Johns Hopkins University (JHU) continues to pad its space community résumé with their interactive map, “The map of the observable Universe”, that takes viewers on a 13.7-billion-year-old tour of the cosmos from the present to the moments after the Big Bang. While JHU is responsible for creating the site, additional contributions were made by NASA, the European Space Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the Sloan Foundation.
Planning ahead is something astronomy and space exploration excels at. Decadal surveys and years of engineering effort for missions give the field a much longer time horizon than many others. In the near future, scientists know there will be plenty of opportunities to search for biosignatures everywhere from nearby ocean worlds (i.e. Titan) to far away potentially habitable exoplanets. But it’s not clear what those biosignatures would look like. After all, currently there is only Earth’s biosphere to study, and it would be unfortunate to miss hints of another just because it didn’t look like those found on Earth. Now a team led by researchers at the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) have come up with a framework that could help scientists look for biosignatures that might be completely different from those found on Earth.
P>
The supertelescopes are coming, enormous ground and space-based observatories that’ll let us directly observe the atmospheres of distant worlds. We know there’s life on Earth, and our atmosphere tells the tale, so can we do the same thing with extrasolar planets? It turns out, coming up with a single biosignature, a chemical in the atmosphere that tells you that yes, absolutely, there’s life on that world, is really tough. Support us at: More stories at: Twitter: @universetoday Facebook: Instagram - Our Book is out! Support us at:Patreon Follow us on Tumblr: : More stories at Universetoday's Twitter Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 References: First Map of an Exoplanet Atmosphere 'Warm Neptune' Has Unexpectedly Primitive Atmosphere Probing Seven Worlds with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope I’ve got to admit, I’ve been pretty bad for this in the past. In old episodes of Astronomy Cast and the Weekly Space Hangout, even here in the Guide to Space, I’ve said that if we could just sample the atmosphere of a distant world, we could say with conviction if there’s life there. Just detect ozone in the atmosphere, or methane, or even pollution and you could say, “there’s life there.” Well, future Fraser is here to correct past Fraser. While I admire his naive enthusiasm for the search for aliens, it turns out, as always, things are going to be more difficult than we previously thought. Astrobiologists are actually struggling to figure out a single smoking gun biosignature that could be used to say there’s life out there. And that’s because natural processes seem to have clever ways of fooling us. What are some potential biosignatures, why are they problematic, and what will it take to get that confirmation?
Premiered Nov 7, 2024 #Exoplanets #LifeBeyondEarth #SpaceExploration Could we finally be on the brink of discovering life beyond Earth? In this captivating episode of "Odyssey of Empires," we delve into the race to uncover biosignatures—those tantalizing clues that could reveal hidden life on alien worlds. From thermodynamic miracles to detecting methane and oxygen imbalances, scientists are pushing the boundaries of what's possible. But what challenges stand in the way of finding these elusive signs? And could a “false positive” fool us into believing we’re not alone? Join us as we explore: The incredible technology behind next-gen space telescopes 🔭 The intense debate over what qualifies as a biosignature 🌱 How atmospheric “fingerprints” could reveal alien life 🌌 Two jaw-dropping scenarios that could lead to “false positives” 🛑 Are we ready for the truth? *Like & Subscribe* to "Odyssey of Empires" and join us as we explore the universe’s deepest mysteries! Music Licenced by #AlienLife #Biosignatures #SpaceExploration #Exoplanets #LifeBeyondEarth #SpaceTelescopes #AlienWorlds #AreWeAlone #ScientificDiscovery #ThermodynamicMiracles
Example of a power law distribution. Lower values on the x-axis (sizes of particles in this case) lead to large quantities (y-axis). Credit – Hay Kranen / PD / Wikipedia
P>
