1 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: Hey, or hey, if you had to leave a Yelp 2 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: rating or for the universe, what would you give it? 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 2: Can I give it like a trillion trillion stars? 4 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: I think that might break their database. But I'm guessing 5 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 1: you're saying that the universe is pretty great. 6 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty great in a lot of ways. 7 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: Right, you mean great is in it's awesome. 8 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 2: It's awesome, and it's also really big. It's a great 9 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 2: big universe. 10 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: Hey, that's a catchy phrase. 11 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, somebody should use it for the title of a 12 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:37,160 Speaker 2: new book. 13 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: That's a great big idea. 14 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 2: Hi am Poorham, a cartoonist and the author of the 15 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 2: new book Oliver is Great, Big Universe. 16 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 1: Hi. I'm Daniel. I'm a particle physicist, and I also 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: think the universe is pretty great and big. 18 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 2: It's a great big universe. 19 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 1: Great also means big, doesn't it? Or isn't that part 20 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: of the etymology of great? 21 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 2: I think technically can mean several things, like it's great, 22 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: like you like it, but also like it's great, like it's. 23 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: Big, Yeah, like great Britain. Right, it's pretty great and 24 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: also big and pretty British. But anyways, welcome to our podcast. 25 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, a production of iHeartRadio 26 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: in which we try to accomplish a feat which sounds impossible, 27 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 1: to download the entirety of this great, big universe into 28 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: your mind, to summarize all of the whizzing and banging 29 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,559 Speaker 1: and frothing and tewing and frowing of the tiny little 30 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: particles that make up this universe into a mathematical story 31 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: that somehow makes sense to these grown up apes. 32 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 2: That's right, because it is a great, big universe full 33 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 2: of amazing facts that we like to talk about here 34 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 2: on this podcast, and also rate I guess with stars. 35 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 1: The universe is definitely filled with stars, big glowing stars 36 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: and also you know, blowing up pop stars. 37 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 2: Well, hopefully I'm not literally blowing up, but it is 38 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 2: filled with stars, planets, asteroids, galaxies, dark matter, dark energy, 39 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 2: and also people young and old. We're here to ask 40 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 2: questions and also sometimes answer them about the universe. 41 00:02:14,560 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: That's right. We think everybody should be curious about the universe. 42 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: When you stare up at the night sky, we want 43 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: to know what makes you wonder, What questions do you 44 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: have about how it all works? Not just the earth 45 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 1: that's under our feet, but the whole big, great universe 46 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: out there. 47 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,519 Speaker 2: Yeah, and speaking of great big universe, we are here 48 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 2: to celebrate the release of my new book called Oliver's 49 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:36,679 Speaker 2: Great Big Universe, which is out now and you can 50 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 2: go out and buy it. 51 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, congratulations. Tell us a little bit about the book 52 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: and why you wrote it. 53 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's an awesome book. It's maybe the only book 54 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 2: that is endorsed by Jeff Kinney, the author of Diary 55 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: of a Wimpy Kit, and also Carlo Rovelli, the theoretical physicists. 56 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:52,679 Speaker 1: That's quite a collection. Do you have to be a 57 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: cartoonist or a theoretical physicist to read it? 58 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 2: Absolutely not. I actually wrote the book for kids who 59 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: wouldn't normally pick up a science book, and also for 60 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 2: anyone out there who's interested about the universe. Yeah. 61 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:06,400 Speaker 1: Tell us a little bit about your approach. How do 62 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: you attract people who aren't usually into science. 63 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 2: Well, the book again is called Oliver's Great Big Universe, 64 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 2: and it's about the story of this eleven year old 65 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 2: kid named Oliver, who one day decides he wants to 66 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 2: be an astrophysicist, but of course, being eleven years old, 67 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 2: he doesn't quite know what that means, and so the 68 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:25,839 Speaker 2: whole story is about him trying to figure that out 69 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 2: and also him explaining to other kids all of these 70 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 2: amazing facts about the universe. So there's chapters about black holes, 71 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 2: there's a chapter about dark matter and dark energy. There 72 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 2: are chapters about the planets, and there are chapters about 73 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 2: the time as well. 74 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: And don't you, by coincidence, have an eleven year old 75 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:42,920 Speaker 1: named Oliver. 76 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 2: Yes, it is not a big coincidence. So the whole 77 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 2: book was kind of inspired by my son when he 78 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 2: was in fifth grade. He came home one day and 79 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 2: at the dinner table he announced he wanted to be 80 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 2: an astrophysicist, and so we were like, do you know 81 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 2: what that means? And he's like, I have no idea, 82 00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 2: and yeah, that of like confidence and shuitspa and curiosity 83 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,200 Speaker 2: is kind of what inspired the whole book. 84 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: So what's it like when a cartoonist has his son 85 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: saying I want to be a physicist. Is that like 86 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: when a physicist has a son who says I want 87 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: to be an artist? 88 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 2: Yeah? Kinda? Are you gonna go no? No, it's cool. 89 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 2: He's always been kind of a science kid. He's always 90 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 2: been interested in science. He's in the math teams, in 91 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 2: the Science Olympics team, and so it wasn't super surprising 92 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 2: that he says that he wants to be an as 93 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,040 Speaker 2: a physicist. But it's pretty cool. Yeah, we try to 94 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 2: encourage it, for sure. 95 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: Awesome. Well, something we encourage in our podcast listeners and 96 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:36,000 Speaker 1: their kids is asking questions, is thinking about the universe, 97 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 1: is wondering if they want to be an after a 98 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: physicist when they grow up and what exactly that entails. 99 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: And step number one of being an after physicist is 100 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:46,719 Speaker 1: just looking up at the night sky and wondering what's 101 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: out there, how does it all work? What is in 102 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:50,840 Speaker 1: our great, big universe? 103 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 2: Yeah, and so to celebrate the release of the new book, 104 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,480 Speaker 2: we are answering listener questions from kids today. 105 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 1: That's right. I went out there and asked our listeners 106 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,280 Speaker 1: to ask their kid kids what questions they had about 107 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,599 Speaker 1: the universe. And so today we'll be tackling a few 108 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: of those. 109 00:05:06,680 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 2: That's always a risky thing to ask your kids what 110 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 2: kind of questions they have or did you make it 111 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 2: specific about the universe? 112 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: I made it specific about the universe, which makes it 113 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 1: totally generic. 114 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 2: I guess the universe is everything, even the uncomfortable parts. 115 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: Ask me a question, but only about anything in the universe. 116 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,520 Speaker 2: Right, So we have several questions here from kids about 117 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 2: all kinds of things about the universe, from suns and 118 00:05:29,200 --> 00:05:33,039 Speaker 2: black holes to the infinity of the universe. So the 119 00:05:33,040 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 2: first question comes from Violet. The cause of sun is 120 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 2: still a star until one day collapse like other stars 121 00:05:40,400 --> 00:05:44,039 Speaker 2: and turn into a black hole. Mmmm. That is a 122 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:46,119 Speaker 2: deep question from a small mind. 123 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: I love. Even in that brief question, you can hear 124 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,360 Speaker 1: her train of thought. She's connecting our star to other stars. 