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What are the odds that life exists elsewhere in the universe, and what are we doing to find out? Topics in this video range from the meaning of the Drake Equation and assumptions being used to narrow the vast field of stars in which scientists are searching, to the Doppler and transit methods of discovering extrasolar planets, to three initiatives that will help pinpoint probable life-supporting worlds: the Kepler mission, the spectroscopic Life Finder...
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In the darkness of space, invisible energy fills the vast regions between the stars. This video sheds light on intergalactic radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, deadly gamma rays, and other forms of energy not visible to the naked eye. Information on technology for seeing the invisible universe such as the Very Large Array radio telescope, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Chandra...
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This video looks deep into space to learn how stars are born and how, eventually, they die. Each stage is covered: the formation of proto-stars, the nuclear ignition of main sequence stars, the cooling of red giants, the compaction of white dwarfs, and the final drama: death by burnout as a black dwarf or by supernova. Special attention is given to the Sun-its effect on the Earth, its projected life span, and its various levels, from corona to core,...
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Taking a census of all the luminous objects in one-quarter of the visible cosmos is a hefty accounting job. It takes a specially built telescope on task every clear night for eight years, wielding one of the biggest digital cameras on the planet. More than a hundred million stars, galaxies, and quasars have been tallied so far. This science bulletin introduces viewers to the astronomical observers and theorists set on divining the three-dimensional...
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The story, set in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true, follows Asha--an optimist with a sharp wit who cares endlessly about her community. When Asha, in a moment of desperation, makes a wish, it is answered by a little ball of boundless energy called Star who helps her save her community and prove that anything is possible if you just believe.
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The Sun is only one of more than 200 billion stars in the Milky Way. Students will see the enormous span of the universe, some of our neighboring stars and an excellent description of the life of a star. Of the 200 billion stars in our galaxy, the nearest star is Alpha Centauri, 4.25 light years away.
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How far is a star or a galaxy? Scaling and measuring the cosmos is a complex problem. Scientists are integrating mathematical applications and scientific technology to create standards. Distances are so vast they are described in light years – the distance light travels in a year. Nearby stars are measured by trigonometry—the technique of parallax. Farther out, astronomers use so-called “standard candles”, the ‘Type Ia supernovae’ is the...
51) Galaxies Forming
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Todd Duncan, Science Integration Institute, Portland, and Joel Primack, Distinguished Professor of Physics, University of California, Santa Cruz, explore the formation of galaxies from the hot, energetic state of the early universe. These interviews cover topics ranging from the shapes of galaxies to the formation of the Milky Way.
52) Deep Freeze
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There really are ice worlds like Hoth from Star Wars. In this episode, we explore icy planets and moons, discover the role of cold in the Universe, and learn about the importance of ice to the development of habitable worlds.
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This programming explores theories of the Universe exploding from an infinitesimal speck to create matter, radiation, time and space. In the first trillion-trillion-trillionth of a second, the cosmos grew a hundred million times to less than the size of an atom. Then, in another instant, the Universe was the size of a galaxy. Now, billions of years later and strung along vast filaments, our Universe has some 50-billion galaxies that continue to expand...
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Drawing inspiration from the southern sky as he travels around Australia, renowned physicist and television personality Professor Brian Cox ponders the big questions about the universe. Exploring how the universe began, how it could end and when, Brian examines the work of eminent Australian based astrophysicists Katie Mack and Brian Schmidt and speaks to acclaimed cosmological luminaries such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Greene, and more.
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The universe is a mysterious place – we know it is some 13.8 billion years old with the part we can observe being about 90 billion light years in diameter, which means that the most distant edges we can currently see are 45 billion light years away. There is essentially no knowledge about regions that are even further away; scientists can only speculate about whether or not the cosmos is infinite – as the universe is on a knife-edge between being...
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Visible light, which can be seen with our eyes, comprises a small sliver of the electromagnetic spectrum. The rest of the spectrum, from short wavelength gamma rays to long-wavelength radio waves, requires special instruments to detect. ALMA uses and array of radio telescopes to detect and study radio waves from space. Radio telescopes are typically large parabolic dish antennas used singly or in an array. Radio observatories are preferentially located...
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By fitting together the pieces of Earth’s development, scientists are using revolutionary instrumentation to scan the universe to explore the possibility of past, present and potential future life elsewhere in our universe. Current extraordinary advances in telescope infrared technology provides increasingly detailed images of our universe. The question remains, is Earth the only place in the solar system where life exists?
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This program discusses the concept of the expanding Universe. Calculations by astrophysicists show that the cosmos seems to be speeding up. The 50-billion galaxies thought to comprise our Universe are rapidly moving farther apart. As our Sun’s energy diminishes, scientists are working to understand the nature of space called “mysterious dark energy and dark matter”—believed to comprise 96 percent of the Universe. With each discovery made by...
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Much of the cosmos cannot be seen through optical telescopes. But it can be detected in wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum ranging from gamma-rays, through x-rays and ultraviolet to infrared and radio. They reveal cauldrons of starbirth, exploding stars, neutron stars and black holes. Most exciting are Gamma-ray Bursters—cosmic flashes as bright as a million trillion Suns. In this program, we learn more about visible light (7 colors and...