There are few places in the Solar System which are as fascinating as Saturn’s moon Titan. It’s a world with a thicker atmosphere than Earth. Where it’s so cold that it rains ammonia, forming lakes, rivers and seas. Where water ice forms mountains. Like Europa and Encleadus, Titan could have an interior ocean of liquid water too, a place where there might be life. Titan’s got layers, and fortunately, there’s an awesome new mission in the works to explore it: the Titan Dragonfly mission. Links to episodes I mention: - Drilling under the ice on Europa - Everyday Astronaut talks about Titan Dragonfly Missions to Titan - Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: What Fraser's Watching Playlist: Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Support us at:Support us at: Follow us on Tumblr: : More stories at Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com /Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 References: NASA SOLAR ECPLORATION TITAN NASA SOLAR ECPLORATION CASSINI NASA-USGS Landsat 8 Satellite Pinpoints Coldest Spots on Earth NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Titan NASA's Dragonfly Will Fly Around Titan Looking for Origins, Signs of Life
#JWST #KardashevScale #Exoplanets Exploring Extraterrestrial Technosignatures with Dr. Ravi Kopparapu | How do we Detect Alien Civilizations? Dr. Kopparapu discusses how gases like CF4, C2F6, C3F8, SF6, and NF3 could indicate an extraterrestrial civilization's efforts to intentionally modify their climate, either to prevent a snowball state or to terraform a planet. These gases, which are detectable in the thermal mid-infrared range, offer strong signatures that could be identified using powerful instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) or through direct imaging with future missions such as the LIFE concept, making them more easily detectable than traditional biosignatures during planetary characterizations. We also explore the intriguing possibility of detecting silicon-based solar panels on an Earth-like exoplanet as another form of technosignature. Dr. Kopparapu explains how large telescopes could identify the reflective properties of these photovoltaic cells, even though it would require significant observation time. This discussion extends to the broader implications of energy usage by advanced civilizations, considering concepts like the Kardashev scale and Dyson spheres, which theorize the vast amounts of energy that such civilizations might harness. Artificial Greenhouse Gases as Exoplanet Technosignatures https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.11149"> Detectability of Solar Panels as a Technosignature https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.04560"> #Exoplanets #Technosignatures #JWST #AlienLife #RaviKopparapu #Astrobiology #SpaceExploration #KardashevScale #Terraforming #CosmicDiscovery Youtube Membership Podcast: Apple: More JMG Want to support the channel? : Patreon Follow us at other places! @JMGEventHorizon Music featured on Event Horizon Stellardrone Bandcamp Miguel Johnson Leerosevere bandcamp Aeriumambient Bandcamp FOOTAGE: NASA ESA/Hubble ESO - M.Kornmesser ESO - L.Calcada ESO - Jose Francisco Salgado (josefrancisco.org) NAOJ University of Warwick Goddard Visualization Studio Langley Research Center Pixabay
To date, astronomers have discovered 4,164 extrasolar planets in 3,085 star systems, with another 5,347 awaiting confirmation. With this many planets available for study, researchers have been able to apply new constraints on how likely habitable planets are. In fact, the latest estimates say there could be 6 billion in the Milky Way alone! Understandably, these discoveries have renewed interest in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). But whereas the search for habitable planets is focused on finding evidence of biological processes (aka. “biosignatures”), SETI has historically been focused on evidence of technological activity – aka. “technosignatures.” With a grant from NASA, researchers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and the University of Rochester are gearing up for a new study that will look for different kinds of potential technosignatures.
Human activity is a major cause of air pollution, much of which results from industrial processes. Credit: cherwell.org
Visualization of the hole in the ozone layer caused by CFCs. Credit: NPP OMPS/SSAI/Aura OMI/Suomi NPP/NASA/NOAA/DoD
Visualization of the hole in the ozone layer caused by CFCs. Credit: NPP OMPS/SSAI/Aura OMI/Suomi NPP/NASA/NOAA/DoD
Artistic representations of a Clarke exobelt with a portrait of Sir Arthur C. Clarke in the background. Credit: Caro Waro (@carwaro).
Midwestern sky at night Credit: : NASA’s Earth Observatory The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) has long roots in human history. With the advent of modern technologies, scientists were finally able to start scanning the skies for any sign of life. When the search first started back in the 1960s, it focused almost exclusively on trying to detect radio signals. Over the decades, no irrefutable evidence of any artificial radio signals was ever found. Financial support started to drift away from the discipline, and where the money goes so do many scientists.
