Ask a Spaceman! - podcast cover

Ask a Spaceman!

Paul M. Sutterwww.askaspaceman.com
You've got questions and astrophysicist Paul M. Sutter has answers - every episode you will come closer to complete knowledge of time and space!

Episodes

AaS! 248: What’s Going on Inside Neutron Stars?

What’s inside a neutron star? What strange states of matter do we encounter? And what mysteries will we find deep in the core? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE ...

May 20, 202533 minEp. 248

AaS! 247: How Can We Get Giant Black Holes in the Early Universe?

How do we explain the giant black holes appearing in the young universe? Is it possible to directly collapse a black hole, skipping the formation of stars? What does ultraviolet radiation have to do with this? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, as...

May 06, 202529 minEp. 247

AaS! 246: What is Stephen Hawking’s Legacy?

How do you measure the impact of a scientist? Does Stephen Hawking compare to Newton or Einstein? What were his contributions to black holes, the big bang, and quantum gravity? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, a...

Apr 22, 202536 minEp. 246

AaS! 245: What Made the Moon?

Why is the moon so special? Why do we think a giant impact created it? Why didn’t the same thing happen to other planets? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on X: https://x.com/PaulMattSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF TIM...

Apr 08, 202525 minEp. 245

AaS! 244: What’s the Most Important Wavelength in All Astronomy?

What is 21-cm radiation? What (and who) produces it? What causes it, and what does it tell us about the universe? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on X: https://x.com/PaulMattSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF TIME AND SP...

Mar 18, 202528 minEp. 244

AaS! 243: So Is the Warp Drive Legit or Not?

What is an Alcubierre warp drive? What would it take to make it work? Could it propel spacecraft even below the speed of light? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on X: https://x.com/PaulMattSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE ...

Mar 04, 202532 minEp. 243

AaS! 242: Are There Invisible Stars in the Universe?

What is an axion? How could axions make a star, and what does that have to do with dark matter? What would these stars look like? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on X: https://x.com/PaulMattSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KNOWLEDG...

Feb 18, 202536 minEp. 242

AaS! 241: Could We Travel to Parallel Universes?

Where do parallel universes exist? Could we use wormholes to travel to them? What does time travel have to do with all this? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COMPLETE KN...

Feb 04, 202533 minEp. 241

AaS! 240: Does the Great Filter Explain Why We’re Alone?

What is the Fermi Paradox? How rare is non-intelligent vs intelligent life? What are the challenges a species must overcome to colonize the galaxy? Where is everybody? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmol...

Jan 21, 202527 minEp. 240

AaS! 239: What Are the Weirdest Hypothetical Particles?

Are dark photons as sinister as they sound? What did the curvaton do in the early universe? And is everything really made of preons? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpaceman for COM...

Jan 07, 202538 minEp. 239

AaS! 238: What Makes the Sun’s Corona So Dang Hot?

How can the solar corona be hotter than the surface? What has the Parker Solar probe learned so far? What do magnetic fields have to do with all this? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Read a book: http://www.pmsutter/book Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to...

Dec 17, 202433 minEp. 238

AaS! 237: Could Any Supernova Harm the Earth?

Are we “in range” of any potential supernovae? Has the Earth ever been hit in the past? And what about gamma-ray bursts from across the galaxy, are we safe from those? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASp...

Dec 03, 202431 minEp. 237

AaS! 236: How Exactly Do Black Holes Merge?

How do black holes get close enough to merge? What causes them to emit gravitational waves, and where do the waves come from? What does the merger process look like? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpac...

Nov 19, 202435 minEp. 236

AaS! 235: Is it Time to Redefine the Planet?

How did Pluto get demoted? What makes a planet a planet anyway? Why do we now have so many different kinds of planets, and should we make things simpler? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Fol...

Nov 05, 202438 minEp. 235

AaS! 234: How Could We Turn the Sun into a Telescope?

How do gravitational lenses work? Where would a spacecraft need to be to use the Sun’s gravity as a telescope? What could we learn about exoplanets with this on weird trick? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www....

Oct 15, 202434 minEp. 234

AaS! 233: Why Do We Care About Methane on Mars?

What’s behind the Martian Methane Mystery? Is it a sign of life, or just some strange chemical process? Or are we just fooling ourselves? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: ...

Oct 01, 202434 minEp. 233

AaS! 232: Is Space Tourism a Good Idea?

Why are private space companies pushing tourism? Is there a future for tourism in space? Is this an overall good thing for space exploration, or just a distraction? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpace...

Sep 17, 202434 minEp. 232

AaS! 231: What Made the Local Bubble?

Where do we live within the galaxy? What shapes the local bubble? How long will we be inside it? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Rea...

Sep 03, 202431 minEp. 231

AaS! 230: Is the Universe Making Any New Galaxies?

How do galaxies form and evolve? Is the universe still making new ones? What will happen to the current galaxies in the universe? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://w...

Aug 20, 202428 minEp. 230

AaS! 229: Is the James Webb Breaking Cosmology?

What has the James Webb Space Telescope learned so far? Is it finding galaxies that “break” cosmology? What will we learn next? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www...

Aug 06, 202436 minEp. 229

AaS! 228: Can a Galaxy Be Destroyed?

Can galaxies ever get destroyed? What happens to their stars? Do galaxies ever die? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Read a book: htt...

Jul 16, 202432 minEp. 228

AaS! 227: Where is the Center of the Universe?

What does it mean for the universe to have a center? Could we ever travel to ours? What is a singularity? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattS...

Jul 02, 202438 minEp. 227

AaS! 226: Does the Universe Get Shorter When You Go Faster?

How does length contraction work in relativity? Do moving objects really get shorter? What about from their perspective? How are we supposed to make sense of any measurement? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www...

Jun 18, 202438 minEp. 226

AaS! 225: What is the Cosmic Flaw That Shouldn’t Exist?

What is the “cold spot” on the cosmic microwave background? Why shouldn’t it exist? What are some possible explanations for it, and why are they unsatisfying? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.co...

Jun 04, 202442 minEp. 225

AaS! 224: Can Life Survive on Locked Planets?

How do planets get tidally locked? What are these systems typically like? Can life find a home in such a challenging environment? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://w...

May 21, 202438 minEp. 224

AaS! 223: Why is it So Hard to Return to the Moon?

If we went to the Moon already, why can’t we go back so easily? What technology have we lost? What are we trying to do differently? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http:/...

May 07, 202435 minEp. 223

AaS! 222: What is the Most Distant Thing We Can See?

What’s the most distant thing we can see with the naked eye? What about with a telescope? What about at other wavelengths? Is there anything more to see? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Fol...

Apr 16, 202436 minEp. 222

AaS! 221: Will Emergent Gravity Rewrite Physics?

What is “emergence” in physics and why is it a big deal? What would it mean for gravity to be emergent? How would we have to rewrite the laws of physics? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Fol...

Apr 02, 202436 minEp. 221

AaS! 220: Will Our Universe End in a Big Rip?

How can a “big rip” tear the universe apart? What does that mean for existence itself? Is it going to happen, and what are we doing to find out? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Tw...

Mar 19, 202440 minEp. 220

AaS! 219: What's the Best Way to Defend Our Planet?

How do we track dangerous asteroids? What can impacts do to us? What do we plan to do if The Big One is headed for us? Is Armageddon a documentary? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to being your best self. Visit BetterHelp to get 10% off your first month! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on...

Mar 05, 202442 minEp. 219
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