125 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: She knows that other stars collapse into black holes, and 126 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: then she was reflecting that knowledge back here and wondering 127 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: about the fate of our star. All the connection she's making, 128 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:03,359 Speaker 1: all the physics you can hear happening in her brain. 129 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty awesome. And the sun is something I 130 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:08,359 Speaker 2: think all kids can relate to, right, I mean, everyone 131 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 2: sees it every day, maybe not directly, but we're all 132 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 2: basking and its light. 133 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: I don't know, she sounded like she had an accent. 134 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: She might not see the sun that often out in 135 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: Great Britain. It's pretty cloudy. 136 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 2: M Well, some parts of it are, sonny, aren't they. 137 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: Let's hope. 138 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 2: So I do have a whole chapter in Oliver's Great 139 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 2: Piginius about the Sun, which it's a nice coincidence. It's 140 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:30,679 Speaker 2: kind of fun to explain it in terms that kids 141 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,360 Speaker 2: can't understand. And so let's dig into violid question here. 142 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 2: She wants to know if our sun is going to 143 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 2: collapse into a black hole, because I guess she said 144 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 2: that other stars collapse into a black hole. 145 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, there are a lot of black holes out there, 146 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: sort of two varieties are the kind of the center 147 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: of galaxies, which are called super massive black holes, really 148 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 1: really big ones, and nobody really knows where those come from. 149 00:06:51,839 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: It's kind of a mystery. But then there's lots of 150 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 1: smaller black holes out there which come from stars at 151 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,160 Speaker 1: the end of their life. These stars have collapsed into 152 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 1: a black hole. And so she's wondering about those. And 153 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: black hole is the endpoint of some stars. Not every 154 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:09,800 Speaker 1: star is going to end up as a black hole. 155 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: And to understand why some stars become black holes and 156 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 1: others don't, you have to understand something about the balance 157 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: of forces that are keeping a star burning in the 158 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: first place. 159 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess it's a big point to know that 160 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 2: not all stars are the same. They're all different, and 161 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 2: they mostly differ in size, right, and like the amount 162 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 2: of stuff that's in them. 163 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, stars come from the collapse of a big cloud 164 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: of dust and gas that forms a denser blob. But 165 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 1: a cloud can sometimes make lots of stars, and you 166 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: can get smaller stars or more massive stars. It depends 167 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,120 Speaker 1: a little bit on the configuration and whether there was 168 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: like a supernova shockway that triggered it, and whether you 169 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: had like a cluster of heavy metals in the center 170 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: to gather stuff more rapidly. So there's a big variation. 171 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:49,239 Speaker 1: The bigger stars are less likely and they burn hotter 172 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: and shorter, and the smaller stars are much more common 173 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: and they can burn for a long time. 174 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 2: And as you said, it's kind of a balance of 175 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 2: fusion and gravity, Like there's stuff exploding in the middle, 176 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 2: but there's also gravity trying to squeeze the whole thing down. Right. 177 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: Gravity is what gets things started. You tug a little 178 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,440 Speaker 1: pebble here and a little bit of cosmic dust over there, 179 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: and then you get this runaway effect where it gets 180 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: stronger and stronger gathering stuff together. And if there was 181 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: only gravity, then any accumulation of stuff would turn into 182 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 1: a black hole because it'd be nothing stopping it from 183 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: getting infinitely dense. But there are other things in the 184 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: universe than just gravity, Like the Earth doesn't collapse into 185 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: a black hole. You don't collapse into a black hole 186 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: because your body or the Earth's structure is strong enough 187 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: to push against that gravity. Gravity is a huge force 188 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: in the universe, but it's not very powerful, so it's 189 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:36,079 Speaker 1: not actually that hard to overcome. 190 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, but on a sun, that what keeps the whole sun, 191 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 2: the whole cloud of gas from collapsing, is fusion, right, 192 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 2: it's the nuclear reactions that are happening in the middle exactly. 193 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:47,760 Speaker 1: We call it a radiation pressure. That fusion is like 194 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,680 Speaker 1: an explosion. It's shooting out photons, it's pushing out on 195 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:52,920 Speaker 1: all the stuff. And that balance is the gravity of 196 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: the star. It's sort of amazing that those things can 197 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: be in balance and be in balanced for so long. 198 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: Stars can burn for millions or billions. We think some 199 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: small ones might even burn for trillions of years. It's 200 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: an incredible balancing act. 201 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's pretty wild now that I think about it, 202 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 2: to think that it is stable, right, like it could 203 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:13,439 Speaker 2: have been the case that suns and stars are not stable. 204 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 2: They could either fizzle out pretty easily, or maybe they 205 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 2: could have blown up more easily, exactly. 206 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: And if you get a star that's big enough, like 207 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: more than three hundred times the mass of our sun, 208 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: then it gets so hot and so intense at the 209 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: core that it really does blow itself apart. They don't 210 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: last very long. There's an interesting range of masses. As 211 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,320 Speaker 1: you say, the initial scoop of stuff that you get 212 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 1: really determines the outcome. And I guess we're just kind 213 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: of lucky that there are lots of stars that can 214 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: burn long enough to make our universe bright. 215 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,320 Speaker 2: I guess they're sort of like candles, right, Like a 216 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 2: candle burns for a long time because it has this 217 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:46,440 Speaker 2: kind of balance of that it can burn, but it 218 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 2: can't burn too much or too fast exactly. 219 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 1: That's why you like to build a candle instead of 220 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:51,080 Speaker 1: a bomb. Right. 221 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 2: That'd be hard to light up your home with bombs, right. 222 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,559 Speaker 1: I don't recommend anybody reads Jorge's new book By the 223 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:00,559 Speaker 1: Light of Bombs, Please get can those if you don't 224 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:01,200 Speaker 1: have light bulbs? 225 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, or a flashlight as well. 226 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: That works a little safer exactly. But it's not just 227 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,079 Speaker 1: radiation pressure that can keep something from collapsing into a 228 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:13,199 Speaker 1: black hole, because eventually that radiation pressure gives up when 229 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 1: you've burned up all the fuel in your star, when 230 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: you've turned all that hydrogen into helium or something heavier, 231 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 1: then you're not fusing anymore. But even still, not every 232 00:10:21,559 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: star that finishes all of its fusion will turn into 233 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:24,719 Speaker 1: a black. 