesn't impair the sound


00:26:57.520 --> 00:26:58.390
quality."


00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:00.549
>> Exactly. Yeah, that's that's how it


00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:01.510
works.


00:27:01.520 --> 00:27:02.070
>> Yeah.


00:27:02.080 --> 00:27:04.630
>> In fact, splicing block the splicing


00:27:04.640 --> 00:27:06.870
block had the had the slots in it so you


00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:09.029
could do the diagonal cut and and it was


00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:11.110
made in a way so that the tape actually


00:27:11.120 --> 00:27:12.390
just


00:27:12.400 --> 00:27:14.950
sat in there without folding up or


00:27:14.960 --> 00:27:17.669
rolling around or slipping was


00:27:17.679 --> 00:27:20.390
brilliantly p made piece of kit as Fred


00:27:20.400 --> 00:27:23.909
would say to to keep the tape still.


00:27:23.919 --> 00:27:26.149
>> I bet look all this all this all these


00:27:26.159 --> 00:27:27.909
memories. Gosh,


00:27:27.919 --> 00:27:30.549
>> I think I've ped enough now, Fred.


00:27:30.559 --> 00:27:32.710
>> Yeah, I'm sure


00:27:32.720 --> 00:27:35.350
>> a tape splicing block. It's how do you


00:27:35.360 --> 00:27:37.830
splice neutrinos? That's the question.


00:27:37.840 --> 00:27:39.669
>> Well, why do they splice or can they


00:27:39.679 --> 00:27:41.669
splice a black hole? That's the That's


00:27:41.679 --> 00:27:43.269
the question.


00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:45.510
>> That's the worst segue I think we've


00:27:45.520 --> 00:27:47.430
ever made, but that will do. It's as


00:27:47.440 --> 00:27:50.230
good as it gets. Adequacy is all we aim


00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:53.269
for. Um, but neutrinos are indeed


00:27:53.279 --> 00:27:55.990
affected by gravity, as you'd expect.


00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:58.389
Um, because they're particles. They're


00:27:58.399 --> 00:28:01.510
subatomic particles. And so once uh a


00:28:01.520 --> 00:28:03.590
neutrino crosses the event horizon, then


00:28:03.600 --> 00:28:05.990
it's doomed. It will be absorbed by the


00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:09.110
black hole just like light basically. um


00:28:09.120 --> 00:28:11.909
they they hardly interact with normal


00:28:11.919 --> 00:28:15.350
matter uh exactly as Keith mentions. Uh


00:28:15.360 --> 00:28:18.389
but they do h feel the force of gravity


00:28:18.399 --> 00:28:22.630
or the the um what base of gravity and


00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:24.630
they just get pulled in in the same way


00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:28.389
as uh as a any other particle. So the


00:28:28.399 --> 00:28:32.710
answer is yes. Um and it's


00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:34.630
you know it's a really interesting


00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:36.470
subatomic particle. We used to think for


00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:39.269
a while that maybe nutrinos made up the


00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:41.350
dark matter of the universe, but it


00:28:41.360 --> 00:28:43.110
turns out from other studies that they


00:28:43.120 --> 00:28:45.510
don't have enough mass to do that. Uh so


00:28:45.520 --> 00:28:47.909
they're not the culprits, but there are


00:28:47.919 --> 00:28:49.430
a lot of them.


00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:52.149
>> I think uh um David mentioned, sorry,


00:28:52.159 --> 00:28:55.590
Keith begg mentioned the um the nutr the


00:28:55.600 --> 00:28:59.269
sun solar neutrinos and for a long time


00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:01.510
that was there was a problem there. I


00:29:01.520 --> 00:29:03.190
think it was that we didn't see enough


00:29:03.200 --> 00:29:07.029
neutrinos coming from the sun to agree


00:29:07.039 --> 00:29:08.710
with theory and that was called the


00:29:08.720 --> 00:29:10.549
solar neutrino problem. I think that was


00:29:10.559 --> 00:29:12.710
the way round it was. But I believe that


00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:16.950
has now been basically solved by both


00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:18.549
observational and theoretical


00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:21.029
astronomers. I should um go down a


00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:22.870
rabbit hole and chase all that because


00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:25.750
um my knowledge of neutrinos is really


00:29:25.760 --> 00:29:28.310
really a little bit sad.


00:29:28.320 --> 00:29:32.789
Uh it's got uh it does have uh the one


00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:35.510
joke that I remember about neutrinos uh


00:29:35.520 --> 00:29:38.310
which is probably not worth relating.


00:29:38.320 --> 00:29:40.710
>> Oh, now you've got to say it.


00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:43.190
Well, it was when there was this idea


00:29:43.200 --> 00:29:45.830
that the Large Hadron Collider had


00:29:45.840 --> 00:29:48.230
generated a neutrino that turned up at a


00:29:48.240 --> 00:29:52.630
detector in Grand Sasso in in um Italy


00:29:52.640 --> 00:29:54.870
uh sooner than it would have done if it


00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:57.110
had not been traveling at less than the


00:29:57.120 --> 00:29:59.350
speed of light. And so it became known


00:29:59.360 --> 00:30:02.389
as the faster than light neutrino. Um in


00:30:02.399 --> 00:30:04.230
the end it was debunked. They found it


00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:07.269
was due to a loose connection in the


00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:09.750
detector. Uh which led to the director


00:30:09.760 --> 00:30:12.389
of Grand Sasso resigning. Actually was


00:30:12.399 --> 00:30:15.190
so ashamed of what his institution had


00:30:15.200 --> 00:30:15.909
done.


00:30:15.919 --> 00:30:17.909
>> I remember that now.


