How does degeneracy pressure work? What kinds of particles exist below the level of neutrons? Can they hold up a star against 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 Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Go on an adventure: http://www.AstroTouring....
Dec 19, 2017•39 min•Ep. 70
Join me for an all new AstroTour adventure, one that I'm personally very excited about: a trip to the Atacama Desert of Chile to spend a week at an all-inclusive stargazing resort! The trip is perfectly timed to hit the Geminid meteor shower, explore the ALMA telescope facility, and enjoy some of the darkest, clearest skies in the world. More info: www.astrotours.co/atacama
Dec 08, 2017•10 min
What powers a quasar? Just how strong is a blazar? What’s the connection to giant black holes? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Go on an adventure: http://www.AstroTouring.com/ Keep those questions about space, s...
Dec 05, 2017•30 min•Ep. 69
What’s the idea behind the holographic principle? What does it have to do with black holes and the early universe? Does this…mean something? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Go on an adventure: http://www.AstroTo...
Nov 21, 2017•27 min•Ep. 68
Why is it tough to become a scientific researcher? What are some of the barriers in the field? Are there any other options? I have a PhD - now what? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Go on an adventure: http://www...
Nov 07, 2017•33 min•Ep. 67
What in the world is metallic hydrogen? What does it even mean? Where does it exist in nature, and can we make it in the lab? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Go on an adventure: http://www.AstroTouring.com/ Keep...
Oct 17, 2017•31 min•Ep. 66
How does one become an astrophysicist? What are the challenges and rewards of that kind of career? Are there even any jobs? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Go on an adventure: http://www.AstroTouring.com/ Keep t...
Oct 03, 2017•39 min•Ep. 65
Fraser Cain and I are leading another starry-eyed adventure, this time to the beautiful caribbean on a 7-day cruise, featuring tours of the Kennedy Space Center, star viewing every night, at-sea talks and show recordings, and explorations of Mayan ruins! Visit www.astrotouring.com for more info!
Sep 26, 2017•11 min
Why were the Voyager missions so important? Where are they now, and where are they going? What is their ultimate fate? And that Golden Record…good idea or bad idea? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Keep those que...
Sep 19, 2017•30 min
What does it mean for an electron to spin? Why do we have such a hard time measuring it? And why doesn’t Paul Dirac get any attention anymore, anyway? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Keep those questions about s...
Sep 05, 2017•34 min•Ep. 63
What’s the balancing act happening inside stars? Why is iron the fusion limit? How long does it take for a star to blow? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astr...
Aug 15, 2017•28 min
A quick update on Patreon, Astrotours, and a preview of the new Space Radio show! Space Radio: http://www.SpaceRadioShow.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy, astrophysics, physics, and cosmology coming to #AskASpace...
Aug 08, 2017•27 min
How does the universe generate giant magnetic fields? Is it astrophysical or primordial? How do we find them anyway? Why am I not talking about Maxwell? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep those questions ...
Aug 01, 2017•30 min
What’s the deal with time crystals? Do they break physics as we know it? Or are they merely…neat? What do symmetries and the conservation of energy have to do with it? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep t...
Jul 18, 2017•34 min
Do black holes exist, or are they merely theoretical constructs? What’s the evidence? And what about the singularity, surely that doesn’t happen, right? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep those questions ...
Jul 04, 2017•29 min
Does everyone have the same clock? Can we skip forward into the future? What about the past? Why does it appear to be forbidden in our 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 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep those questions about sp...
Jun 20, 2017•21 min
How is the bullet cluster the “smoking gun” for dark matter? Why aren’t alternate theories of gravity satisfactory? Could dark matter just be a bunch of black holes? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep tho...
Jun 06, 2017•34 min
Just how mediocre are we? I’ve heard there’s an “axis of evil” in space - what’s up with that? Is there anything special about our position within the universe? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on...
May 16, 2017•36 min
How do we measure the expansion history of the universe? Why are supernovae so dang useful? Come on, what’s with this “dark energy” business? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep those questions about space...
May 02, 2017•37 min
What happens during a galaxy merger event? Is dark matter involved? How do we use simulations to learn about these processes that last hundreds of millions of years? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Wat...
Apr 18, 2017•38 min
Part Two! What’s the relationship between the Higgs Boson and mass? What does that even mean, and how do we go about detecting it? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.c...
Apr 04, 2017•31 min
Part One! What does the Higgs Boson mean? What role does it play in the forces of nature? What makes it so special? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSu...
Mar 21, 2017•38 min
What has New Horizons taught us about Pluto so far? What’s going on under the ice? Why does the “heart” of Pluto still beat? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/P...
Mar 07, 2017•50 min
How (and when) did the rings of Saturn form? How are we to understand the complex systems of rings and gaps? How do the moons influence their shape? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: ht...
Feb 21, 2017•40 min
What are the most clever physics and astronomy experiments of all time? What did we learn from them, and what made them so dang clever? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.yout...
Feb 07, 2017•45 min
Why are Kepler’s Laws important? What was Kepler trying to understand? What connection did Kepler think he was making? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.AstroTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMat...
Jan 17, 2017•36 min
What’s the universe made of? How is this connected to its age? What’s the connection between dark matter and dark energy? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Learn about the Iceland excursion: http://www.Astr oTouring.com Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Follow on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/PaulMattSutter Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/Pau...
Jan 03, 2017•43 min
How can the night sky be described to someone who can’t see it? What’s it like to do astronomy? What kind of feelings come into play? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter More resources: http://sion.frm.utn.edu....
Dec 20, 2016•37 min
Are wormholes real or what? How did we even start thinking of them? If we could build one, would it be possible to actually, you know, use it? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep those questions about spac...
Dec 06, 2016•36 min
How do sunspots work? What do magnetic fields have to do with it? Who was Zeeman and why was his splitting so important? 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 Like on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PaulMattSutter Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/PaulMattSutter Keep those questions about space, science, astronomy,...
Nov 15, 2016•36 min