234 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,319 Speaker 2: Hole, right Like, you need to have a certain amount 235 00:10:28,360 --> 00:10:30,720 Speaker 2: of mass to your star for it to even have 236 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 2: a chance at becoming a black hole. 237 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: Exactly, because there are other forces that can push back 238 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,319 Speaker 1: against gravity, Like you can make something really really dense, 239 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: like a neutron star, which you can have like the 240 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: mass of the Sun with a small radius of just kilometers, 241 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:45,760 Speaker 1: and even that is very dense, has a lot of gravity, 242 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 1: but there are nuclear forces there. The strong nuclear force 243 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: is pushing back and preventing it from collapsing into a 244 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: black hole. So even if you don't have fusion pressure 245 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: from an active star, you can still avoid collapsing into 246 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: a black hole just from the chemical forces or the 247 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: strong nuclear forces. 248 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 2: Right now, Violet's question was about our sun. She's wondering 249 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 2: if our sun will one day collapse into a black hole, 250 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 2: and so what's the answer, yes or no. 251 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: The answer is almost certainly no, but there is still 252 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: a lot of uncertainty in exactly how much mass you need. 253 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: As you said, if you have enough mass, then you 254 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 1: have enough gravity. You can overcome all of these forces eventually, 255 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,040 Speaker 1: the fusion force and the strong nuclear force, and you 256 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: can collapse into a black hole. But we think that 257 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 1: the threshold is somewhere around ten times the mass of 258 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:33,000 Speaker 1: the Sun, though it's not something we understand in great detail, 259 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,120 Speaker 1: and the sort of the consensus number has been moving 260 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: around a lot. 261 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,960 Speaker 2: Wait, what you mean, We don't know for sure if 262 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 2: our Sun is going to collapse into a black hole. 263 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:45,040 Speaker 1: We don't know absolutely for sure, but it's very very unlikely. 264 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: The smallest black hole we've ever seen is just over 265 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,680 Speaker 1: three times the mass of the Sun, and it probably 266 00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: came from a star that was more like ten or 267 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,160 Speaker 1: fifteen times the mass of the Sun. Some calculations say 268 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: you have to have twenty twenty five times the mass 269 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 1: of the Sun. But by looking at black hole mergers, 270 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: we learned a lot about the sort of minimum black 271 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 1: hole mass. It's a lot of interesting stuff still to 272 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,199 Speaker 1: be learned about this question. But Violet, don't worry. 273 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,800 Speaker 2: We think our Sun is safe, which means we're safe 274 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 2: and she's safe. 275 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: Although, of course, even though the Sun won't turn into 276 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,560 Speaker 1: a black hole, that doesn't mean it'll be a fun 277 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:19,200 Speaker 1: place to live in about five billion years when it 278 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:22,040 Speaker 1: expands into a red super giant and fries the. 279 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 2: Earth boy, wait to setter at ease. There, we we 280 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 2: just ask her a question and she's like phew, and 281 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 2: then you drop the bond. 282 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: Well, you know, budding astrophysicists got to learn that the 283 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:34,959 Speaker 1: universe is a scary place. 284 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 2: But the basic answer for Violet is that our Sun 285 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 2: doesn't have enough mass, we think, to ever collapse into 286 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 2: a black hole. So what's going to happen to our 287 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:43,839 Speaker 2: Sun is just going to keep burning forever. 288 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 1: It's not going to burn forever. A lot of helium 289 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:48,679 Speaker 1: will accumulate its core, which will move the burning more 290 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 1: to the exterior, which will puff up the Sun, so 291 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 1: it'll grow to be a super giant, a big red star. 292 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,720 Speaker 1: Then will blow off its outer layers and they'll leave 293 00:12:56,800 --> 00:12:59,960 Speaker 1: behind a hot core. So probably the Sun will become 294 00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: a white dwarf, which basically just means it leaves behind 295 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,120 Speaker 1: a big blob of hot metal. 296 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 2: It'll just be sort of like a big ball of 297 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 2: metal glowing in the dark. 298 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly. 299 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 2: Well, hopefully by then a Violet will have invented a 300 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 2: warp drive or something, or a wormhole maybe, because Violet 301 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,360 Speaker 2: sounds pretty smart. And by then we'll be expanding into 302 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:22,360 Speaker 2: other solar systems. 303 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,880 Speaker 1: That's right. Our whole generation of astrophysicists inspired by your 304 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:28,200 Speaker 1: book will save humanity. Yeah. 305 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,280 Speaker 2: And then I'll get all the credit right. 306 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,959 Speaker 1: And the royalties, right, you get some of those patents right? 307 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 2: Yes, I'm going to say yes, and then have the 308 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 2: lawyers figure it out. All right. Well, let's get to 309 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 2: more questions from kids about this great big universe. But 310 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 2: first let's take a quick great or right. We're answering 311 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 2: kids questions here today about the universe to celebrate the 312 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 2: release of my new book, Oliver's Great Big Universe. Now, Daniel, 313 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 2: what kinds of books did you read when you were 314 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 2: a kid? Did you read any physics books? 315 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,160 Speaker 1: Hmmm, oh, great question. When I was eleven, I was 316 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,319 Speaker 1: definitely reading a lot of science fiction books, and I 317 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: definitely watched a lot of like nova and documentaries on TV, 318 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: and I gobbled up like big picture books with drawings 319 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: with artists impressions of black holes and stuff like that. 320 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, and so today, to mark the release of the book, 321 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 2: we're answering listener questions and specifically from kids. And so 322 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 2: our next question comes from James and his dead. 323 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 3: Hi, Daniel and Joge. This is Paul from Manchester in England. 324 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 3: My son James likes thinking about the implications of an 325 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 3: infinite universe. In particular, he has this idea that's in 326 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 3: an infinite universe, anything that could possibly have happened must 327 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 3: have happened an infinite number of times. He was talking 328 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 3: to me about this recently and it led me to 329 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 3: wonder whether we can say that if the universe is 330 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 3: inf it must not be possible to make a machine 331 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 3: to travel cosmic scale distances very quickly, because if it 332 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 3: was possible to build such a machine, then in an 333 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:14,640 Speaker 3: infinite universe, an infinite number of alien civilizations would have 334 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 3: done it, and our planet would inevitably have been colonized 335 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,720 Speaker 3: by aliens. James and I look forward to hearing your 336 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 3: thoughts on this. Thanks very much. 337 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, this kid, James should write his own book. 338 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 2: What an awesome idea. Can we just give him a 339 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 2: Nobel prize. 340 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:35,360 Speaker 1: A Nobel Prize for arguing that a breakthrough is not possible. 341 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 2: And a Noble price just for blowing my mind? What 342 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 2: an interesting question. 343 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, it is a really ingenious idea, all. 344 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 2: Right, So let's break it down. So I think James 345 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 2: is saying that if faster than light travel was possible 346 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 2: and the universe is infinite, then by now some alien 347 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 2: civilization with faster than light travel should have visited us. 348 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: But by now, yeah, I think think that's the argument. 349 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: It's sort of similar to saying, if time travel is possible, 350 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: somebody in the future would have discovered it and then 351 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: come back to visit us, and so since they haven't, 352 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: therefore time travel is not possible. Except in this case, 353 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: he's reflecting that argument into space and imagining somebody out 354 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: there must have figured out faster than light travel and 355 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: if they had, they would have come visited us, and 356 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: they haven't, so therefore maybe it's impossible. 