Astronomy 101, with Emily Rice

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About This Episode

Are you ready for Astronomy 101? On this episode of StarTalk All-Stars, astrophysicist and host Dr. Emily Rice and comic co-host Harrison Greenbaum answer fan-submitted Cosmic Queries on the basics of astronomy….and a little more. Explore dark matter: the basic definition of what it is, if it’s possible that it’s bleeding into our universe from another dimension, if it’s evenly distributed throughout the universe, what experiments are being held to try and understand dark matter, and how long Emily thinks it will be until the mystery of dark matter is solved. You’ll hear about Hawking radiation and entropy. You’ll learn about Stephen Hawking’s time spent helping create his character on The Simpsons. You’ll also learn about the expansion of the universe and if galaxies themselves are being stretched or condensed. Discover more about the James Webb Space Telescope and what its capabilities will be once it’s launched. You’ll also hear about exoplanets, spectroscopy, and what’s happening at the forefront of exoplanet research. All that, plus, re-visit TRAPPIST-1, investigate the transit-timing variation, and, last, but not least, find out if space has a smell.