Cosmic Queries: Telescopes

Post Date: 20 November 2012

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Season 3, Episode 20

Image Credit: NASA.

In this Cosmic Queries episode, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Colin Jost answer fan questions about telescopes. How large can telescopes be? Could we invent a telescope to observe gravity or dark energy? How would our sun look from a telescope near Deneb? Can amateur astronomers access big observatories or the Hubble? From Arecibo to Atacama, you’ll learn how radio and microwave telescopes work, and why we don’t get nuked making microwave popcorn. Find out why Neil is determined to save the James Webb Space Telescope by “kicking some congressional butt.” Finally, explore the future: a giant array of telescopes floating in space, held in position by laser telemetry, with a baseline wider than Earth’s diameter. Because, as Neil says, “When it comes to telescopes, size matters.”

Co-Host:
Colin Jost, comedian

Music:
Klaus Badelt- Pirates
Selections from “Two Steps to Hell”
Immediate Music – Rising Empire
X-Ray Dog – Here Comes the King
Two Steps from Hell – Heart Courage
Vangelis – Mythodea

12 Responses to Cosmic Queries: Telescopes

Dionel A. Caban on

i live about 30 minutes aways from the Arecibo Observatory :)

Shervin on

The show is too short :-(
I wish it was longer. 40 min with commercials is way too short

Jeff on

Dionel, I (Jeff) have been to Arecibo, and it was an amazing sight in person. We had to drive through a rain forest to get there. Of course, that was nearly 20 years ago. I imagine the area has changed since then.

Jeff on

Shervin, we agree!

Ryan on

Neil, was the failure of the International Virtual Repository political or technical?

Also, where can we get more information about those large-diameter telescopes that sync up via laser?

Thanks! And thank you for your congressional battles.

Zach on

I just checked and the website colinjost.com has completely gone to waste! That’s too bad…

Zach on

Also, Dr. Tyson, you ought to check out Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope! It’s awesome and pretty much exactly what you were talking about.

Miles on

PLEASE GET RID OF EUGENE MIRMAN. HE IS NOT FUNNY AT ALL.

Larry Olson on

I learned a lot about telescopes thank you for the show.

The crater telescope is most interesting and I would like to see it and visit it.

Dylan on

please get louis ck on the show as your comedian perspective!

Donna on

Eugene M. Is very funny.. I like him

Jerome on

I’m from Belgium, Europe, and i love this show! Greets! :D

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