357 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 2: Right. What do you call that kind of argument? Is 358 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 2: there a name for it? 359 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: Clever? Clever argument from desperation? 360 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 2: I don't know, And I've heard this argument before, like 361 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 2: there's no time travel because otherwise there would be time 362 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 2: travelers visiting us right now. But I always feel like 363 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:43,520 Speaker 2: that's assuming we live in an interesting time. 364 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:47,840 Speaker 1: But if there's an infinite future for humanity, then somebody 365 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: will find us interesting. 366 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 2: Right well, I feel like it's sort of like if 367 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 2: you're in a really bad place and you're like, there 368 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 2: must not be any tourists in the world, because we 369 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 2: never get tourists here. That's really just says something about 370 00:16:59,520 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 2: where you live. 371 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: But if there were an infinite number of tourists, somebody 372 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,360 Speaker 1: would think that your boring street was fascinating. I think 373 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: that's the crux of his argument. It really relies on 374 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,399 Speaker 1: this idea of infinity. In the power of infinity. 375 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:14,120 Speaker 2: Right right, unless your plate you live in an infinitely 376 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 2: boring place, in case it cancels out, what's infinitely divided 377 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 2: by infinity. 378 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 1: Theologians have been thinking about infinitely powerful forces and infinitely 379 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,959 Speaker 1: strong walls, but you're thinking about infinitely boring places and 380 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: infinite numbers of tourists. 381 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, that's what this podcast is all about, 382 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 2: great big ideas. 383 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:36,160 Speaker 1: That's right. Well, there's a lot of really interesting ideas 384 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:39,720 Speaker 1: in James's argument. The first one is essentially that if 385 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,879 Speaker 1: the universe is infinite. Anything that can happen will happen, 386 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:46,720 Speaker 1: and that's how we get the idea that if fast 387 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: and light travel is possible, somebody out there will develop it. 388 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 1: And that's a subtle idea. 389 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:54,000 Speaker 2: Actually, it's pretty interesting, right to think there might be 390 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 2: an infinite number of alien civilizations, and if it was possible, 391 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:59,960 Speaker 2: one of them must surely have invented war price. 392 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:02,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, and if you take it literally, it doesn't just 393 00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:05,439 Speaker 1: imply an infinite number of alien civilizations and implies an 394 00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:10,000 Speaker 1: infinite number of human civilizations, right, because if humanity can evolve, 395 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: which obviously it can because it has and space is infinite, 396 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,040 Speaker 1: that would suggest that it's happening somewhere else actually an 397 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: infinite number of times. 398 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 2: But do they have to be humans? Couldn't they be 399 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 2: like tentacled aliens that invent the warp drive? 400 00:18:24,359 --> 00:18:26,160 Speaker 1: No, they don't have to be humans. I think it's 401 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: actually weirder if there are more humans out there totally 402 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 1: independently evolved than like weirdly tentacled aliens. 403 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 2: Although technically, in an infinite universe, wouldn't you also get 404 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:38,119 Speaker 2: an infinite number of human civilizations? 405 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 1: Yeah? Exactly, you get an infinite number of everything that's possible. 406 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 2: And virtually possible because we're here. 407 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:46,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, So you would have an infinite number of 408 00:18:46,359 --> 00:18:48,479 Speaker 1: James Is asking an infant number of questions on an 409 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 1: infinite number of podcasts. 410 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 2: All right, So then how would you answer that or 411 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:55,959 Speaker 2: how would you break down the infinity argument. 412 00:18:56,119 --> 00:18:58,320 Speaker 1: I think it's a pretty strong argument, but there are 413 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,199 Speaker 1: some holes. Here's some nuances, and one is on the 414 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: issue of infinity. It's true that anything with a finite 415 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 1: probability will happen an infinite number of times if you 416 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: get an infinite number of tries, Like if you have 417 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:12,919 Speaker 1: some huge die with a billion sides to it, it 418 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: doesn't really matter how many billion sides there are. If 419 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 1: you get to roll an infinite number of times, eventually 420 00:19:18,840 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: every side will come up. So that part is true. 421 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: But when you apply that to anything could happen in 422 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 1: the universe, there's a little wrinkle there, which is that 423 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,399 Speaker 1: you need the right initial conditions. Imagine an infinite universe, 424 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,320 Speaker 1: for example, that's just smooth and has no features, no 425 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:37,120 Speaker 1: structure to it, no stars ever form, no galaxies ever form. 426 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:40,240 Speaker 1: That's an infinite universe. But you don't get every outcome, 427 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,439 Speaker 1: because the outcomes are determined by the initial conditions. You 428 00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 1: have to have like the right configuration for things to 429 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,920 Speaker 1: start from, which determines essentially what is possible. 430 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess you have to assume that the rest 431 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 2: of the infinite universe is just like the universe that 432 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,560 Speaker 2: we see around us, which may not be the case. 433 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 1: Which may not be the case exactly, But you could 434 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,760 Speaker 1: also imagine that maybe in order to develop faster than 435 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:05,920 Speaker 1: like travel, some alien civilization needs a very different set 436 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,880 Speaker 1: of conditions than the kind we have here. You're much 437 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:11,760 Speaker 1: stronger curvature, So these aliens grow up with a native 438 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: understanding of space time and can therefore manipulate it. Maybe 439 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: they need to be like a planet inside a black hole. Right, 440 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: It's possible inside super massive black holes to have stable 441 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:24,600 Speaker 1: orbits and people are speculated you could have life evolve 442 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,040 Speaker 1: inside of it. But a species that evolves inside a 443 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: black hole, they couldn't even use their FTL travel to 444 00:20:30,359 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: reach us. 445 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 2: WHOA, But I think that doesn't affect James's question, right, 446 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,639 Speaker 2: Like we know that the conditions surround us are possible. 447 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: I think it's true that if the universe is infinite 448 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: and filled with infinite stuff. There's an infinite number of 449 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 1: human civilizations and maybe also infinite alien civilizations. But it 450 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:48,960 Speaker 1: might be that FTL travel is possible, is allowed by 451 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:51,439 Speaker 1: the laws of physics, but that none of the infinite 452 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,639 Speaker 1: number of human civilizations discover it either, because the conditions 453 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: in which we grow up, in which we evolve don't 454 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: give us a sort of natural intuition to manipulate space time, 455 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: because we're like not near enough black holes to experience that. 456 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:06,200 Speaker 2: Well, But isn't that a bit of a stretch of 457 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 2: an argument. I mean, we can still discover it. We 458 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:10,640 Speaker 2: don't have to be living inside of a black hole 459 00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 2: for us right now to understand what it's like to 460 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 2: live in a black hole. 461 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:15,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right. It's possible that we could in the 462 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: future discover FTL travel. My point is essentially that there's 463 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,200 Speaker 1: some limitations to the possible outcomes. You have an infinite 464 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: number of roles that die, but the die might have 465 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 1: some limitations on those possible outcomes based on the configuration 466 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 1: of space. Not everything that is possible actually does happen, 467 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: only things that are possible, and that our potential outcomes 468 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: from the initial conditions of the universe, like For example, 469 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,919 Speaker 1: having the entire universe collapse into a black hole physically 470 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 1: possible is something against the laws of physics from that configuration, 471 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,360 Speaker 1: but you can't get to that configuration from here. There's 472 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:52,479 Speaker 1: lots of things between you and that arrangement of stuff 473 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,240 Speaker 1: in the universe. So not every arrangement that's physically possible 474 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: will actually be realized by our universe because we start 475 00:21:59,480 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 1: from a certain configuration. 