00:30:17.919 --> 00:30:21.669
>> But the joke is uh the joke is I'm sorry


00:30:21.679 --> 00:30:23.590
we don't allow faster than night light


00:30:23.600 --> 00:30:26.470
nutrinos into our bar. A faster than


00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:28.630
light neutrino walked into a bar. That's


00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:31.669
the joke.


00:30:31.679 --> 00:30:33.510
Okay.


00:30:33.520 --> 00:30:35.110
That's pretty good though.


00:30:35.120 --> 00:30:36.710
>> I think it's a good one, too. I wish it


00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:37.909
was mine, but


00:30:37.919 --> 00:30:40.710
>> that is pretty good. Yeah. But what I


00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:42.630
find difficult to get my head around is


00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:44.389
that these things pass through the


00:30:44.399 --> 00:30:45.510
planet. I mean,


00:30:45.520 --> 00:30:47.430
>> yes, they do. Oh, yeah. They don't


00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:49.430
notice the planet at all.


00:30:49.440 --> 00:30:52.070
>> Yeah. But there is a detector. There's


00:30:52.080 --> 00:30:53.669
the ice cube detector down in


00:30:53.679 --> 00:30:56.389
Antarctica. This is a cube of ice. It's


00:30:56.399 --> 00:30:59.350
a 1 kilometer cube of ice which is got


00:30:59.360 --> 00:31:02.710
it's um basically uh not festoned so


00:31:02.720 --> 00:31:05.430
much as impre impregnated with many many


00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:08.230
optical detectors that would sense the


00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:12.470
flash of light. If a neutrino actually


00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:15.430
did collide and interact with a a normal


00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:17.830
particle uh then you'd get a flash of


00:31:17.840 --> 00:31:20.549
light uh which it would be detectable in


00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:21.830
ice cube and I think they've had


00:31:21.840 --> 00:31:24.950
detections as well. Oh, interesting.


00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:27.350
Fascinating even.


00:31:27.360 --> 00:31:29.669
All right. Uh, Keith, I think we covered


00:31:29.679 --> 00:31:32.070
it. Did we cover it?


00:31:32.080 --> 00:31:34.470
>> We Well, we answered the question, but I


00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:35.990
think that was a value added question,


00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:36.389
Keith.


00:31:36.399 --> 00:31:38.070
>> Yes, it was. It's got lots of bonus


00:31:38.080 --> 00:31:40.230
material in there. Probably boring as


00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:43.909
you know, or whatever, an old sock. But,


00:31:43.919 --> 00:31:44.710
uh,


00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:45.430
>> oh dear.


00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:48.070
>> We got there in the end. Uh, thank you,


00:31:48.080 --> 00:31:49.590
Keith. Thank you everybody who sent


00:31:49.600 --> 00:31:51.269
questions in. If you do have questions


00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:53.430
for us, please go to our website and


00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:55.909
send them in on the ask me anything tab


00:31:55.919 --> 00:31:59.509
at the top. Just click a the AMA letters


00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:01.430
and there's an interface there where you


00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:04.310
can send us text and audio questions.


00:32:04.320 --> 00:32:05.669
Please remember to tell us who you are


00:32:05.679 --> 00:32:07.909
and where you're from. And uh we'll do


00:32:07.919 --> 00:32:11.110
our very best to answer them all. Uh and


00:32:11.120 --> 00:32:13.430
again, we we're just yeah, we're on the


00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:14.710
cusp of not quite having enough


00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:16.149
questions. Got a lot of text questions,


00:32:16.159 --> 00:32:18.070
but audio questions are few and far


00:32:18.080 --> 00:32:19.990
between for some reason.


00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:22.789
But um who knows uh get them into us.


00:32:22.799 --> 00:32:24.870
We'd love to hear from you. We love all


00:32:24.880 --> 00:32:26.710
these uh voices, all the different


00:32:26.720 --> 00:32:28.389
people from around the world. It's it's


00:32:28.399 --> 00:32:31.029
fantastic. Uh and thank you Fred as


00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:34.070
always. It's been a great pleasure.


00:32:34.080 --> 00:32:36.310
>> It has indeed. And good to talk to you


00:32:36.320 --> 00:32:38.149
uh this week and hopefully we'll do it


00:32:38.159 --> 00:32:39.509
again next week.


00:32:39.519 --> 00:32:41.269
>> Yes indeed. And I'll get back to you on


00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:45.190
that free realtore tape recorder. Fred.


00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:47.590
>> Yeah. Nudge nudge wink wink. uh,


00:32:47.600 --> 00:32:49.350
Professor Fred Watson, astronomer at


00:32:49.360 --> 00:32:51.669
large, part of the team here, uh, on the


00:32:51.679 --> 00:32:53.750
Space Nuts podcast. And, uh, thanks to


00:32:53.760 --> 00:32:56.230
Hugh in the studio, who couldn't be with


00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:58.149
us today. He's a bit slow. He's an old


00:32:58.159 --> 00:33:02.470
Trino. And, um, yeah, he can't even get


00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:05.350
through a door. And from me, Andrew


00:33:05.360 --> 00:33:07.430
Dunley, thanks for your company. We'll


00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:10.070
see see you on the next episode of Space


00:33:10.080 --> 00:33:11.750
Nuts. Bye-bye.


00:33:11.760 --> 00:33:12.789
>> Space Nuts.


00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:14.870
>> You've been listening to the Space Nuts


00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:17.110
podcast. radio


00:33:17.120 --> 00:33:20.070
>> available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify,


00:33:20.080 --> 00:33:22.710
iHeart Radio, or your favorite podcast


00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:25.190
player. You can also stream on demand at


00:33:25.200 --> 00:33:28.070
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00:33:28.080 --> 00:33:32.519
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