Hawking Radiation, Dark Energy Dilemmas & Listener Curiosities | Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights...

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:02.070
Hello again. Thanks for joining us on


00:00:02.080 --> 00:00:04.630
Space Nuts. This is a Q&A edition. My


00:00:04.640 --> 00:00:06.550
name is Andrew Dunley and it's always


00:00:06.560 --> 00:00:08.390
good to have your company wherever you


00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:12.470
are in the world. Uh today we're going


00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:14.629
to be answering questions from our


00:00:14.639 --> 00:00:17.430
audience and we've got a question from


00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:20.710
Tony about Hawking radiation. Uh Stuart


00:00:20.720 --> 00:00:22.310
has asked a question about something


00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.870
we've never discussed before or have we


00:00:24.880 --> 00:00:26.390
discussed it a million times? It's


00:00:26.400 --> 00:00:29.509
called dark energy. And Thomas wants to


00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:31.509
know what would happen if we could just,


00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:35.110
you know, move Earth over there. Uh, all


00:00:35.120 --> 00:00:37.030
of those questions will be answered on


00:00:37.040 --> 00:00:39.430
today's episode of Space Nuts.


00:00:39.440 --> 00:00:44.310
>> 15 seconds. Guidance is internal. 10 9


00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:46.069
Ignition sequence start.


00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:46.950
>> Space Nuts.


00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:49.510
>> 5 4 3 2


00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:51.910
>> 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1


00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:53.110
>> Space Nuts.


00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:56.150
>> Astronauts report. It feels good.


00:00:56.160 --> 00:00:58.069
>> He's back for more. His name is


00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:00.549
Professor Frag. What's an astronomer at


00:01:00.559 --> 00:01:01.830
large? Hello, Fred.


00:01:01.840 --> 00:01:03.910
>> Hello, Andrew. How are you after all


00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:06.789
that technical uh


00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:09.429
>> Yes. Um normally we record two episodes


00:01:09.439 --> 00:01:11.429
back to back with only moments in


00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:13.190
between, but today it was a very


00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:15.270
different story. Uh the internet would


00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:17.270
not cooperate.


00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.670
Um space doesn't cooperate either. I


00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:22.310
think they were in collusion. So, I


00:01:22.320 --> 00:01:25.030
mean, yeah, that left us high and dry,


00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:26.870
but it gave me time to make a cup of


00:01:26.880 --> 00:01:27.749
coffee.


00:01:27.759 --> 00:01:28.390
>> Very good.


00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:29.670
>> There it is. So,


00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:31.510
>> yeah,


00:01:31.520 --> 00:01:33.030
>> I've got one, too.


00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:36.630
>> Yes. Um, I love my coffee. I'm a I'm a


00:01:36.640 --> 00:01:40.630
nut for it. Uh, so let's um get stuck


00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:42.310
into some questions, shall we, Fred? Oh,


00:01:42.320 --> 00:01:46.069
before we do, though, uh we have a um a


00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:47.670
sort of an answer to one of our


00:01:47.680 --> 00:01:49.830
questions. We got an a question from


00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.950
Andy in London uh not so long ago and we


00:01:52.960 --> 00:01:57.510
we uh dealt with his um uh interests,


00:01:57.520 --> 00:01:59.590
but he he mentioned that he's a train


00:01:59.600 --> 00:02:02.069
driver and I just said, "Tell us more


00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:04.389
about your job." Really interested to


00:02:04.399 --> 00:02:06.950
learn. And he sent us a little bit of


00:02:06.960 --> 00:02:09.589
info about his job. And I like that we


00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:11.589
can do this. But I think uh you know


00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:13.750
we've created um or they've created


00:02:13.760 --> 00:02:16.309
themselves this interesting uh


00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:18.630
environment where a lot of the listeners


00:02:18.640 --> 00:02:21.830
can talk to each other on our podcast


00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:25.190
group on Facebook. Uh and it's nice to


00:02:25.200 --> 00:02:27.589
get to know a few people. So um this is


00:02:27.599 --> 00:02:29.430
this is Andy the train driver from


00:02:29.440 --> 00:02:30.150
London.


00:02:30.160 --> 00:02:31.670
>> Hi you guys. This is Andy the train


00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:33.750
driver from London. Uh thanks for


00:02:33.760 --> 00:02:35.589
answering my question. Uh much


00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:37.750
appreciated. Uh just we need to get back


00:02:37.760 --> 00:02:40.869
to you uh regarding um the question


00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:44.630
about trains. Yeah. So um I live in West


00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:46.949
Sussex but I actually work near Norwood


00:02:46.959 --> 00:02:50.150
Junction on the London Bridge Line. Um


00:02:50.160 --> 00:02:52.550
and I drive two of trains, one electric,


00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:56.550
one diesel. Uh both are about 50 tons


00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:59.990
per coach. So um longest train I drive


00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:03.110
is 12 coaches long. And so that equates


00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:06.470
to about 600 tons. Uh the diesel trains


00:03:06.480 --> 00:03:08.229
um I drive them from London Bridge down


00:03:08.239 --> 00:03:11.030
to West Sussex to a place called Arfield


00:03:11.040 --> 00:03:14.869
and they are uh they've got one engine


00:03:14.879 --> 00:03:17.910
per coach. Uh these engines are pretty


00:03:17.920 --> 00:03:19.910
similar to like a double-decker bus


00:03:19.920 --> 00:03:23.110
engine like 11 L turbocharged.


00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:25.589
So uh longest train to drive down there


00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:28.470
is 10 coaches. So you got 10 11 liter


00:03:28.480 --> 00:03:31.190
turbo engines all roaring away at the


00:03:31.200 --> 00:03:34.869
same time. Um sounds quite impressive.


00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.149
Yep. I've been doing it 22 years and I'm


00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:39.830
also an instructor. So, I teach all the


00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:42.949
new recruits how to drive these trains.


00:03:42.959 --> 00:03:45.830
Um I also do the um the DC lines and the


00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:49.110
AC lines which are the overhead cables


00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:52.869
uh 25,000 volts. Um and I drive the


00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:55.509
electric trains over to Watford


00:03:55.519 --> 00:03:58.229
um up to 100 miles an hour.


00:03:58.239 --> 00:04:01.509
So, yeah. Um it's good job. I enjoy it.


00:04:01.519 --> 00:04:04.229
Um I also enjoy your podcast. So, uh,


00:04:04.239 --> 00:04:07.429
thanks for for everything you do and I


00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:09.589
hope that answers your questions. Have a


00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:11.670
good day, guys. See you later. Bye.