476 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:03,600 Speaker 2: But then in an infinite universe, don't you get all 477 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 2: infinite possible starting conditions? 478 00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:08,880 Speaker 1: Yes, great question. We don't know, right because we don't 479 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,439 Speaker 1: really understand the starting configurations of our universe. We know 480 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: that we had a fairly smooth universe with some quantum fluctuations, 481 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 1: we don't really know exactly where those came from and 482 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:20,880 Speaker 1: what came before that, so we don't know if we've 483 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:25,199 Speaker 1: like really explored the full range of possible initial configurations, 484 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 1: or if we're only getting a little slice, or maybe 485 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,080 Speaker 1: elsewhere in the universe they got different initial configurations. We 486 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:31,879 Speaker 1: just don't know. 487 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 2: I guess I think James is saying, if it is 488 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,119 Speaker 2: possible for humans at least to come up with faster 489 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,680 Speaker 2: than light travel, then if there are infinite number of 490 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,160 Speaker 2: humans out there, then they must have surely discovered it. 491 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 2: Just because it's maybe more likely for black hole aliens 492 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 2: to discover it doesn't mean that we can't discover it 493 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:50,720 Speaker 2: or that it's not possible, right, because it's the same 494 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:51,720 Speaker 2: loss of physics, isn't it. 495 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right. If it's possible for humans to discover 496 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 1: FTL travel, then I think you're right. In an infinite 497 00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: universe they will. But there's a difference between is FTL 498 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,119 Speaker 1: travel allowed by the laws of physics and is it 499 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 1: possible for humans to discover it. Another possibility is the 500 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:10,440 Speaker 1: universe allows faster than light travel by some crazy warped technology, 501 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,880 Speaker 1: but humans are just not smart enough to figure it out. 502 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:17,200 Speaker 1: That it's not discoverable by us and any of our 503 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: infinite brethren because it just requires like much more mental 504 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: computing power than we're capable of. 505 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 2: Hmm. But that's why we build the eyes. 506 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:30,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a great point. So like machine augmented human 507 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:34,159 Speaker 1: intelligence might not have the same kind of limitations, So 508 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: that's a way around that argument. So yeah, it's a 509 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: really interesting, I think, quite powerful argument. There are a 510 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:41,919 Speaker 1: few nuances and subtleties there, but I think he's right 511 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:43,919 Speaker 1: that we can say a lot about the likelihood of 512 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,760 Speaker 1: FTL travel from the fact that we haven't been visited. 513 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,120 Speaker 1: Or maybe you're right and our corner of Earth is just. 514 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 2: Too boring, infinitely boring. Well, I think the other big 515 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 2: limitation is just time, Like, maybe you need more time 516 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 2: for any of these infinitializations to come up faster than 517 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:03,359 Speaker 2: light travel, and maybe the universe is just not old enough. 518 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 2: You sort of also need infinite time, right. 519 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 1: You definitely need time, but how much time you need 520 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,480 Speaker 1: depends a little bit on like how fast this faster 521 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,040 Speaker 1: than light travel is. If you can go anywhere in 522 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:15,679 Speaker 1: the universe in a moment, like with a wormhole, then 523 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: you're really visitable from anywhere in the infinite universe. And 524 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,879 Speaker 1: you know, the universe is pretty old. Fourteen billion years 525 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 1: is a long time. We're sort of late in the 526 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: era of the universe. Our solar system has only been 527 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: around for a few billion years. So in an infinite universe, 528 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: there will have been civilizations that started billions and billions 529 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 1: of years ago and certainly have had time to reach us. 530 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, or maybe not right, Like, maybe you need more time, right, 531 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:42,639 Speaker 2: And the other thing I was thinking about is that 532 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 2: if it is an infinite universe, that means there are 533 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 2: an infinite number of places you can go, which means 534 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 2: like the likelihood that some an alien civilization with faster 535 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 2: than light travel would come to our planet is almost 536 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,199 Speaker 2: like infinitely small, too, isn't it. 537 00:24:56,880 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's a lot of infinities here. You tackle a 538 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:00,720 Speaker 1: lot of similar ideas when you think just about the 539 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 1: more standard Fermi paradox, like the galaxy is pretty old 540 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 1: and not that big, why haven't we been visited even 541 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 1: without FTL travel? Because it only takes like a few 542 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:13,920 Speaker 1: tens of thousands of years to explore the whole galaxy, 543 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 1: either with like self replicating probes or even a small 544 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,399 Speaker 1: fleet of ships. So I think the same math holds 545 00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: there that an infinite universe, you should have an infinite 546 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: number of aliens with FTL travel, and eventually some of 547 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,240 Speaker 1: them should reach us. And given how old the universe is, 548 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 1: it is a little odd that we haven't been visited. 549 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, And the other counter argument to James's idea here, 550 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,199 Speaker 2: I feel like it's like, how do you know we 551 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 2: haven't been visited by aliens with faster than like travel? 552 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:40,280 Speaker 2: You know, like, how do you know I'm not a 553 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:41,679 Speaker 2: time traveler from the future. 554 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 3: Mmm. 555 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: Or maybe James is actually an alien and this is 556 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 1: his way to sort of introduce subtly the concept into 557 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:48,919 Speaker 1: the zeitgeist. 558 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 2: I see, maybe he's an alien and a time traveler. 559 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 2: Maybe he's an alien from the future. 560 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: James, if you're visiting alien or visiting human from somewhere 561 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:00,680 Speaker 1: else farw in the universe, I hope you don't find 562 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:01,439 Speaker 1: us too boring. 563 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, I hope he finds us only finitely. All right, Well, 564 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 2: let's get to more questions from kid listeners. But first 565 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:24,120 Speaker 2: let's take another quick break. All right, we're answering questions 566 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:26,640 Speaker 2: from kids to celebrate the release of my new book, 567 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:29,560 Speaker 2: Oliver's Great Big Universe. Let's get to our last questions 568 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:33,560 Speaker 2: here from kid listeners. The next one comes from Ida hy. 569 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:40,120 Speaker 1: Daniel Josh, Would I had special pal inside of black hole? 570 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 2: Awesome question. I'm going to say the answer is yes. 571 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 1: Next question, you are the superhero science expert on the podcast. 572 00:26:50,760 --> 00:26:52,479 Speaker 1: You know what kind of special powers would you get 573 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:53,640 Speaker 1: from being inside a black hole? 574 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,000 Speaker 2: Oh? Boy, I feel like I could write a whole 575 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:57,119 Speaker 2: other book about this idea. 576 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 1: Sounds like you and Ida should write that book. 577 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:06,920 Speaker 2: Itida's great big black hole. Well, then let's see her question. 