<>
Support us at: More stories at: Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Follow us on Tumblr: Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain Jason Harmer - @jasoncharmer Susie Murph - @susiemmurph Brian Koberlein - @briankoberlein Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com Kevin Gill - @kevinmgill Created by: Fraser Cain and Jason Harmer Edited by: Chad Weber Music: Left Spine Down - “X-Ray” ____________________
Should We Reply? AI Detects Radio Signals Coming from Alien Civilizations. The biggest challenge in looking for SETI signals is not at this point getting the data, but differentiating signals from human, or Earth technology, from the kind of signals we’d be looking for from technology somewhere else out in the Galaxy. And, going through millions of observations manually isn’t practical. The solution? Artificial Intelligence. And, a new machine learning method has found eight previously undetected “signals of interest” and they are very, very interesting. Look up! Don't Miss this Rare 'Green' Comet Returning After 50,000 Years! #alien #mystery #signal #space Join Lab360 to get access to some amazing perks: Subscribe: Welcome to Lab 360! The ultimate destination for the latest space news and space documentaries from the world of astronomy and astrophysics. Stay updated with all the current discoveries from NASA, James Webb Space Telescope, along with easily explained videos on black holes, asteroids, galaxies, planets, and more.
In fact, the far side of the Moon might make one of the best platforms we have for radio telescopes. One side of the Moon is completely blocked from Earth’s constantly increasing radio traffic, giving it the perfect view to the most sensitive radio signals in the Universe. Our Book is out! Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Support us at:Support us at: Follow us on Tumblr: : More stories at Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com /Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - References: FARSIDE: A Low Radio Frequency Interferometric Array on the Lunar Farside(PDF) Chrome browser blocks (??) PLANCK SCIENCE TEAM HOME nasa.gov firstlight MIT K–12 STEM Lesson Plans There’s Now an Operational Radio Telescope on the Far Side of the Moon
Support us at:Support us at: Follow us on Tumblr: : More stories at Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com /Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 Music: Left Spine Down - “X-Ray”
People always ask me how I think humanity will react if we discover life somewhere out there in the Universe, whether it’s bacteria under the surface of Mars, a biosignature of alien life in the atmosphere of another world, or a radio signal from another civilization. Will our civilization lose its collective mind and have a temper tantrum on a global scale? Will we become one of those purge planets from Rick and Morty? Will the discovery suddenly end all religion, as we wait for guidance from our new alien overlords? Will we gather together as a species to present a common front to whatever cosmic horrors await us beyond the Solar System? In my opinion, if I could sum up the collective response in a single word, it would be: meh. Our Book is out! Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Support us at:Support us at: Follow us on Tumblr: : More stories at Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain Jason Harmer - @jasoncharmer Susie Murph - @susiemmurph Brian Koberlein - @briankoberlein Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com Kevin Gill - @kevinmgill Created by: Fraser Cain and Jason Harmer Edited by: Chad Weber References: When – or if – NASA finds life on Mars, the world may not be ready for the discovery, the agency chief says Mars and Its Canals by Percival Lowell Mars as the abode of life I’m Convinced We Found Evidence of Life on Mars in the 1970s A. What is ALH 84001, the Mars meteorite with the possible fossils?
It’s hard to really wrap your mind around the vast distances between stars. The fastest spacecraft ever launched into an interstellar trajectory right now is Voyager 1. If it was directed at the nearest star, it would take tens of thousands of years to make the journey across the interstellar gulf. Even so, groups like Breakthrough Starshot and Icarus Interstellar are working on plans right now to try and send spacecraft to other stars, ideally within our lifetimes. But we can see how quickly technology is advancing all around us, from materials science to high energy physics, not to mention reusable rockets. It seems reasonable to ask, should we invest in an interstellar mission now, or wait a few decades or even centuries for better technology to come along which could make the trip much shorter? Watch Chris Hadfield's video: Our Book is out! Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Support us at:Support us at: Follow us on Tumblr: : More stories at Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain Jason Harmer - @jasoncharmer Susie Murph - @susiemmurph Brian Koberlein - @briankoberlein Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com Kevin Gill - @kevinmgill Created by: Fraser Cain and Jason Harmer Edited by: Chad Weber References: Breakthrough starshot Life unbounded Blog Interstellar Travel - The Wait Calculation and the Incentive Trap of Progress
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter shows the Moon has some pretty unusual features! WORLD OF WARSHIPS link: Register to receive a bunch of bonuses when you use code BATTLESTATIONS2020. Applicable to new users only. Want the episode playlist? Want to explore the 3D model of the Moon with Quickmap? Want to explore some of the LRO images yourself? SUBSCRIBE for more videos about our other planets. Subscribe! Facebook! VCFEJS Donate Patreon: Ethereum Wallet: 0x5F8cf793962ae8Df4Cba017E7A6159a104744038 Become a Patron today and support Astrum! Donate link above. I can't do it without you. Patreons can help pick the next Astrum Answers in a fortnightly poll. Thanks to those who have supported so far! Astrum Hindi: Astrum Spanish: Image Credits: NASA/LRO Music Credits: Stellardrone - Eternity
Join Fraser Cain and Pamela Gay for a live episode of Astronomy Cast. We'll record our 30-minute show, and then stay tuned for them to answer questions! ****************************************** Want to support CosmoQuest? Here are specific ways you can help: ► Subscribe to our podcasts Astronomy Cast and Daily Space where ever you get your podcasts! ► Watch our streams over on Twitch atfollow and subscribe! - ► Subscribe to our YouTube channel at ► Become a Patreon of CosmoQuest ► Become a Patreon of Astronomy Cast ► Sponsor 365 Days of Astronomy ► Buy stuff from our Redbubble ► Help us find sponsors by sharing our program and fundraising efforts through your networks - ► Join our Discord server for CosmoQuest ► Join the Weekly Space Hangout Crew! - ► A combination of the above!
The distances to other stars are depressingly enormous. Sure, it’s incredibly far to get to Mars, Jupiter, and even Pluto, but at least you can design a robotic spacecraft to make the journey and see the science results in your own lifetime. But in the case of other stars, interstellar flight times will take thousands and even tens of thousands of years to send just a robotic mission. Fortunately, the Milky Way has got our back. Other star systems have been hurling comets and asteroids towards the Solar System. All we’ve got to do… is catch them. Our Book is out! Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Weekly Space Hangout: Astronomy Cast References: New formation theory explains the mysterious interstellar object ‘Oumuamua ALMA Reveals Unusual Composition of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov ESA’s new mission to intercept a comet Dynamic Orbital Slingshot for Rendezvous with Interstellar Objects Project Lyra: Sending a Spacecraft to 1I/’Oumuamua (former A/2017 U1), the Interstellar Asteroid (pdf) Blocked by chrome browser (??) Catching The Next Interstellar Asteroid Or Comet. ESA's Comet Interceptor Mission
This week I'll be talking Dr. Seth Shostak from the SETI Institute about his work searching the Universe for evidence of extraterrestrials. Our Book is out! Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Weekly Space Hangout: Astronomy Cast Support us at:Support us at: Follow us on Tumblr: : More stories at Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain Jason Harmer - @jasoncharmer Susie Murph - @susiemmurph Brian Koberlein - @briankoberlein Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com Kevin Gill - @kevinmgill Created by: Fraser Cain and Jason Harmer Edited by: Chad Weber
Head to to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code eventhorizon Did We Find Them? 8 Candidate Alien Signals Found with a new AI Algorithm by SETI. A deep-learning search for technosignatures of 820 nearby stars (PDF) Youtube Membership Podcast: Apple: More JMG Want to support the channel? : Patreon Follow us at other places! @JMGEventHorizon Music featured on Event Horizon Stellardrone Bandcamp Miguel Johnson Leerosevere bandcamp Aeriumambient Bandcamp FOOTAGE: NASA ESA/Hubble ESO - M.Kornmesser ESO - L.Calcada ESO - Jose Francisco Salgado (josefrancisco.org) NAOJ University of Warwick Goddard Visualization Studio Langley Research Center Pixabay