00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:13.670
>> Thanks, Andy. Uh, I know that's got


00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:15.509
nothing to do with astronomy or space


00:04:15.519 --> 00:04:17.670
science, but I just thought it was um it


00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:19.270
was so good of him to tell us a little


00:04:19.280 --> 00:04:21.590
bit about his amazing life and his


00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:23.990
amazing job. And how many jobs do you


00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:25.350
know, Fred, where you're allowed to do


00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.710
over 100 miles an hour? I mean,


00:04:28.720 --> 00:04:30.790
>> well, you pay to do it as well. Yeah.


00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:32.710
>> Yeah. Yeah. What a great gig. Jeez,


00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:34.870
Andy, thanks a lot. That was fantastic.


00:04:34.880 --> 00:04:36.950
Really enjoyed hearing about you. My


00:04:36.960 --> 00:04:38.629
next door neighbor is a retired train


00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:40.390
driver. So, I'm going to um get him over


00:04:40.400 --> 00:04:42.710
here and and let him hear that because I


00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:44.469
think he'd be absolutely intrigued. And


00:04:44.479 --> 00:04:46.150
of course, there's been a lot of local


00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:48.710
interest lately because a whole set of


00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:50.950
new trains are being built in do for the


00:04:50.960 --> 00:04:53.670
regional lines. And uh I actually


00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:55.749
spotted one yesterday out doing a trial


00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:59.270
run and it's very quiet. I I thought I


00:04:59.280 --> 00:05:00.870
heard this sound and went, "What is


00:05:00.880 --> 00:05:03.270
that?" And I had a look and it whispered


00:05:03.280 --> 00:05:06.629
past. It was really um amazing. And Andy


00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:08.310
would be interested to know these these


00:05:08.320 --> 00:05:09.590
new trains that they're putting on


00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:11.909
regional New South Wales tracks are


00:05:11.919 --> 00:05:15.189
hybrids. So it'll run diesel from here


00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:18.230
to the city of Lithco and then they'll


00:05:18.240 --> 00:05:20.950
pop up the um the electric uh connector


00:05:20.960 --> 00:05:22.790
and run


00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:25.270
electric. Yeah. Yeah. And they'll run


00:05:25.280 --> 00:05:26.790
they'll run to Sydney.


00:05:26.800 --> 00:05:27.270
>> Yeah.


00:05:27.280 --> 00:05:28.790
>> On the electric


00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.990
>> line, which is uh Yeah. Awesome. So, um,


00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:35.510
yeah, lots of I love trains, so and and


00:05:35.520 --> 00:05:37.510
Judy's dad was a station master, so


00:05:37.520 --> 00:05:38.950
we've got a bit of a connection with


00:05:38.960 --> 00:05:41.830
with trains in our family and next door,


00:05:41.840 --> 00:05:44.550
as it turns out. Uh, we better get down


00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:47.029
to it though, Fred. We've got a bunch of


00:05:47.039 --> 00:05:49.270
questions to go through. And, uh, here's


00:05:49.280 --> 00:05:51.749
the first one. Hi, lads. Shane here from


00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:54.310
Ireland, and I have a question regarding


00:05:54.320 --> 00:05:57.110
Interstellar Comet 3 Atlas. I recently


00:05:57.120 --> 00:05:59.029
read an article that stated, "New


00:05:59.039 --> 00:06:01.430
studies indicate comet 3i Atlas could


00:06:01.440 --> 00:06:03.510
potentially be nearly as old as the


00:06:03.520 --> 00:06:05.830
universe itself." This got me to


00:06:05.840 --> 00:06:07.830
thinking about how a comet can exist for


00:06:07.840 --> 00:06:10.150
so long, potentially 13 billion years or


00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:13.029
so, and not burn up completely as it


00:06:13.039 --> 00:06:15.990
passes through solar systems. Even if it


00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.990
is as large as a few kilometers in


00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.710
diameter, it must burn off debris at an


00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:23.830
alarming rate for it to have a a coma


00:06:23.840 --> 00:06:26.309
thousands of kilometers in length uh


00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:28.790
that can be seen from Earth. My guess is


00:06:28.800 --> 00:06:31.590
that it has probably spent 99% of its


00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.230
time in freezing interstellar space. But


00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:37.430
even at 1% of the time spent passing


00:06:37.440 --> 00:06:40.230
through other solar systems should be


00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.550
enough to make it evaporate. Uh love the


00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:44.230
show. Keep up the good work. Over and


00:06:44.240 --> 00:06:47.909
out, Shane. Thank you, Shane. And um


00:06:47.919 --> 00:06:49.590
happy St. Patrick's Day, which was


00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:52.870
yesterday our time. And all the golfers


00:06:52.880 --> 00:06:55.510
at our course were dressed in green. So


00:06:55.520 --> 00:06:57.909
um yeah, that was fun. Sent me cuz I


00:06:57.919 --> 00:07:01.029
forgot. Um but uh yeah, what interesting


00:07:01.039 --> 00:07:03.670
question by Shane. Um is is that a thing


00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:07.510
that the threei Atlas could be that old?


00:07:07.520 --> 00:07:11.110
Um, yeah, the there's it's really


00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:12.950
interesting that there's new information


00:07:12.960 --> 00:07:15.029
coming out all the time about how


00:07:15.039 --> 00:07:18.550
different threeey atlases to the comets


00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:21.110
in our own solar system. In fact, I just


00:07:21.120 --> 00:07:25.749
saw one uh while we were off air um as


00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:27.749
as you were desperately trying to fix


00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:30.790
the um fix the interweb there. Uh I got


00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:32.710
saw a new story which is about the water


00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:36.550
content of three Atlas and it's um ratio


00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:38.390
of normal to heavy water which I haven't


00:07:38.400 --> 00:07:41.189
read yet but it's um again it's an


00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:43.670
outlier just like so many of its


00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:45.990
attributes are outliers. Uh I haven't


00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:47.589
seen reports that it might be as old as


00:07:47.599 --> 00:07:51.110
the universe. Um it it clearly won't be


00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:54.869
as old as you know it has to be


00:07:54.879 --> 00:07:58.070
middle-aged in the sense that uh some of


00:07:58.080 --> 00:08:01.430
the ices that we see in it are complex


00:08:01.440 --> 00:08:07.029
molecules. There's um the sort of u


00:08:07.039 --> 00:08:10.550
chemical mix that we see in the solar


00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:13.510
system except the the extremes in the


00:08:13.520 --> 00:08:15.510
way these you know the ratios of one to


00:08:15.520 --> 00:08:18.230
the other. Um, and for those elements


00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:20.790
all to be there, you must be talking


00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:23.430
about a solar system, its origin being


00:08:23.440 --> 00:08:25.990
in a solar system that is relatively


00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:28.070
rich in these elements. And that means


00:08:28.080 --> 00:08:30.309
it's not something in the very early


00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:33.909
universe where uh most you know there


00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:36.469
was just hydrogen, helium and iron were


00:08:36.479 --> 00:08:39.829
the most common constituents. It's got


00:08:39.839 --> 00:08:43.430
all the all the sort of array of


00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:45.910
chemistry or chemical elements that we


00:08:45.920 --> 00:08:48.230
are used to in the solar system. So, I


00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:50.150
think it's fair to say it's probably


00:08:50.160 --> 00:08:52.389
old, but um I'm not going to hazard a


00:08:52.399 --> 00:08:54.070
guess on how old it is. I've seen


00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:56.550
>> I just had a quick look, Fred, and uh as


00:08:56.560 --> 00:08:58.870
at March 2026, according to live


00:08:58.880 --> 00:09:02.710
science, it's possibly 10 to 12 billion


00:09:02.720 --> 00:09:04.870
years old. They think


00:09:04.880 --> 00:09:05.990
>> that's a lot, isn't it?