578 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,400 Speaker 2: Let's break it down. She asked, would she have special 579 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:12,439 Speaker 2: powers if she was inside a black hole? 580 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: Do you think this is sort of like a bitten 581 00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:16,160 Speaker 1: by a radioactive spider kind of situation? 582 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:18,920 Speaker 2: Or maybe I think she's saying like, if she lived 583 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 2: inside of a black hole, would life be the same 584 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 2: for her? Or would she be able to do things 585 00:27:23,320 --> 00:27:25,120 Speaker 2: she couldn't do outside of the black hole? 586 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:28,240 Speaker 1: Yeah? I see, Well, there is one way in which 587 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 1: being inside a black hole would be pretty different from 588 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,199 Speaker 1: living on Earth, and that has to do with the 589 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:36,640 Speaker 1: flow of time. Right. We know that time goes slower 590 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: when space is curved, the same way that space is curved. 591 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,320 Speaker 1: Near mass's time is essentially also curved. Space and time 592 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: curved together. What that means is, if you're near something really, 593 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:50,200 Speaker 1: really massive, your time goes slower. Like somebody far out 594 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:53,359 Speaker 1: in space, their time goes faster than somebody standing on 595 00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,440 Speaker 1: Earth and near a black hole or inside a black hole, 596 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:58,639 Speaker 1: time goes super duper slow. 597 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:00,879 Speaker 2: How slow to zero. 598 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: It depends a little on the observer. But if you're 599 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:05,040 Speaker 1: far away from a black hole and you see somebody 600 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:07,400 Speaker 1: falling into a black hole. You will see their time 601 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: go slower and slower, so that you'll never actually even 602 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 1: see them cross over into the black hole because their 603 00:28:12,880 --> 00:28:15,919 Speaker 1: time will slow down so much. They'll sort of asymptotically 604 00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:18,680 Speaker 1: approach the black hole from their point of view. They 605 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: will fall in the black hole, and they will see 606 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: your clocks speed up by how much depends on the 607 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:26,399 Speaker 1: mass of the black hole that you're falling into. 608 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:28,960 Speaker 2: I see. So the power you get by falling into 609 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 2: a black hole is you get to fast forward the 610 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 2: rest of the universe. 611 00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:34,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, you get to fast forward the rest of the universe. 612 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 2: Like if it's infinitely boring, you can just be like. 613 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:42,600 Speaker 1: Skip exactly that button that says like skip intro or skip. 614 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 2: Recap, skip everything. I just want to see the credits. 615 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:49,960 Speaker 1: Exactly, skip forward to see the credits. And so you'll 616 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: see the rest of the universe going in fast forward. 617 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:55,080 Speaker 1: You'll see like the end of our star. You'll see 618 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: the collision of our galaxy with other galaxies. All this 619 00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:00,640 Speaker 1: kind of stuff will happen. Now actually see it all 620 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: through just a tiny little pinprick, because if you're actually 621 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: within an event horizon of a black hole, all the 622 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: light in the universe still comes to you, but it 623 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,320 Speaker 1: comes to you through this tiny little dot. Most of 624 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:12,600 Speaker 1: space is so bent that everything in front of you 625 00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 1: is just the singularity, but there'll be this tiny little 626 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,120 Speaker 1: dot behind you where photons can still make it to 627 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: you and bring you news of the universe you fast forwarded. 628 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 2: Well. First of all, as we've talked about it before, 629 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 2: it is possible to go into a black hole, right Like, 630 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:30,280 Speaker 2: if a black hole is big enough, then its event 631 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 2: horizon is at a point where you wouldn't necessarily get 632 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 2: shredded by the gravitational forces. It is possible for someone 633 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 2: like you and me to go into a black hole. 634 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, And as we talked about in our recent book, 635 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 1: frequently asked questions about the universe, As you get closer 636 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: and closer, the event horizon swells to take up a 637 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,239 Speaker 1: larger and larger portion of your view, eventually takes up 638 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:51,640 Speaker 1: like half of your view, and then it grows around 639 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: you and then you can only see a tiny little dot. 640 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 2: But then you could potentially still be conscious and be 641 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 2: thinking about and experiencing this phenomenon, right like, you'd be 642 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 2: oh my god, what's going on now? Ida's question is, 643 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 2: would you have superpowers. 644 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: I think fast forwarding to the end of the universe 645 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,960 Speaker 1: feels like a special power. It's not a superpower in 646 00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:13,640 Speaker 1: the sense that it's not like supernatural doesn't break the 647 00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: laws of physics, But I think what physics can do 648 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:17,720 Speaker 1: is pretty special, so I think it counts as a 649 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:19,840 Speaker 1: special power even if it's not a superpower. 650 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:23,040 Speaker 2: I guess, like if you fell into a black hole, 651 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 2: then you survive, your body wouldn't necessarily change, so you 652 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 2: wouldn't get the superpowers necessarily. But I wonder if maybe 653 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:30,600 Speaker 2: Ida's wondering, like, you know, like if you go to 654 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,200 Speaker 2: the moon or moon here, you could jump really high, 655 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,080 Speaker 2: for example, because there's less gravity. Would there be any 656 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:38,800 Speaker 2: kind of things I could do in a black hole 657 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:39,760 Speaker 2: I couldn't normally do. 658 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:41,360 Speaker 1: I think in a black hole you'd never have to 659 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 1: worry about cleaning up. You could just throw stuff into 660 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: the singularity. You basically never have to take out the trash. 661 00:30:46,480 --> 00:30:50,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a superpower for sure. I'm not sure that 662 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 2: they'll let you into any adventurous team or anything like that. Yeah, 663 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:56,840 Speaker 2: but you know, you said earlier that it is possible 664 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,600 Speaker 2: maybe for there to be planets inside of a black hole. 665 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 2: You know, orbiting a star and stuff. Would life be 666 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 2: different for them or would it be the same as 667 00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 2: it is for us. 668 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: Life would certainly be different for them, and you could 669 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 1: check out our podcast episode. I think Katie was our 670 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: co host on that one, because they would see things 671 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:16,479 Speaker 1: very differently. Right, you wouldn't have any illumination, and your 672 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 1: planet would be really hot on the inside it be 673 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,720 Speaker 1: squeezed by the tidal forces. It'd be more like living 674 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:24,160 Speaker 1: on the moon of Jupiter, you know, like Io, which 675 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 1: is very volcanic, So it'd be a very different kind 676 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 1: of experience. Kids on that planet wouldn't look up at 677 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:30,920 Speaker 1: the night sky and see the same things that we see. 678 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,240 Speaker 1: They would see a completely black night sky except for 679 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 1: a tiny little dot through which they would see everything 680 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:36,920 Speaker 1: else in the universe. 681 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 2: Could they see like the hand in front of them? 682 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 2: Like if I put my hand in front of me 683 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:43,120 Speaker 2: inside of black hole? Could I see my hand? 684 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,400 Speaker 1: And the outskirts of a super massive black hole. Space 685 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: is not so curved that you couldn't see anything, and 686 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:51,280 Speaker 1: so it is possible for light to still make some 687 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 1: progress towards your eyeballs. And the outskirts of a super 688 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 1: massive black. 689 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,040 Speaker 2: Hole, like you'd be inside, but you'd be near the edge. 690 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 2: Mm hmm, so maybe you could. You would see your hand, 691 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 2: but it would all be kind of weird and distorted. 