Artist’s conception of sunrise on one of the Trappist worlds. Credit – NASA
We've been so busy wondering how we'll find aliens that we never stopped to consider what we'll do if we actually encounter them. How does an alien discovery get communicated to the media? Who's responsible to craft a response? Reference: Scientists in US are urged to seek contact with aliens Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Support us at:Support us at: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com /Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 Music: Left Spine Down - “X-Ray” Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / Karla Thompson's youtube channel Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com
Graphical depiction of building the case for a life detection. Credit – NASA / Aaron Gronstal
In this week's questions show, I explain why we'd be able to recognize aliens, even if they were vastly more technologically advanced than us. Why I don't do any promotional ads on my videos, and if we have any examples of energy turning into matter. 00:00 Start 01:09 Can we actually recognize aliens? 04:18 Why don't I have sponsors? 06:33 Could we detect light pollution? 08:36 Can energy turn into matter? 10:18 How do we measure the age of the solar system? 12:52 What other prototypes will we need for Mars? 16:26 Can we extend the life of the Sun? 21:10 Is it time to map Mars? 23:43 Are there ultraviolet telescopes? 25:43 What would Starship be used for? 28:01 Can we match velocity with other stars? 29:50 Do we know the rate of the Universe's expansion? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here. 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: iTunes: Spotify 🚀 EMAIL NEWSLETTER: ════════════════════════════════════ Read by 50,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe Free: 🚀 OTHER PODCASTS: ════════════════════════════════════ Weekly Space Hangout: Weekly news roundup with Fraser, special guests, and other space journalists. RSS: iTunes: YouTube: Astronomy Cast: Award-winning, long-running deep dive into space and astronomy with Fraser and Dr. Pamela Gay. RSS: iTunes: YouTube: 🚀 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: ════════════════════════════════════ Patreon: 🚀 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA: ════════════════════════════════════ Twitter: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Twitch: 🚀 CONTACT FRASER: ════════════════════════════════════ CONTACT FRASER: via Email: 🚀 LICENSE: ════════════════════════════════════ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
In this week's episode, I answer questions about alien life, why the ISS is at its current altitude, and of course, many questions about black holes. 00:00 Start 00:11 How do we know it's life? 02:00 Could smaller planets form directly? 04:33 Any way to service Hubble? 05:55 Boost the station up? What does that mean? 07:18 If you went the speed of light to 10 light-years away... 08:40 Will we change our DNA? 11:34 Is Paul really a Doctor? 15:13 Have any stars gotten closer than Alpha Centauri? 16:13 Why can't you escape an event horizon? 17:30 Are black holes a singularity? 19:44 Why have we found so many hot Jupiters? 22:25 Why is ISS at its current altitude? Want to be part of the questions show? Ask a short question on any video on my channel. I gather a bunch up each week and answer them here. Our Book is out! Audio Podcast versions: ITunes: RSS: Universetoday's youtube channel Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Weekly Space Hangout: Astronomy Cast: Support us at:Support us at: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com /Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 Music: Left Spine Down - “X-Ray” Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / Karla Thompson's youtube channel Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com
People always ask me how I think humanity will react if we discover life somewhere out there in the Universe, whether it’s bacteria under the surface of Mars, a biosignature of alien life in the atmosphere of another world, or a radio signal from another civilization. Will our civilization lose its collective mind and have a temper tantrum on a global scale? Will we become one of those purge planets from Rick and Morty? Will the discovery suddenly end all religion, as we wait for guidance from our new alien overlords? Will we gather together as a species to present a common front to whatever cosmic horrors await us beyond the Solar System? In my opinion, if I could sum up the collective response in a single word, it would be: meh. Our Book is out! Audio Podcast versions: ITunes: RSS: What is Fraser's Watching Playlist: Sign up to my weekly email newsletter: Weekly Space Hangout: Astronomy Cast: Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Support us at:Support us at: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com /Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 Music: Left Spine Down - “X-Ray” Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com Karla Thompson - @karlaii / Karla Thompson's youtube channel Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com
Concept image showing different types of possible technosignature signals. Credit – Haqq-Misra et al.