00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:07.990
>> That's old. Yeah. Um, but you've got to


00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:09.350
balance that against the fact that it


00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.590
does have um, you know, it does have a


00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:13.990
chemical composition in terms of the


00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:15.110
elements that are present, the


00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:16.790
abundances of the elements that's not


00:09:16.800 --> 00:09:19.030
too different from ours, but that's


00:09:19.040 --> 00:09:22.630
clearly something uh that the pundits


00:09:22.640 --> 00:09:27.269
are working on. Um the I think the the


00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:33.030
nub of uh of Shane's question is


00:09:33.040 --> 00:09:37.269
I think his estimate of 99 99% of its


00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:40.790
time being in deep space and 1% being


00:09:40.800 --> 00:09:42.949
passing through a solar system. I


00:09:42.959 --> 00:09:45.110
suspect that's


00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:47.670
probably wildly wrong. uh because I


00:09:47.680 --> 00:09:48.949
suspect that it's more like


00:09:48.959 --> 00:09:52.949
99.99999999999999%


00:09:52.959 --> 00:09:55.509
in deep space and a tiny fraction that


00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:57.190
would be passing through solar systems.


00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:59.269
And what makes me say that is that space


00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:00.550
is big.


00:10:00.560 --> 00:10:03.670
>> Um it's um it's there's a lot of empty


00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:05.590
space out there and the and the solar


00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.470
systems are yes they're everywhere we


00:10:08.480 --> 00:10:10.310
see them. You know, we can see stars and


00:10:10.320 --> 00:10:12.389
planets and all the rest of it, but the


00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:16.069
space between them is immense. Uh and so


00:10:16.079 --> 00:10:19.110
I yeah I think it's understandable uh


00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:22.630
that um an object as old as that let's


00:10:22.640 --> 00:10:27.269
say uh 10 10 to 12 billion years uh that


00:10:27.279 --> 00:10:32.150
could well have been um an object that


00:10:32.160 --> 00:10:36.710
has kept most of its primordial ice. Um,


00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:38.870
I don't think


00:10:38.880 --> 00:10:41.110
a lot is going to depend on how near it


00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.670
passes to a star when it's when it's


00:10:43.680 --> 00:10:45.190
going through a solar system. That's the


00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.190
crucial thing. How much radiation is it


00:10:47.200 --> 00:10:49.590
feeling from the star? How much of its


00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:53.990
ice sublimes into space? And uh it it


00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.389
it's a fairly small fraction I think of


00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:00.150
the total mass. I have seen work on


00:11:00.160 --> 00:11:02.310
trying to understand


00:11:02.320 --> 00:11:05.110
uh comets in our own solar system in


00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:06.710
terms of how many times they've passed


00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:09.190
near the sun and what that what the sort


00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:12.470
of mass loss uh has resulted from that.


00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:12.790
>> Yeah.


00:11:12.800 --> 00:11:15.670
>> Um but um they are falling in from the


00:11:15.680 --> 00:11:18.389
or cloud. So their orbits are quite


00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:20.949
different from three Atlas which is


00:11:20.959 --> 00:11:23.430
hurtling through the solar system at 60


00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:25.509
60 odd kilometers/s.


00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:27.269
Uh it's nowhere near the sun in that


00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.069
regard. So and and it doesn't have a big


00:11:30.079 --> 00:11:32.150
tail. It's got it does the images that


00:11:32.160 --> 00:11:35.430
we see show a short stubby tail um with


00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:37.509
the coma. So there is material coming


00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:39.910
off it. Um I wouldn't like to hazard a


00:11:39.920 --> 00:11:41.430
guess as to how much and I don't even


00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:42.949
know whether there's a reasonable


00:11:42.959 --> 00:11:45.030
estimate as to what the size of three


00:11:45.040 --> 00:11:47.430
eye atlas is in terms of the size of its


00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:49.110
nucleus, the icy bit.


00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:49.350
>> Yeah,


00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:50.790
>> you might be able to find that out as


00:11:50.800 --> 00:11:54.389
well. In terms of diameter, it's 440


00:11:54.399 --> 00:11:56.230
m.


00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:58.710
Um,


00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:00.550
hang on a sec. It's got all sorts of


00:12:00.560 --> 00:12:02.389
different numbers here. Based on 2025


00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:05.190
Hubble Space Telescope observations, the


00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:09.430
nucleus of the comet is between uh 440 m


00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.910
and 5.6 kilometers in diameter.


00:12:11.920 --> 00:12:13.829
>> Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty hard to


00:12:13.839 --> 00:12:15.269
>> big. Yeah,


00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.269
>> that's right. Because we don't see the


00:12:17.279 --> 00:12:19.829
nucleus itself. we just see the the coma


00:12:19.839 --> 00:12:22.310
around the nucleus as it out gases.


00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:22.550
>> Yeah.


00:12:22.560 --> 00:12:24.470
>> But, you know, maybe when it set off it


00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:26.230
was twice the size of that. Who knows?


00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:28.069
Um, but yeah, I think it's it's an


00:12:28.079 --> 00:12:31.190
interesting question that Shane um uh


00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:34.310
poses, but I think it's uh it's it


00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:35.670
probably all makes sense. I think the


00:12:35.680 --> 00:12:37.670
the numbers kind of add up even if it is


00:12:37.680 --> 00:12:39.509
very very old.


00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:41.990
>> Yeah, I'm sure. And how fast did you say


00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:43.430
60 kilometers a second?


00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:44.710
>> Something like that. Yes, it's in that


00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:44.949
range.


00:12:44.959 --> 00:12:46.790
>> That's nearly as fast as Andy the train


00:12:46.800 --> 00:12:50.470
driver.


00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:52.710
Well, that's right.


00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:55.750
Yeah. All right. Uh, so there it is,


00:12:55.760 --> 00:12:57.190
Shane. Thanks for the question.


00:12:57.200 --> 00:12:59.509
Hopefully, we uh adequately answered it


00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:04.470
for you. Our uh next question comes from


00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:06.550
somebody else. Hi, Professor Fred and


00:13:06.560 --> 00:13:08.310
Andrew. My question is concerning


00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:10.550
Hawking radiation. When two quantum


00:13:10.560 --> 00:13:12.710
particles pop into existence from a


00:13:12.720 --> 00:13:15.829
black hole, are the particles entangled?


00:13:15.839 --> 00:13:20.470
if not why. Uh also um you inform and


00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:23.030
educate us uh so well. So I thought I


00:13:23.040 --> 00:13:25.190
would share some remarkable stats I read


00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:26.949
the other day. The surface of the sun is


00:13:26.959 --> 00:13:29.990
very noisy. Forget the vacuum u thingy


00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.670
for a minute. The sun's surface


00:13:31.680 --> 00:13:33.910
apparently crackles away at 100 dibels,


00:13:33.920 --> 00:13:36.230
give or take. Uh the light from the sun


00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:37.990
takes approximately 8 minutes to reach


00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:40.949
us. However, the sound of the crackling


00:13:40.959 --> 00:13:44.470
sun would not reach us for 13 years. Uh,


00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:46.870
I love your show, Tony from Marrickville


00:13:46.880 --> 00:13:48.790
in New South Wales. PS. Looking forward


00:13:48.800 --> 00:13:50.870
to professor uh the professor's next


00:13:50.880 --> 00:13:53.350
Belrose presentation.


00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:55.269
What's that about, Fred?


00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:57.430
>> Uh, well, we've been doing these for


00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:59.110
quite a long time. Uh, it's something


00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:03.750
called Fred Watson Presents. Um, and uh


00:14:03.760 --> 00:14:07.750
uh we it's it's a sporadic thing we um


00:14:07.760 --> 00:14:11.350
put on a talk. Many of course the the


00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:13.269
mastermind behind all this arranges it.


00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:15.430
We've got a place in Belrose uh not very


00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:17.189
far from where we live here in Davidson


00:14:17.199 --> 00:14:19.430
in the Northern Beaches. Um and there's


00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.750
a nice bowling club there and we go and


00:14:21.760 --> 00:14:23.350
they've got a room which has a actually


00:14:23.360 --> 00:14:26.069
has a great screen. Uh and um I give


00:14:26.079 --> 00:14:27.990
talks from time to time. Once in a while


00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:29.750
we get a guest speaker as well who gives


00:14:29.760 --> 00:14:32.710
a talk. So we we maybe do three or four


00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:34.710
a year something like that.


00:14:34.720 --> 00:14:37.590
>> Lovely. Very nice. Well that's what he's


00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:39.670
talking about. Um those sun statistics


00:14:39.680 --> 00:14:41.110
are very interesting. You and you and I


00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:42.870
have talked about how loud the sun is


00:14:42.880 --> 00:14:44.710
before, so it's a good thing we can't


00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.790
hear it or we'd, you know, that's


00:14:46.800 --> 00:14:49.509
>> we'd be in trouble. Uh, but his question


00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.670
was about Hawking radiation. When two


00:14:51.680 --> 00:14:53.269
quantum particles pop into existence


00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:55.269
from a black hole, are the particles


00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:59.910
entangled? If not, why not? Um, yeah.


00:14:59.920 --> 00:15:01.910
So, that that's the that's the bottom


00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:04.230
line. And I know you're not a particle


00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:06.150
physicist.


00:15:06.160 --> 00:15:08.629
Uh but no but doing what you do uh check


00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:11.269
it out on on the interweb and the answer


00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:13.430
seems to be yes.


00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.710
So um formed together from vacuum energy


00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:18.629
these temporary particle antiparticle


00:15:18.639 --> 00:15:20.790
pairs share linked quantum properties


00:15:20.800 --> 00:15:25.030
like spin. And so um they are entangled.


00:15:25.040 --> 00:15:27.189
And that does sort of raise the


00:15:27.199 --> 00:15:29.670
question, doesn't it, that um when one


00:15:29.680 --> 00:15:31.189
of them sucked into the black hole and


00:15:31.199 --> 00:15:33.269
the other one's not uh and it radiates


00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:35.110
outwards, well, they become disentangled


00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:38.230
then because they would um they would be


00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:39.269
um


00:15:39.279 --> 00:15:40.949
>> they wouldn't be in what's called a


00:15:40.959 --> 00:15:42.710
state of superposition, which is the


00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:45.110
quantum state where, you know, things


00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:46.710
can be upside down and the right way up


00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:48.150
at the same time and things of that


00:15:48.160 --> 00:15:50.710
sort. So, uh, yeah, I think, um, they're


00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:52.230
they're probably entangled when they and


00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:53.990
and look, I'm kind of making this up,


00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:56.230
but, um, and some particle physicists


00:15:56.240 --> 00:15:57.910
might want to correct me, but I think


00:15:57.920 --> 00:15:59.829
they're entangled when they're formed,


00:15:59.839 --> 00:16:02.310
but I suspect cross one of them crossing


00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:03.990
the event horizon, uh, becomes


00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:06.150
disentangled very quickly.


00:16:06.160 --> 00:16:08.470
>> Yeah, I guess so. We've got about 10,000


00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:11.590
quantum um, physicists who listen to us,


00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.069
so one of them might give us an answer


00:16:14.079 --> 00:16:15.269
to that. Yes.


00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.069
>> Um and and how does this differ from


00:16:18.079 --> 00:16:21.030
string theory? Is that nothing to do


00:16:21.040 --> 00:16:22.870
with quantum entanglement?


00:16:22.880 --> 00:16:30.629
>> Um so string theory uh look is a is a um


00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:33.590
it's still conjectured. It's still not


00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:37.350
um a theory that has any um real


00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:40.150
evidence to support it. But that


00:16:40.160 --> 00:16:44.470
envisages pairs sorry particles as being


00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:47.670
like strings um as the name implies. So


00:16:47.680 --> 00:16:50.230
rather than a particle uh what you've


00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:52.870
got is something with an additional


00:16:52.880 --> 00:16:56.150
dimension and that uh the suggestion is


00:16:56.160 --> 00:16:58.310
that some of those dimensions are


00:16:58.320 --> 00:17:00.790
microscopic. They're wrapped up on the


00:17:00.800 --> 00:17:03.829
external surface of a string. Um I'm not


00:17:03.839 --> 00:17:06.309
sure what the interface between uh


00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:09.429
quantum sorry between string theory and


00:17:09.439 --> 00:17:11.429
quantum entanglement is and it's an


00:17:11.439 --> 00:17:13.189
interesting thought that you've thrown


00:17:13.199 --> 00:17:15.350
in there Andrew. I wouldn't mind reading


00:17:15.360 --> 00:17:16.870
up a little bit more about that because


00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:18.870
it's quite an interesting area. I used


00:17:18.880 --> 00:17:21.350
to do do talks about string theory most


00:17:21.360 --> 00:17:23.909
of which I've forgotten but they were


00:17:23.919 --> 00:17:25.510
the thing the thing about string theory


00:17:25.520 --> 00:17:27.110
is you do have to have additional


00:17:27.120 --> 00:17:29.350
dimensions other than the four that we


00:17:29.360 --> 00:17:31.430
know about. And a lot of theories


00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:34.950
postulate additional dimensions. Um if I


00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:38.789
remember rightly uh string theories


00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:41.190
had I know the numbers were ridiculous.


00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:42.549
I think some of them some of these


00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:44.710
theories needed 20 or more additional


00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:46.230
dimensions.


00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:52.549
Uh and so uh it it's um yeah it's uh uh


00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:54.310
hard to get your head around where all


00:17:54.320 --> 00:17:56.789
those dimensions might be lurking. Uh


00:17:56.799 --> 00:17:59.350
but they're hidden dimensions basically.


00:17:59.360 --> 00:18:01.830
Fascinating. Yeah. Gosh, I think I


00:18:01.840 --> 00:18:03.590
opened a can of worms.


00:18:03.600 --> 00:18:07.190
>> You did? Yeah. You didn't. All right. Um


00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:11.190
but yeah, the bottom line uh for um that


00:18:11.200 --> 00:18:15.510
question is yes. Yes. They they


00:18:15.520 --> 00:18:17.909
Yeah. The two quantum particles pop into


00:18:17.919 --> 00:18:20.070
existence at the same time, but we don't


00:18:20.080 --> 00:18:21.190
know what happens if one of them gets


00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:23.270
sucked in. Is that it?


00:18:23.280 --> 00:18:25.190
>> I think that's the bottom line. Yeah.


00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:27.669
>> Yeah. Wow. Fascinating. All right.


00:18:27.679 --> 00:18:29.029
Thanks, Tony. Thanks for the question.


00:18:29.039 --> 00:18:31.750
Hope all is well in Maricville. This is


00:18:31.760 --> 00:18:34.150
Space Nuts with Andrew Dunley and


00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:37.750
Professor Fred Watson.


00:18:37.760 --> 00:18:39.270
Let's take a break from the show to tell


00:18:39.280 --> 00:18:42.789
you about our sponsor, NordVPN.


00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:44.470
Now, if you've ever felt like your


00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:46.390
online privacy is slipping through the


00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:49.110
cracks, then you're not alone. hackers,


00:18:49.120 --> 00:18:50.870
scammers, harvesters, they're all out


00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.029
there trying to get your private info.


00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.950
Whether that's your passwords or your


00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:57.190
personal details to sell on the dark web


00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:00.150
or to use themselves to access your bank


00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:02.310
accounts, credit card details, and who


00:19:02.320 --> 00:19:04.870
knows what else. But you can protect


00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.590
yourself with NordVPN.


00:19:07.600 --> 00:19:10.630
You can take control at home or or more


00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:12.390
importantly when you're out in public


00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:16.789
using free Wi-Fi. right now. Uh, using


00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:19.750
the exclusive Space Nuts offer, you can


00:19:19.760 --> 00:19:23.510
receive four extra months for free on a


00:19:23.520 --> 00:19:25.350
NordVPN.com


00:19:25.360 --> 00:19:29.270
plan. NordVPN encrypts your internet


00:19:29.280 --> 00:19:31.350
connection, hides your IP address, and


00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:34.710
offers access to over 7,700 servers


00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:37.510
around the world. Plus, with features


00:19:37.520 --> 00:19:41.270
like threat protection pro, meshet,


00:19:41.280 --> 00:19:44.390
ultra fast speeds via Nord links, your


00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:47.110
digital life stays private and


00:19:47.120 --> 00:19:50.310
efficient. So, don't miss out. Visit


00:19:50.320 --> 00:19:53.669
nordvpn.com/spacenuts


00:19:53.679 --> 00:19:56.310
and enter the code spacenuts to claim


00:19:56.320 --> 00:19:58.789
this deal. Remember, there's a 30-day


00:19:58.799 --> 00:20:01.270
money back guarantee, so it's riskfree


00:20:01.280 --> 00:20:04.470
to try. Stay safe, stay private, and


00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:06.870
browse with confidence. That's


00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:12.230
nordvpn.com/spacenuts.


00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:13.750
>> G, and I feel


00:20:13.760 --> 00:20:15.029
>> space nuts.


00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:16.789
>> Okay, Fred, we'll go straight to our


00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:19.750
next question. Uh, this one comes from


00:20:19.760 --> 00:20:21.990
Stuart. Good day. This is Stuart from


00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.390
Tasmania, home of the very cute little


00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:26.950
Tasmanian devil. I just had a question


00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:28.950
about dark energy and how it's


00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:30.630
propelling the expansion of the


00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:33.510
universe. Uh we know it's dark in the


00:20:33.520 --> 00:20:35.350
sense that it's mysterious, but I was


00:20:35.360 --> 00:20:37.110
also wondering about the use of the word


00:20:37.120 --> 00:20:39.350
energy. Uh considering the current


00:20:39.360 --> 00:20:41.909
theory says that having propelled the


00:20:41.919 --> 00:20:44.710
universe to expand, the level of dark


00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:48.149
energy does not decrease in our area and


00:20:48.159 --> 00:20:50.870
the new area of space has just as much


00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:53.510
dark energy in it. I was just wondering


00:20:53.520 --> 00:20:55.110
how this would be possible given the


00:20:55.120 --> 00:20:56.789
current understanding of the laws of


00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:59.669
physics and the conservation of energy.


00:20:59.679 --> 00:21:01.270
I was just wondering if you could give


00:21:01.280 --> 00:21:03.029
us an update on the current thinking


00:21:03.039 --> 00:21:05.270
with regard to all this and uh maybe I'm


00:21:05.280 --> 00:21:06.950
missing out on some new breakthroughs.


00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:08.070
Thank you.


00:21:08.080 --> 00:21:10.549
>> Thank you, Stuart. Uh love Tasmania,


00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:14.470
beautiful place and uh I I I would bork


00:21:14.480 --> 00:21:18.870
at calling a um Tasmanian devil cute.


00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:22.710
I have seen them devour a rabbit and uh


00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.190
they don't leave a thing. They eat


00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:27.350
absolutely everything. The bones, the


00:21:27.360 --> 00:21:30.149
fur, and everything in between. They


00:21:30.159 --> 00:21:33.190
they um they are the perfect nature's


00:21:33.200 --> 00:21:38.149
perfect garbage mulchure. Absolutely.


00:21:38.159 --> 00:21:40.789
So, um yeah,


00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:44.870
thanks for the info, Stuart. Um Fred,


00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:47.190
yes, it's a great question and there


00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:50.549
there is um new thinking on dark energy.


00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:54.789
Uh it it is counterintuitive that um as


00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:57.510
you make more space you make more energy


00:21:57.520 --> 00:21:59.270
uh because you've got to come from


00:21:59.280 --> 00:22:03.350
somewhere. Um but uh all right so what's


00:22:03.360 --> 00:22:05.190
the observation that leads to this idea?


00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:07.270
It's the fact that uh all the evidence


00:22:07.280 --> 00:22:09.830
points to an accelerated expansion of


00:22:09.840 --> 00:22:13.190
the universe. Uh and that has been known


00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:16.390
since 19 1998.


00:22:16.400 --> 00:22:20.630
uh we have attributed that acceleration


00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.350
to this phenomenon of dark energy which


00:22:23.360 --> 00:22:25.430
is I always think of it as a kind of


00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:29.029
springiness of space um and the bigger


00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:30.950
space gets the springier it becomes


00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:34.870
springier it becomes and that's the sort


00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:37.750
of standard model of dark energy which


00:22:37.760 --> 00:22:40.710
uh is puts a term into some of


00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:44.470
Einstein's theories of relativity uh


00:22:44.480 --> 00:22:46.549
which is he called the cosmological


00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:49.590
constant and it was a term that he


00:22:49.600 --> 00:22:52.390
invented in the mathematics to allow for


00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:54.149
the fact


00:22:54.159 --> 00:22:56.789
in fact he put it there because before


00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:58.789
when when he was doing this work he


00:22:58.799 --> 00:23:00.549
didn't know that the universe was


00:23:00.559 --> 00:23:02.870
expanding at all and so here he had to


00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.029
put this cosmological constant in to


00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:06.549
stop the universe expanding or


00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:09.190
contracting he thought it was static and


00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:12.230
then when in 1929 Hubble discovered that


00:23:12.240 --> 00:23:14.630
the universe is expanding he sort of


00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:16.630
regretted that And he in a conversation


00:23:16.640 --> 00:23:19.990
I think with George Gamoff around uh I


00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.990
don't know in the 40s or 50s he said it


00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:23.510
was the biggest blunder of his life the


00:23:23.520 --> 00:23:28.470
cosmological constant but uh when people


00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:29.990
realize that the expansion of the


00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:33.110
universe is actually accelerating


00:23:33.120 --> 00:23:35.510
then the cosmological constant suddenly


00:23:35.520 --> 00:23:38.070
became one way of explaining that or at


00:23:38.080 --> 00:23:39.750
least modeling it modeling what was


00:23:39.760 --> 00:23:42.470
happening. If it's the co cosmological


00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:45.590
constant that's doing this, then what


00:23:45.600 --> 00:23:48.310
you've got is an increase in energy that


00:23:48.320 --> 00:23:51.029
is proportional to the increase in


00:23:51.039 --> 00:23:53.909
space. So as the volume increases, you


00:23:53.919 --> 00:23:55.669
get a proportional amount of energy


00:23:55.679 --> 00:23:57.510
increase. That's because the energy per


00:23:57.520 --> 00:24:00.230
unit volume is constant. That's where


00:24:00.240 --> 00:24:02.310
the idea of a constant logical constant


00:24:02.320 --> 00:24:06.390
comes from. So um that uh that has been


00:24:06.400 --> 00:24:08.950
the model until recently because we


00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:12.230
didn't have any uh observations to


00:24:12.240 --> 00:24:15.029
support anything else. But as you and I


00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:18.230
have spoken about Andrew the um latest


00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:20.789
thinking and it comes from the dark


00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:24.230
energy survey uh a major survey of the


00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:26.710
positions and velocities of galaxies


00:24:26.720 --> 00:24:28.549
that actually give you some idea of


00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:30.470
what's going on on the big picture side


00:24:30.480 --> 00:24:33.669
of the universe. uh looking back several


00:24:33.679 --> 00:24:37.269
billion years in in our um you know time


00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:39.350
timewise direction as we look out into


00:24:39.360 --> 00:24:41.830
space always looking back in time. Uh so


00:24:41.840 --> 00:24:44.549
the latest thinking seems to suggest


00:24:44.559 --> 00:24:47.190
that the the cosmological constant isn't


00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:50.390
constant uh because it looks as though


00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:53.350
the acceleration is actually slowing


00:24:53.360 --> 00:24:57.510
down or reducing. uh and that's led to


00:24:57.520 --> 00:24:59.269
uh conversations that you and I have had


00:24:59.279 --> 00:25:01.029
that maybe one day the acceleration


00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:03.669
would turn into a deceleration and then


00:25:03.679 --> 00:25:06.390
we might well return to the era of the


00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:10.630
big crunch or the gnab gib. Um I I'll


00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:12.470
I'll put an aside in here Andrew just


00:25:12.480 --> 00:25:15.750
for your benefit. Um one of our I can't


00:25:15.760 --> 00:25:17.830
remember who it was. One of our


00:25:17.840 --> 00:25:20.390
listeners said the Gab Gibb sounds like


00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:23.110
one of the Lost Beij brothers.


00:25:23.120 --> 00:25:26.870
>> Yes. Um, and I I I told you uh in the


00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:29.669
last episode that I was narrating some


00:25:29.679 --> 00:25:31.669
music in a couple of concerts down in


00:25:31.679 --> 00:25:33.430
Canra over the weekend


00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:35.190
>> and I threw that one in


00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:39.510
>> and it went down an absolute treat. So,


00:25:39.520 --> 00:25:43.350
um, so thank you. Um, was it was it was


00:25:43.360 --> 00:25:45.269
it Martin? Yes, I had a feeling it was


00:25:45.279 --> 00:25:48.310
Martin. Uh, so Martin, thank you for


00:25:48.320 --> 00:25:50.630
that. He gave me a really He gave you


00:25:50.640 --> 00:25:54.070
gave Fred a joke and um he doesn't tell


00:25:54.080 --> 00:25:55.669
many jokes. So um


00:25:55.679 --> 00:25:57.990
>> well actually most of my talks are one


00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.390
constant joke I have to say. You've


00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:02.390
never heard one. You probably have


00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:04.070
actually a long time ago but yeah I do


00:26:04.080 --> 00:26:05.750
try try and throw in as much lightness


00:26:05.760 --> 00:26:08.230
as I can and that hit the spot


00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:10.950
perfectly. So thank you Martin. I really


00:26:10.960 --> 00:26:13.750
enjoyed that. Right back to the story.