692 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,360 Speaker 1: All of space would be very distorted, so the way 693 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:07,960 Speaker 1: time would flow would be different. People closer to the 694 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,280 Speaker 1: center of black hole would have their clocks slow down 695 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 1: compared to people further from the center of the black hole. 696 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:14,480 Speaker 1: So it'd be pretty hard, for example, to have like 697 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: a zoom session across the whole planet if you're living 698 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:18,360 Speaker 1: inside a black hole. 699 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 2: Oh, thank goodness. 700 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,440 Speaker 1: Great, there's your superpower. You can say no to all 701 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:25,440 Speaker 1: online meetings. 702 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,760 Speaker 2: That's right, it'd be infinitely boring, just like a regular 703 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:32,840 Speaker 2: zoom meeting. All right. Well, to answer Ida's question, it 704 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,160 Speaker 2: sounds like she wouldn't gain any special powers except the 705 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 2: ability to see the rest of the universe in fast. 706 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:40,560 Speaker 1: Forward and to never have to clean your room. 707 00:32:40,760 --> 00:32:43,240 Speaker 2: Although I think if Ida ever makes it inside of 708 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 2: a black hole and lists to tell about it, I 709 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:48,520 Speaker 2: think she would be a superhero in my book. All right. 710 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 2: Our last question comes from Joey. What are the newest 711 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 2: and the oldest black holes in the universe? What are 712 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 2: the newest and oldest black holes? In the universe. Awesome question, 713 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:01,520 Speaker 2: A little we knowsy if. 714 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:04,680 Speaker 1: You ask me, you don't think he deserves to know. 715 00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,040 Speaker 2: I'm saying, if you go around asking people's age, you know, 716 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 2: you might get some curd answers. 717 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 1: No. I think the biggest, oldest black holes in the 718 00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,080 Speaker 1: universe are probably proud of their status. You know, they're 719 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:21,560 Speaker 1: like silver backs tramping around in the jungles at the 720 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:22,720 Speaker 1: hearts of galaxies. 721 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:26,560 Speaker 2: Mmmm. I see, Yeah, they're like the alpha black holes 722 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 2: that we're. 723 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:29,440 Speaker 1: Saying, yeah, the ogs exactly. 724 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:32,719 Speaker 2: All right, Well, this is an interesting question because we 725 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 2: know that black holes form very early on in the universe, 726 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:38,640 Speaker 2: and we know that black holes are forming all the 727 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,320 Speaker 2: time right now. So you know, I wonder if his 728 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:43,800 Speaker 2: question is what are the oldest and newest black holes 729 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 2: we know about? Or what are the oldest and newest 730 00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 2: black holes that exist in the universe. 731 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, right, Both of those are good questions. In the 732 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:54,000 Speaker 1: case of the oldest black hole, we definitely don't know 733 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,760 Speaker 1: what is the oldest black hole, or theoretically what could 734 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,680 Speaker 1: be the oldest black hole, because there's one theory that 735 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:04,080 Speaker 1: black holes are as old as the universe itself, that 736 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: they might even like be older than electrons, that black 737 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,720 Speaker 1: holes could have been formed during the Big Bang. 738 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 2: Whoa wait, even before we had like quantum fields. 739 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:16,560 Speaker 1: Before we had matter, before those quantum fields settled down, 740 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,640 Speaker 1: so we could have things called electrons and protons and 741 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 1: quarks when things were still so hot and so dense 742 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,440 Speaker 1: that talking about them in terms of those objects doesn't 743 00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:26,920 Speaker 1: make a lot of sense, the way you wouldn't talk 744 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 1: about a wave in terms of its drops. So there's 745 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:32,719 Speaker 1: this theory of primordial black holes that suggest that very 746 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 1: hot patches of the universe might have collapsed into black 747 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,799 Speaker 1: holes even before matter was formed, and those black holes 748 00:34:38,920 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 1: might still be around. 749 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:43,959 Speaker 2: Mm they wouldn't have evaporated by now or right because 750 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 2: black holes that don't die very easily. 751 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:48,440 Speaker 1: Some of the black holes would definitely have evaporated. The 752 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,520 Speaker 1: bigger black holes evaporate more slowly, and smaller black holes 753 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:53,799 Speaker 1: evaporate quickly, so we would expect it some of them 754 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 1: to have evaporated and some of them to still be around, 755 00:34:56,239 --> 00:34:59,319 Speaker 1: and some of them to be evaporating right now. So 756 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:01,600 Speaker 1: if the scenari is true, we should be able to 757 00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:04,760 Speaker 1: see these primordial black holes like evaporating all the time. 758 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 2: So maybe the oldest black hole in the universe was 759 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:10,680 Speaker 2: there from the beginning, from the beginning of the universe. 760 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:13,520 Speaker 1: It's possible. It's even this fun theory that this impact 761 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:16,719 Speaker 1: inside Burea about one hundred years ago, which mysteriously left 762 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: no crater, was actually a primordial black hole that took 763 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:22,440 Speaker 1: like a core sample of the Earth instead of an 764 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:23,560 Speaker 1: actual medior. 765 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,400 Speaker 2: WHOA, Well, we should do an episode about that. 766 00:35:28,280 --> 00:35:30,840 Speaker 1: We should. The problem with primordial black holes is again, 767 00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: if they were created, we should see them evaporating all 768 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:36,239 Speaker 1: the time, and we haven't ever seen one. We've looked 769 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:39,440 Speaker 1: for evidence of black holes evaporating very bright flashes of 770 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:42,919 Speaker 1: Hawking radiation, but haven't seen any. So it's a possibility 771 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,840 Speaker 1: that there are black holes as old as the universe, 772 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:48,640 Speaker 1: but it's still just theoretical. But we have seen some 773 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,600 Speaker 1: very very old black holes, like actually seeing them. 774 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 2: So then what's the oldest black hole we know about? 775 00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,040 Speaker 1: The oldest black hole we've ever seen was formed around 776 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:00,320 Speaker 1: five hundred million years after the Big Bang. It was 777 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:03,400 Speaker 1: seen by the games web Space telescope. It's super duper 778 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 1: far away, which is why we can see so far 779 00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:09,120 Speaker 1: back in time. Remember, light takes time to get here 780 00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 1: and so the further things are, the further we're looking 781 00:36:11,280 --> 00:36:13,560 Speaker 1: back in time. So we're seeing this black hole which 782 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:16,360 Speaker 1: formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. 783 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:20,960 Speaker 1: It's called sears ceers one zero one nine. 784 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:24,040 Speaker 2: Well, what that means that it's like thirteen fourteen billion 785 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:24,600 Speaker 2: years old. 786 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,960 Speaker 1: That's exactly right. It's between thirteen and fourteen billion years old, 787 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,759 Speaker 1: which is pretty old. At the time the light left it, 788 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,080 Speaker 1: it only had about nine million solar masses, which is 789 00:36:34,160 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 1: much smaller than some other super massive black holes which 790 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:40,000 Speaker 1: have grown to like billions of solar masses. In the meantime, 791 00:36:40,040 --> 00:36:42,520 Speaker 1: of course, it might have grown the light we're seeing 792 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:43,640 Speaker 1: is very out of date. 793 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:47,239 Speaker 2: Or it might have disappeared. Right, we don't actually know 794 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:49,920 Speaker 2: it's the oldest black hole. We just know that it 795 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:52,120 Speaker 2: was around a long time ago. But by now it 796 00:36:52,160 --> 00:36:55,440 Speaker 2: could have maybe disappeared or evaporated. Isn't it possible? 797 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:57,800 Speaker 1: It's possible. You're right that we're not getting new information 798 00:36:57,920 --> 00:36:59,920 Speaker 1: about this very quickly. We'd have to waste billions if 799 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,200 Speaker 1: years for the updates. But it's unlikely that a massive 800 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,759 Speaker 1: black hole in a cluster of stars, which is where 801 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:08,799 Speaker 1: we've seen it, would evaporate into nothing. To evaporate, it 802 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:11,399 Speaker 1: really has to be isolated to not be fed at all. 803 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:14,360 Speaker 1: And a black hole with nine million solar masses is 804 00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:17,160 Speaker 1: going to have very very faint Hawking radiation. The Hawking 805 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:20,319 Speaker 1: radiation goes like inversely proportional to the mass, so very 806 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:23,479 Speaker 1: low mass black holes evaporate more quickly than very high 807 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:24,360 Speaker 1: mass black holes. 