Are we alone in the Universe? It’s one of the most difficult and important questions that humanity can ask. As Arthur C. Clarke noted, it’s equally terrifying whether the answer is yes or no. So if you’re going to find evidence of extraterrestrial civilizations, you want to be absolutely certain about your evidence. You want to find “technosignatures”, unmistakable proof that aliens are out there. Read the report: Audio Podcast version: ITunes: RSS: ITunes: Video Podcast version: What is Fraser's Watching Playlist: Follow us on Twitter: @universetoday Like us on Facebook: Instagram - Support us at:Support us at: Instagram - Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com /Karla Thompson - @karlaii Chad Weber - Chloe Cain - Instagram: @chloegwen2001 References: NASA TECHNOSIGNATURES 2018 conference NASA and the Search for Technosignatures: A Report from the NASA Technosignatures Workshop
My guest today is Dr. Chenoa Tremblay, a Post Doctoral Researcher at the SETI Institute. Dr. Tremblay and her team used the Murchison Widefield Array to scan the core of the Milky Way for any sign of signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. Dr. Chenoa Tremblay, a Post Doctoral Researcher at the SETI Institute. (TWITTER) 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: iTunes: Spotify 🚀 EMAIL NEWSLETTER: ════════════════════════════════════ Read by 50,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe Free: 🚀 OTHER PODCASTS: ════════════════════════════════════ Weekly Space Hangout: Weekly news roundup with Fraser, special guests, and other space journalists. RSS: iTunes: YouTube: Astronomy Cast: Award-winning, long-running deep dive into space and astronomy with Fraser and Dr. Pamela Gay. RSS: iTunes: YouTube: 🚀 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: ════════════════════════════════════ Patreon: 🚀 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA: ════════════════════════════════════ Twitter: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Twitch: 🚀 CONTACT FRASER: ════════════════════════════════════ CONTACT FRASER: via Email: 🚀 LICENSE: ════════════════════════════════════ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
Poster Describing LUVOIR, one of the new generation observatories that could potentially detect Technosignatures. Credit – NASA / GSFC
James Webb is the most expensive and most advanced telescope in human history. Will it be worth its $10B price? What it will discover? How long will JWST last? Will it ever be serviced? All the answers are in this episode of The Big Q. 00:00 Intro 00:39 How JWST came together. 02:58 The telescope that ate astronomy. 04:36 Leading to launch. 06:08 Staying at the L2 Lagrange point. 07:09 Infrared spectrum observations. What will JWST see? 11:06 Potential targets for JWST. 15:12 What is Fraser most excited about? 16:53 What will the pictures look like? 18:12 How long will JWST last? 20:30 Even more info about JWST? 21:14 Outro Interview with Noble Prize Laureate John Mather Interview with Dr. Klaus Pontoppidan Host: Fraser Cain Producer: Anton Pozdnyakov Editing: Artem Pozdnyakov Video credits: NASA, ESO, Arianespace, Spitzer 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: ════════════════════════════════════ 🚀 OUR WEBSITE: 🚀 PODCAST LINKS: ════════════════════════════════════ RSS: iTunes: Spotify 🚀 EMAIL NEWSLETTER: ════════════════════════════════════ Read by 50,000 people every Friday. Written by Fraser. No ads. Subscribe Free: 🚀 OTHER PODCASTS: ════════════════════════════════════ Weekly Space Hangout: Weekly news roundup with Fraser, special guests, and other space journalists. RSS: iTunes: YouTube: Astronomy Cast: Award-winning, long-running deep dive into space and astronomy with Fraser and Dr. Pamela Gay. RSS: iTunes: YouTube: 🚀 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: ════════════════════════════════════ Patreon: 🚀 OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA: ════════════════════════════════════ Twitter: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Twitch: 🚀 CONTACT FRASER: ════════════════════════════════════ CONTACT FRASER: via Email: 🚀 LICENSE: ════════════════════════════════════ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) You are free to use my work for any purpose you like, just mention me as the source and link back to this video.
Artist’s impression of the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa, and the Breakthrough Listen compute cluster, scanning the sky for possible signals (represented as binary codes) from extraterrestrial intelligence. Credit: Danielle Futselaar / Breakthrough Listen / SARAO.
Aerial photo of part of the MeerKAT array. Credit: South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).
The Drake equation. N = the number of civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy with which communication might be possible; R? = rate of star formation in our Galaxy; fp = the number of stars that have planets; ne = the number of planets that could support life per star; fl = the number of planets that actually develop life; fi = the number of planets with intelligent life; fc = the fraction of civilizations that release detectable technosignatures; L = the length of time that those civilizations release detectable signals.
At twin ground-breaking ceremonies today in South Africa and Australia, project leaders formally marked the start of construction on what will be the largest radio telescope ever built. Dubbed the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO) – referring to the total area the antennas and dishes will cover when complete – the telescope is not a single detector but rather a collection of them, connected across two continents using a technique known as interferometry (the same technique used by the Event Horizon Telescope, which took the first ever photograph of a black hole in 2019).
A composite image of the future SKA telescopes, blending the future SKA-Mid dishes with existing MeerKAT dishes in South Africa., and the future SKA-Low stations blended with existing AAVS2.0 prototypes in Australia. Credit: SKAO.
After 18 months of global procurement and construction activities around the world, on 5 December 2022 the SKAO enters a new era by officially marking the start of SKA construction at the telescope sites in Australia and South Africa! Watch our film with contributions from partners across the SKA world who are part of the construction effort. Music SONG Tokyo Rain-6556 ARTIST Marcus Warner ALBUM 39 Seconds LICENSES Get YouTube Premium Music
Visit to get started learning STEM for free, and the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual premium subscription. #jwst #life #exoplanets “The Conversation” article by Dr Jo Barstow that inspired this video More about Dr Jo Barstow - Follow Jo on Twitter - Follow Jo on Mastodon - NASA's JWST blog: JWST's weekly observing schedule: JWST raw data archive access (public images and spectra available to download free) Alderson et al. (2022; SO2 found in WASP-39b with JWST) - Lyons et al. (2022; history of Oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere review) - Holland et al. (2006; oxygen levels in Earth’s atmosphere with time) - Greaves et al. (2021; phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere) - Sousa-Silva et al. (2020; phosphine as a biosignature) - Huang et al. (2022; ammonia as a biosignature) - Thompson et al. (2022; methane as a biosignature) - Barstow & Irwin (2016; expectations for JWST and the TRAPPIST-1 system) - Barstow et al. (2016; telling the difference between Venus-like and Earth-like exoplanets) - Mikal-Evans et al. (2022; HST phase curve of WASP-121b) Phosphine on Venus Night Sky News video - 00:00 - Introduction 00:46 - What is a biosignature and how do we find them? 03:11 - 1) Oxygen & Ozone 04:53 - 2) Phosphine & Ammonia 07:04 - 3) Methane & Carbon Dioxide 08:13 - 4) Unexpected molecule combinations 09:58- Chat with Dr Jo Barstow (where & when will we find biosignatures with JWST?) 16:16 - Outro 16:45 - Brilliant 18:02 - Bloopers
The Green Bank Telescope is the world’s largest, fully-steerable telescope. A team from UCLA used it to search for possible extraterrestrial signals from advanced civilizations "out there." Credit: NRAO/AUI/NSF
The “microwave window” as seen from Earth. This is the frequency range through which we might be able to detect technosignatures from distant advanced civilizations. Courtesy: NASA.
Project Ozma used a telescope at Green Bank Observatory in 1960 to detect radio signals from advanced civilizations scientists thought might exist around the stars Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani. This was one of the first attempts at such a search. Courtesy: NRAO/SETI Institute.
Artist’s impression of Green Bank Telescope connected to a machine learning network. Credit: Breakthrough Listen/Danielle Futselaar.
In this short video explainer, Universe Today publisher Fraser Cain investigates the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). How could we find and communicate with other civilizations?
Aerial image of the South African MeerKAT radio telescope, part of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA). Credit: SKA
A composite image of the future SKA telescopes, including the SKA-Mid and SKA-Low stations in Australia with the precursor MeerKAT telescope dishes in South Africa. Credit: SKAO
In a recent study published in The Astronomical Journal, a researcher from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) discusses the potential reasons why we haven’t received technoemission, also called technosignatures, from an extraterrestrial intelligence during the 60 years that SETI has been searching, along with recommending additional methods as to how we can continue to search for such emissions.
Image of radio telescopes at the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array near Socorro, New Mexico, scanning the heavens for extraterrestrial technoemissions. (Credit: Jeff Hellermann/National Radio Astronomy Observatory/Associated Universities, Inc./National Science Foundation)
Image of the Allen Telescope Array in Hat Creek, CA, scanning the skies for signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. (Credit: Seth Shostak/SETI Institute)
Recently, an international team of researchers from the SETI Institute, Breakthrough Listen, and multiple universities scanned twelve exoplanets for signs of technological activity (aka "technosignatures"). Their observations were timed to coincide with the planets passing in front of their sun relative to the observer (i.e., making a transit). While the survey did not detect any definitive evidence of technosignatures, they did identify two radio signals of interest that warrant follow-up observation. This new technique could vastly expand the field of SETI and create all kinds of opportunities for future research. The team was led by Sofia Z. Sheikh, a graduate student with the SETI Institute and Berkeley SETI Research Center (UC Berkeley), and other members of a graduate SETI program run by the Penn State Extraterrestrial Intelligence Center (PSETIC). They were joined by teams from Breakthrough Listen, the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds (CEHW), the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), and multiple universities and research institutes . The paper that details their research is scheduled to be published in The Astronomical Journal. The search for radio signals has been an established SETI convention since the first survey was conducted in 1961 . This was Project Ozma, led by the late and legendary Cornell astrophysicist Frank Drake, for whom the Drake Equation is named. In recent years, the field of SETI has expanded considerably, with next-generation radio telescopes and new data analysis techniques (many of which incorporate machine learning) have become available. The kinds of technosignatures researchers could look for are also expanding, with proposals ranging from directed energy and neutrinos to gravitational waves. Visit our website for up-to the minute update: www.nasaspacenews.com Follow us Facebook: Twitter Join this channel to get access to perks: / @nasaspacenewsagency #NSN #NASA #exoplanet #radialvelocity
Today's video is inspired from the recent passing of Frank Drake who came up with the famous Drake Equation in the 1960's. I'll also be discussing the Fermi Paradox and the question it poses and how that relates to the Drake Equation. 0:00 Intro 0:18 Fermi Paradox 1:09 Drake Equation 2:22 Breaking Down the Equation 5:23 What's the answer? 6:35 Drake's Estimated Values 7:36 Drake's Legacy Thanks to: Internet Archive (Harvard Project Physics) And the following Pixabay creators: Relaxing_Guru emirhan bal mike lacoste Christian Bodhi Alexandr Potapov Cliply Socialz (come say hi): Instagram Twitter: FaceBook: www.marionkerr.com
Dr. Frank Drake (1930 -2022). Credit: Danielle Futselaar
The (former)Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico and infographic of the Arecibo Message (left). Credit: Seth Shostak/SETI Institute/Associated Pres
Frank Drake by the Green Bank Telescope. Credit: NRAO/NSF/AUI
The Drake Equation, a mathematical formula for the probability of finding life or advanced civilizations in the Universe. Credit: University of Rocheste
This artist's illustration shows a hypothetical Earth-like inhabited planet being terraformed with artificial greenhouse gases. We could detect these chemicals with infrared spectroscopy. Image Credit: Sohail Wasif, UC Riverside/Schwieterman et al. 2024
This artist’s illustration shows the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f, a potentially rocky Super-Earth orbiting in a red dwarf’s habitable zone. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
These figures show some of the simulation transmission spectra from the research. The top panel shows how different concentrations of three of the GHGs show up in MIR spectrometry for a simulated Earth-like TRAPPIST 1-f planet. The bottom panel shows how different concentrations of NF3 show up. O3 is shown because it shows up in the same band. The black line is the atmospheric spectrum without the GHGs. The 100 ppm results are from observing the planet for 10 transits. Image Credit: Schwieterman et al. 2024.
These figures show some of the simulated emission spectra for the GHGs compared to Earth with no technosignatures. They also show some of the technosignatures at different PPM concentrations and Earth’s O3, CO2, and H20. The spectra are different than the transmission spectra. Image Credit: Schwieterman et al. 2024.
This artist’s illustration shows LIFE’s four telescopes and its central unit acting as an interferometer. Interferometers create a large and powerful “virtual telescope.” Image Credit: LIFE/ETH Zurich
This concept figure illustrates a hypothetical Earth-like inhabited planet terraformed with various combined abundances of artificial greenhouse gases C3F8, C2F6, and SF6 and its resulting qualitative MIR transmission (top) and emission (bottom) spectra. Image Credit: Sohail Wasif, UC Riverside/Schwieterman et al. 2024.
P>
P>