00:26:13.760 --> 00:26:15.830
Uh so there won't be a gab gibb a big


00:26:15.840 --> 00:26:18.390
crunch uh unless the acceleration really


00:26:18.400 --> 00:26:21.510
turns into a deceleration and that would


00:26:21.520 --> 00:26:24.310
modify how we understand just coming


00:26:24.320 --> 00:26:26.390
back to Stuart's question how we


00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:29.590
understand that you know the energy uh


00:26:29.600 --> 00:26:33.830
constant of the universe and um I think


00:26:33.840 --> 00:26:36.950
it leads you to the sort of thing we


00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:38.390
were just talking about higher


00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:40.549
dimensions and new physics physics we


00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:43.990
don't understand uh I think if the uh


00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:46.789
the decelerating sorry the decreasing


00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:48.789
acceleration of the universe is going to


00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:51.510
be properly explained. We may well have


00:26:51.520 --> 00:26:54.310
to invoke new physics that currently are


00:26:54.320 --> 00:26:57.269
unknown. So uh this is cutting edge


00:26:57.279 --> 00:27:00.070
stuff. It's very exciting. Uh and we'll


00:27:00.080 --> 00:27:01.909
just see where it goes and you'll


00:27:01.919 --> 00:27:04.310
probably hear about it on Space Studio.


00:27:04.320 --> 00:27:08.870
Yes, it it's such a um a big area to try


00:27:08.880 --> 00:27:11.350
and understand and there's there's um we


00:27:11.360 --> 00:27:13.510
I think we're really only at the dawn of


00:27:13.520 --> 00:27:17.430
the um the process of of unraveling what


00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:19.909
dark energy is all about and we've said


00:27:19.919 --> 00:27:22.230
before it's it's poorly named. It's


00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:24.390
probably yeah it's creating so much


00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:26.630
confusion with dark matter which is also


00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:29.029
probably poorly named. But anyway,


00:27:29.039 --> 00:27:31.190
>> um Stuart might be interested to go to


00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:35.029
the darkenerys survey.org or website uh


00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:36.549
if he wants to find out more because


00:27:36.559 --> 00:27:38.230
there's plenty of information there and


00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:40.149
they're updating what they're learning


00:27:40.159 --> 00:27:43.590
or studying all the time. So, um yeah,


00:27:43.600 --> 00:27:46.630
darken energy survey.org


00:27:46.640 --> 00:27:49.029
uh could be a good port of call for you,


00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:52.070
Stuart. Uh and have fun down there with


00:27:52.080 --> 00:27:54.070
your Tasmanian devils. Uh when Judy and


00:27:54.080 --> 00:27:57.029
I went to Tasmania on our honeymoon,


00:27:57.039 --> 00:27:58.710
believe it or not, she never let me


00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:01.909
forget it. Um, one of the most common


00:28:01.919 --> 00:28:04.070
roadkills we saw were Tasmanian


00:28:04.080 --> 00:28:06.470
devilles, which is very sad, but um,


00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:08.230
yeah, that there were quite a few of


00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:09.669
them lying on the sides of the roads,


00:28:09.679 --> 00:28:13.510
which is, I guess, um, you know, it's


00:28:13.520 --> 00:28:15.669
unique to Tasmania. Uh, here it's


00:28:15.679 --> 00:28:18.789
kangaroos and more kangaroos.


00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:20.630
Okay, thanks Stuart. Uh, we'll go on to


00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:22.950
our final question. Hello, Space Nuts.


00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:25.990
This is Thomas from Virginia. So, and


00:28:26.000 --> 00:28:27.750
this is a what if question, Fred. I love


00:28:27.760 --> 00:28:30.230
what if questions. So, if you had a way


00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:33.350
to push Earth to another stars


00:28:33.360 --> 00:28:36.389
Goldilocks zone when our sun starts to


00:28:36.399 --> 00:28:39.510
die, what would happen to the atmosphere


00:28:39.520 --> 00:28:41.750
on the way? I assume it would freeze,


00:28:41.760 --> 00:28:44.549
but then what would happen to it after


00:28:44.559 --> 00:28:46.870
that? So, um yeah, that comes from


00:28:46.880 --> 00:28:49.110
Thomas. Uh it reminds me of a movie I


00:28:49.120 --> 00:28:52.149
watched. Um and I must confess I didn't


00:28:52.159 --> 00:28:54.870
finish it. It just got too much for me.


00:28:54.880 --> 00:28:56.789
I I love science fiction, but this one


00:28:56.799 --> 00:28:59.669
just threw me over the edge. It was a I


00:28:59.679 --> 00:29:02.549
can't remember the title of it, but um


00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:04.470
Earth had to move because there was an


00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:06.710
issue probably with the sun and they


00:29:06.720 --> 00:29:09.029
wanted to move us out to Jupiter and so


00:29:09.039 --> 00:29:11.110
they attached all these giant rockets to


00:29:11.120 --> 00:29:14.070
Earth and it just got crazier from


00:29:14.080 --> 00:29:16.870
there. Uh but let's say you could what


00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:20.389
would happen to our atmosphere?


00:29:20.399 --> 00:29:25.590
>> Um it it's a great question. Uh because


00:29:25.600 --> 00:29:28.070
there are, you know, when you think of


00:29:28.080 --> 00:29:30.549
gas giants, they've got atmospheres that


00:29:30.559 --> 00:29:34.789
are uh still gaseous, well outside the


00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:38.310
the Goldilock zone. Um possibly partly


00:29:38.320 --> 00:29:40.630
because the those bodies are radiating


00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:43.110
heat themselves as is the Earth at a


00:29:43.120 --> 00:29:45.990
very low level. Uh the Earth has some


00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:48.710
low-level nuclear reactions going on in


00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:51.830
its nucleus in the center uh at the core


00:29:51.840 --> 00:29:53.830
of the Earth. And so um there is a


00:29:53.840 --> 00:29:55.350
little bit of heat comes from the earth


00:29:55.360 --> 00:29:58.470
itself uh that might stop it freezing.


00:29:58.480 --> 00:30:01.750
Um so


00:30:01.760 --> 00:30:04.549
I I I'm sort of draw the parallel that I


00:30:04.559 --> 00:30:07.990
would draw in my head is with with the


00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:10.710
dwarf planet Pluto which does have an


00:30:10.720 --> 00:30:15.830
atmosphere. Uh it's very very thin. uh


00:30:15.840 --> 00:30:19.590
uh but a lot of the kind of atmospheric


00:30:19.600 --> 00:30:22.549
constituents of the earth are actually


00:30:22.559 --> 00:30:26.549
frozen at the distance of Pluto. Um so I


00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:29.669
think what is it minus 230 or


00:30:29.679 --> 00:30:32.870
thereabouts the the temperature at Pluto


00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:36.870
on the surface uh the nitrogen uh is is


00:30:36.880 --> 00:30:39.110
frozen because you've got nitrogen


00:30:39.120 --> 00:30:42.549
glaciers there and um sort of slushy


00:30:42.559 --> 00:30:46.549
slushy nitrogen flowing around. Um so I


00:30:46.559 --> 00:30:48.710
suspect that might happen to the earth's


00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:51.750
atmosphere but there would be a residual


00:30:51.760 --> 00:30:54.070
level of air I think. Uh but when you


00:30:54.080 --> 00:30:56.389
got back to your Goldilock zone in


00:30:56.399 --> 00:30:58.470
another solar system, hopefully it would


00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:01.269
all just come good again and you know


00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:03.430
your nitrogen starts to be a gas rather


00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:08.230
than a rather than a a solid. Uh and um


00:31:08.240 --> 00:31:11.029
you could with with there might be some


00:31:11.039 --> 00:31:13.830
loss of of components of the atmosphere,


00:31:13.840 --> 00:31:15.590
but generally I think what you might


00:31:15.600 --> 00:31:17.669
have is something much the same as you


00:31:17.679 --> 00:31:21.029
set off with. That's my guess anyway. I


00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:22.710
don't think we have to take Earth that


00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:25.110
far though if you know when the sun


00:31:25.120 --> 00:31:28.149
expands and we just have to move out a


00:31:28.159 --> 00:31:29.430
little bit we


00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:32.310
>> that I think that's right you know


00:31:32.320 --> 00:31:35.750
>> um but the problem is as you said um


00:31:35.760 --> 00:31:37.509
it's just science fiction to think of


00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:40.230
moving a planet uh we don't have any way


00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:42.870
of doing that at the moment other than


00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:44.710
the only other way to do it will be to


00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:46.149
hit it with another planet but that


00:31:46.159 --> 00:31:51.190
brings its own concerns that would


00:31:51.200 --> 00:31:53.190
as we spoke about in the last episode.


00:31:53.200 --> 00:31:55.190
Although Yeah, indeed. That's right.


00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:55.590
Indeed.


00:31:55.600 --> 00:31:58.310
>> Wouldn't wouldn't be a good effect. Um


00:31:58.320 --> 00:32:00.549
maybe we could employ string theory and


00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:03.830
just drag ourselves out there.


00:32:03.840 --> 00:32:05.750
>> Who knows? Well, if there's extra hidden


00:32:05.760 --> 00:32:07.190
dimensions, we might be able to pop the


00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:08.630
Earth into one of them and come out


00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:11.190
somewhere else. I think if you did find


00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:13.269
a way to move Earth to a better place


00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:15.830
when required, you'd have to put people


00:32:15.840 --> 00:32:18.470
somewhere else in the meantime. She'd


00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:20.230
probably survive the journey on the


00:32:20.240 --> 00:32:23.029
planet itself.


00:32:23.039 --> 00:32:26.310
A bit tough. Um, but yeah, interesting


00:32:26.320 --> 00:32:28.470
question, Thomas. But yes, this South


00:32:28.480 --> 00:32:30.789
Koreans did make a movie about this very


00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:32.870
concept if you want to look it up. I


00:32:32.880 --> 00:32:35.029
can't remember the name. Um, I don't


00:32:35.039 --> 00:32:38.230
want to. I didn't I didn't really enjoy


00:32:38.240 --> 00:32:40.389
it. It was a weird weird film, but they


00:32:40.399 --> 00:32:42.630
do make weird movies in in South Korea,


00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:45.110
so it's right up there. They love their


00:32:45.120 --> 00:32:47.350
science fiction, though. Um, thanks,


00:32:47.360 --> 00:32:49.350
Thomas. Great to hear from you. And if


00:32:49.360 --> 00:32:51.269
you have questions for us, please,


00:32:51.279 --> 00:32:53.190
please, please go to our website and


00:32:53.200 --> 00:32:55.669
click on the ask me anything tab at the


00:32:55.679 --> 00:32:58.630
top where you can send us text and audio


00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:00.630
questions. Uh, we still struggling to


00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:02.549
get audio questions. People don't want


00:33:02.559 --> 00:33:03.909
to talk to us, Fred. I think that's what


00:33:03.919 --> 00:33:07.430
it comes down to. spaceodcast.com


00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:09.190
and spacets.io


00:33:09.200 --> 00:33:11.669
are the two URLs that will work. And


00:33:11.679 --> 00:33:13.590
while you're there, have a look around.


00:33:13.600 --> 00:33:17.190
Um, and and please leave reviews on your


00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:19.509
favorite podcasting platform. The more


00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:21.750
reviews the better, apparently, unless


00:33:21.760 --> 00:33:25.029
they're, you know, one star. Um, don't


00:33:25.039 --> 00:33:26.710
really like those, but, you know, you


00:33:26.720 --> 00:33:29.269
get the occasional one, I suppose. Uh,


00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:31.110
there it is, Fred. Thanks so much. Great


00:33:31.120 --> 00:33:32.789
to catch up.


00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:35.269
>> It is. Uh, thank you for having me and


00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:36.870
um, sorry about all the glitches earlier


00:33:36.880 --> 00:33:37.830
on.


00:33:37.840 --> 00:33:39.750
>> It's all good. It's all good. Professor


00:33:39.760 --> 00:33:41.509
Fred Watson, astronomer at large. We'll


00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:43.830
catch him on the next episode and thanks


00:33:43.840 --> 00:33:45.830
to Hugh in the studio who couldn't be


00:33:45.840 --> 00:33:47.750
with us today because they called him


00:33:47.760 --> 00:33:49.909
out to fix the internet. So, he'll be


00:33:49.919 --> 00:33:52.389
back in about 300 years. And from me,


00:33:52.399 --> 00:33:54.070
Andrew Dunley, thanks for your company.


00:33:54.080 --> 00:33:55.430
We'll see you on the next episode of


00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.110
Space Nuts. Bye-bye.


00:33:57.120 --> 00:33:59.430
>> Space Nuts. You've been listening to the


00:33:59.440 --> 00:34:02.470
Space Nuts podcast


00:34:02.480 --> 00:34:05.430
>> available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify,


00:34:05.440 --> 00:34:08.069
iHeart Radio, or your favorite podcast


00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:10.470
player. You can also stream on demand at


00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:13.349
byes.com. This has been another quality


00:34:13.359 --> 00:34:17.879
podcast production from byes.com.