808 00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,040 Speaker 2: What if Ida went into that one and. 809 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: Broke it up, that would be a superpower. 810 00:37:30,320 --> 00:37:32,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, maybe that Maybe she didn't get superpowers when she 811 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:35,600 Speaker 2: went in. All right, So that's the oldest black hole 812 00:37:35,680 --> 00:37:38,279 Speaker 2: we know about. What are the youngest black holes we 813 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:38,680 Speaker 2: know about? 814 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,920 Speaker 1: The youngest black hole in the universe is certainly one 815 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:43,480 Speaker 1: that was created right now, and then another one created 816 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:45,920 Speaker 1: right now. I mean, they're happening all the time. We 817 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:49,280 Speaker 1: know that supernovas, which are typical precursors for black holes, 818 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:52,520 Speaker 1: happen like every fifty years in our galaxy. But you know, 819 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 1: there's trillions of galaxies out there, so there's almost certainly 820 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,080 Speaker 1: a black hole being formed as we speak. And by 821 00:37:58,160 --> 00:37:59,840 Speaker 1: the time you listen to this podcast that will be 822 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 1: out date, the'll be a new black hole formed that's 823 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:04,719 Speaker 1: even more recent. So the youngest black hole in the 824 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,480 Speaker 1: universe is definitely one that was just formed. 825 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:11,360 Speaker 2: They're probably forming all the time right now, right, especially 826 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,200 Speaker 2: if it's an infinite universe, there's an infinite number of 827 00:38:14,239 --> 00:38:15,560 Speaker 2: black holes being born right now. 828 00:38:15,640 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's exactly right. So the youngest black hole is 829 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:20,879 Speaker 1: constantly being replaced by some new baby black hole. 830 00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:23,080 Speaker 2: But what about the youngest one we know about? 831 00:38:23,239 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 1: So the youngest black hole that we have seen is 832 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:29,600 Speaker 1: called W forty nine B. It's about twenty six thousand 833 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:31,919 Speaker 1: light years away from Earth, and we know it's about 834 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,920 Speaker 1: twenty seven thousand years old because the light from it 835 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 1: indicates that what we're seeing is a black hole that's 836 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:39,839 Speaker 1: about a thousand years old. So we're looking at the 837 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:42,880 Speaker 1: remnants of a supernova collapse that formed a black hole 838 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:46,440 Speaker 1: about twenty seven thousand years ago twenty six thousand light 839 00:38:46,520 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 1: years away. So to us, it looks a thousand years old. 840 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:51,320 Speaker 2: But wait, wait, wait, how do we know it's age. 841 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,200 Speaker 2: We can tell it's aged from the light we get 842 00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:55,800 Speaker 2: from it, or we just saw the supernova and assume 843 00:38:55,920 --> 00:38:57,560 Speaker 2: that a black hole formed inside of it. 844 00:38:57,719 --> 00:39:00,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, great question this one. We can actually do the 845 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:02,920 Speaker 1: history of it just by running the clock backwards. We 846 00:39:02,960 --> 00:39:05,960 Speaker 1: look at the distribution of iron and sulfur and silicon 847 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,560 Speaker 1: in the remnant, and we can tell what happened and 848 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: how long it's been drifting. So we can run our 849 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,640 Speaker 1: clock backwards essentially and say, oh, this is about a 850 00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:15,640 Speaker 1: thousand years old, the same way you could look at 851 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:18,040 Speaker 1: a mushroom cloud from a nuclear bomb. You could tell 852 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:19,200 Speaker 1: when it went off. 853 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,080 Speaker 2: And you can actually see the black hole in the middle. Like, 854 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:24,120 Speaker 2: but I thought we could only see black holes if 855 00:39:24,160 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 2: there was like if it was like a quasar or something. 856 00:39:26,880 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're right. We can't see the black hole directly 857 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,080 Speaker 1: because the black hole is black. We're deducing the presence 858 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,160 Speaker 1: of the black hole from the mass of the whole 859 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:36,840 Speaker 1: system and the X rays from the hot gas that 860 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:40,080 Speaker 1: are nearby. And so according to our model, a black 861 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:43,200 Speaker 1: hole has formed. Like what we're seeing is consistent with 862 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,240 Speaker 1: a star that exploded and left behind a black hole. 863 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,480 Speaker 2: All right, So then the youngest black hole that we 864 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:51,799 Speaker 2: think we know about is about one thousand years old. 865 00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:53,600 Speaker 1: It looks a thousand years old to us, but it 866 00:39:53,640 --> 00:39:55,480 Speaker 1: happened twenty seven thousand years ago. 867 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:57,840 Speaker 2: Mm. I mean we caught it, like we took a 868 00:39:57,840 --> 00:40:00,360 Speaker 2: picture of it when it was a thousand years old, 869 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:03,759 Speaker 2: but the picture was taken twenty six thousand years ago exactly. 870 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,160 Speaker 1: And to answer your other question, like, it's possible that 871 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 1: we did see this thing go supernova that like Chinese 872 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:11,360 Speaker 1: astronomers a thousand years ago, we're looking up at the 873 00:40:11,400 --> 00:40:13,839 Speaker 1: sky and side. We do have some examples of that 874 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:16,560 Speaker 1: where we see a supernova remnant, and we can find 875 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,640 Speaker 1: in the historical record Chinese or Persian or Indian astronomers 876 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:23,360 Speaker 1: writing about that supernova, which is pretty cool. Not in 877 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:25,839 Speaker 1: this case, but it's possible that humans did see this 878 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:27,439 Speaker 1: one blow up a thousand years ago. 879 00:40:27,760 --> 00:40:31,239 Speaker 2: Whoa do you think kids ask questions about it back then? 880 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:34,080 Speaker 1: It's been a great, big universe for a great long time, 881 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:35,440 Speaker 1: so yeah, probably. 882 00:40:37,040 --> 00:40:39,080 Speaker 2: All right, Well, I think that answer is Joey's question. 883 00:40:39,320 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 2: Those black holes in the universe might be the ones 884 00:40:41,600 --> 00:40:44,279 Speaker 2: that were formed with the universe, but we don't know 885 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,880 Speaker 2: for sure. There is one that's at least thirteen to 886 00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:50,160 Speaker 2: fourteen billion years old that we know about, and there's 887 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:53,000 Speaker 2: one that was born about twenty seven thousand years ago 888 00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:55,200 Speaker 2: that is the youngest one we know about. Although there 889 00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:58,160 Speaker 2: are probably definitely black holes being born all the time 890 00:40:58,239 --> 00:40:59,000 Speaker 2: right now, and. 891 00:40:58,960 --> 00:41:01,240 Speaker 1: I hope that one of those blacks is being formed 892 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:05,400 Speaker 1: near some distant human civilization that's inspiring them to invent 893 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:06,959 Speaker 1: faster than light travel. 894 00:41:06,800 --> 00:41:11,200 Speaker 2: And maybe better cleaning technology, because we could all use that. 895 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:13,920 Speaker 1: And maybe give Ida special powers so that our corner 896 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,720 Speaker 1: of the universe becomes less boring and we get more visitors. 897 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:18,279 Speaker 2: I think if you take all of these kids and 898 00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:20,040 Speaker 2: put them into a team together to be like a 899 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:23,440 Speaker 2: superhero physics team. I mean, these kids are so curious 900 00:41:23,560 --> 00:41:24,480 Speaker 2: and clever and smart. 901 00:41:24,600 --> 00:41:26,399 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I hope that they and all the kids 902 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:29,320 Speaker 1: inspired by your book do solve some of our problems 903 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,560 Speaker 1: and change the way we understand the universe. 904 00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:34,840 Speaker 2: So thanks again to all of our kid question askers 905 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:37,680 Speaker 2: and to all of our listeners for sending in their questions. 906 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:39,719 Speaker 1: That's right, what's that website? One more time? 907 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:43,200 Speaker 2: Great Big Universe dot Net. We hope you enjoyed that. 908 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:46,359 Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us, See you next time. 909 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:56,920 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and remember that. Daniel and Jorge Explain 910 00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:01,879 Speaker 1: the Universe is a production of iHeartRadio. More podcast from iHeartRadio, 911 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:06,200 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 912 00:42:06,280 --> 00:42:07,400 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows,