Neil Degrasse Tyson
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In this fascinating foray into the centuries-old relationship between science and military power, acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and writer-researcher Avis Lang examine how the methods and tools of astrophysics have been enlisted in the service of war. "The overlap is strong, and the knowledge flows in both directions," say the authors, because astrophysicists and military planners care about many of the same things: multi-spectral detection,...
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"The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist. What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There's no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly,...
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Shoot off into the stars for an investigation of some perplexing aspects of space that science has uncovered in the last half-century. Learn about the mysterious trajectory of the Pioneer spacecraft (known as the 'Pioneer anomaly'). Explore two of the longest-standing problems in modern astrophysics: dark matter and dark energy. And even try to map out the shape of space-time itself.
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Begin this journey by taking a closer look at concepts that were once unexplainable but are now better understood. The focus is on two such former mysteries: the existence of an invisible 'aether' through which light and sound were believed to travel, and the orbit of Mercury, which seemed to violate Newton's fundamental laws of motion.
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This year marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's use of the first telescope. On this week's show, we reflect on how telescopes have changed our perception of our place in the universe, how small we are in size, space and time. Our guests include Dava Sobel, author of The Planets, Vatican Astronomer Father Chris Corbally, and astronaut Paul Richards. We also discuss how they help astronomers discover new and interesting aspects of the universe, from...
13) Space Spin-Offs
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Technology tuned to the stars, brought down to Earth. Learn about the many products in our lives that were developed because of the space program. Space is now big business. Technology originally developed for the space program sometimes ends up in products for use on Earth, often in surprising ways. The 40,000 certified 'Space Products' range from mattresses to medical devices, and have turned space into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Inspired...
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Join Professor Tyson on a fascinating investigation of the possible origins of life in the universe. Why was Jupiter believed to be a good environment for life in the 17th century? Why is there only one single 'tree of life' on Earth instead of multiple ones? Could life have come from another planet? And what exactly is meant by scientists who hope to find examples of life that is 'intelligent'?
15) Summer Skies
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Star light, star bright, what will I find over the rainbow? Take a tour of the summer skies of the day and night. Starry starry nights, stormy and sun-filled days. Long summer days of picnics and ballgames are played out under a vast and gorgeous canvas of astronomical and meteorological curiosities. From the stories of the stars told by the ancients, to a recent mammatus cloud over CitiField in New York, learn about the phenomena in the summer skies...
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Do you want to believe? Seth Shostak of SETI talks about his hunt for aliens in this show about the search for life beyond Earth. Scientists have been searching for aliens in our solar system and beyond, but have not yet found evidence that life exists beyond Earth. SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has been scanning the stars for alien radio beacons for 50 years. Radio and TV broadcasts have been leaking from Earth's atmosphere...
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Turn now to some inexplicable aspects of physics and the physical world. Among the many eye-opening topics viewers will learn about in this episode are the discovery of more and more elements on the periodic table; muon neutrinos, tao particles, and the three regimes of matter; the secrets of string theory; and even the hypothetical experience of traveling through a black hole.
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Do viewers know that electrons have never actually been observed by scientists to this day? Or that quarks cannot be studied in isolation? Or being in stronger gravity or traveling rapidly slows the ticking of time relative to the rest of the universe? Delve into these and other mind-warping facts about the fundamentals of matter in a episode that covers everything from particle physics to quantum tunneling.