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PBS Space Time

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PBS Space Time
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  • PBS Space Time

    RECENT DISCOVERY About Supermassive Black Holes Explained!

    2026-10-15 | 17 mins.
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    Astrophysicists have discovered a black hole that for millions of years has been blasting vast particle beams in opposite directions across the sky. And has recently swiveled to point its one of these jets directly at us. Is this an intergalactic death ray of an alien civilization that has suddenly noticed us? Absolutely not, and there’s no danger at all. But it’s a pretty cool phenomenon anyway, and something we’ve never seen before.

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    Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
    Written by Matt O'Dowd
    Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Pedro Osinski, Caique Oliveira, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria
    Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
    Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour
    Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber
    Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
    Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
    Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

    Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
    This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
    © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved.

    End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

    Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

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    Mark Rosenthal

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    Marc Armstrong
    Scott Gorlick
    Paul Stehr-Green
    Ben Delo
    Scott Gray
    Антон Кочков
    John R. Slavik
    Donal Botkin
    John Pollock
    Edmund Fokschaner
    chuck zegar
    Jordan Young
    Daniel Muzquiz

    Gamma Ray Burst
    Matthew Oldfield
    Lucas Kazakevicius
    Massimiliano Pala
    Thomas Nielson
    Joe Pavlovic
    Ryan McGaughy
    Chuck Lukaszewski
    Edward Hodapp
    Cole Combs
    Andrea Galvagni
    Jerry Thomas
    Nikhil Sharma
    Ryan Moser
    Jonathan Cordovano
    John Anderson
    David Giltinan
    Scott Hannum
    Bradley Ulis
    Craig Falls
    Kane Holbrook
    Ross Story
    Teng Guo
    Mason Dillon
    Matt Langford
    Harsh Khandhadia
    Thomas Tarler
    Susan Albee
    Frank Walker
    Matt Quinn
    Michael Lev
    Terje Vold
    James Trimmier
    Andre Stechert
    Paul Wood
    Kent Durham
    jim bartosh

    Ramon Nogueira
    Paul Suchy
    Ellis Hall
    John H. Austin, Jr.
    Diana S Poljar
    Faraz Khan
    Almog Cohen
    Alex Edwards
    Daniel Jennings
    Cameron Sampson
    Russ Creech
    Jeremy Reed
    David Johnston
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    Andrew Mann
    Isaac Suttell
    Bleys Goodson
    Robert Walter
    Mirik Gogri
    Mark Delagasse
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    Nickolas Andrew Freeman
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    Tybie Fitzhugh
    Robert Ilardi
    Eric Kiebler
    Craig Stonaha
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    John Robinson
    Jim Hudson
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  • PBS Space Time

    Does Antimatter Yield Anti-Gravity?

    2026-10-15 | 20 mins.
    Learn More About 80,000 Hours at: https://www.80000hours.org/spacetime

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    From hoverboards to flying cars to cloud cities, anti-gravity is a staple of science fiction and our dream of a less Earth-bound future. But in the real universe gravity appears to be a purely attractive force. Feels like its main MO is keeping us stuck to the surface of this lonely rock. But maybe if we science hard enough we can remove the fiction from science fiction. For the sake of our flying cars we should at least try. And for many years, physicists have wondered whether a certain well-known exotic material may experience gravitational repulsion from the Earth. That material is antimatter, and physicists at CERN have just completed a very long and very difficult experiment to answer a seemingly simple question: does antimatter fall down, or does it fall up?

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    Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
    Written by Christopher Pollack & Matt O'Dowd
    Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria
    Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
    Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour
    Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber
    Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
    Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
    Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

    Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
    This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
    © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved.

    End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

    Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

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    Ross Story
    teng guo
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  • PBS Space Time

    What If Gravity Remains Non-Quantum?

    2026-10-15 | 21 mins.
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    The holy grail of theoretical physics is to come up with a quantum theory of gravity. But after a century of trying we really have no idea how close we are, or it it's even possible. But we shouldn't feel bad because it turns out that the universe is doing everything it its power to make this as difficult as possible. Or it's telling us that it isn't. Should we take the hint?

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    Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/

    Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
    Written by Christopher Pollack & Matt O'Dowd
    Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria
    Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
    Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour
    Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber
    Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
    Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
    Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

    Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
    This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
    © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved.

    End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

    Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

    Big Bang Sponsors
    Bryce Fort
    Peter Barrett
    David Neumann
    Sean Maddox
    Alexander Tamas
    Morgan Hough
    Juan Benet
    Vinnie Falco
    Fabrice Eap
    Mark Rosenthal

    Quasar
    Glenn Sugden
    Alex Kern
    Ethan Cohen
    Stephen Wilcox
    Mark Heising

    Hypernova
    Stephen Spidle
    Chris Webb
    David Giltinan
    Ivari Tölp
    NullBlox.ZachryWilsn
    Kenneth See
    Gregory Forfa
    Bradley Voorhees
    Scott Gorlick
    Paul Stehr-Green
    Ben Delo
    Scott Gray
    Антон Кочков
    Robert Ilardi
    John R. Slavik
    Donal Botkin
    Edmund Fokschaner
    chuck zegar
    Jordan Young
    Daniel Muzquiz

    Gamma Ray Burst
    Anthony Leon
    Billy Holland
    Leonardo Schulthais Senna
    Lori Ferris
    James Sadler
    Dennis Van Hoof
    Koen Wilde
    Nicolas Katsantonis
    Piotr Sarnicki
    Massimiliano Pala
    Thomas Nielson
    Joe Pavlovic
    Justin Lloyd
    Chuck Lukaszewski
    Cole B Combs
    Andrea Galvagni
    Jerry Thomas
    Nikhil Sharma
    Ryan Moser
    John Anderson
    Scott Hannum
    Bradley Ulis
    Craig Falls
    Kane Holbrook
    Ross Story
    teng guo
    Mason Dillon
    Harsh Khandhadia
    Susan Albee
    Matt Quinn
    Michael Lev
    Terje Vold
    James Trimmier
    Jeremy Soller
    Paul Wood
    Joe Moreira
    Kent Durham
    Jim Bartosh
    Ramon Nogueira
    The Mad Mechanic
    John H. Austin, Jr.
    Faraz Khan
    Almog Cohen
    Daniel Jennings
    Russ Creech
    Jeremy Reed
    David Johnston
    Michael Barton
    Isaac Suttell
    Oliver Flanagan
    Bleys Goodson
    Mark Delagasse
    Mark Daniel Cohen
    Shane Calimlim
    Tybie Fitzhugh
    Eric Kiebler
    Craig Stonaha
    Frederic Simon
    Tonyface
    John Robinson
    Jim Hudson
    David Barnholdt
    John Funai
    Bradley Jenkins
    Vlad Shipulin
    Cody Brumfield
    Thomas Dougherty
    King Zeckendorff
    Dan Warren
    Joseph Salomone
    Patrick Sutton
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  • PBS Space Time

    The Alchemy of Neutron Star Collisions

    2026-10-15 | 18 mins.
    PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE↓ More info below ↓Uploaded 06-06-19Carl Sagan’s famous words: “We are star stuff” refers to a mind-blowing idea – that most atomic nuclei in our bodies were created in the nuclear furnace and the explosive deaths of stars that lived in the ancient universe. In recent years it’s become clear that the truth is even more mind-blowing. Many heavy elements - includes most precious metals - were produced in an even more spectacular event: the collision of neutron stars. In fact, according to a recent study most of the Earth’s supply of these elements was created in a single neutron star merger that took place near our Sun’s birth nebula 80 million years ago before Earth formed. Check out the new Space Time Merch Store!https://pbsspacetime.com/Support Space Time on Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime#theuniverse #astrophyics #spacetimeHosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Matt O'DowdGraphics by Leonardo ScholzerDirected by Andrew KornhaberProduced By: Kornhaber BrownWhen I was in astrophysicist school they taught us that all of the elements of the periodic table between carbon and iron were produced in onion shells by nuclear fusion in the cores of very massive stars during the last phases of their lives. And that the elements heavier than iron were synthesized in the following supernova explosion. That latter process is well understood – the star’s dead core collapses and protons are converted to neutrons. The surrounding shells ricochet outwards, along with a layer of the iron and nickel core. The latter is blasted by a wave of neutrons, which get rammed into the escaping nuclei. Some of those captured neutrons convert back to protons and so elements all the way up the periodic table can be made. This is the rapid neutron capture or r-process. The rapid part is because neutrons are captured faster than nuclei can decay, making it possible to build very heavy nuclei.Big Bang Supporters:Anton LifshitsDavid NicklasFabrice EapJuan BenetJustin LloydQuasar Supporters:Mark HeisingMark RosenthalTambe BarsbayVinnie FalcoHypernova Supporters: Chuck zegarDanton SpiveyDonal BotkinEdmund FokschanerHank SJohn HofmannJordan YoungJoseph SalomonekkmMark HeisingMatthewMatthew O'ConnorGamma Ray Burst Supporters: Adrien HatchAlexey EromenkoAndreas NautschBradley JenkinsBrandon LabonteCarlo MogaveroDaniel LyonsDavid BehtalaDFaulkDustan JonesGeoffrey ShortJames FlowersJames QuinteroJohn FunaiJohn PollockJonahJonathan NesfederJoseph DillmanJoseph EmisonJosh ThomasKevin WarneKyle HoferMalte UblMark VasileNathan HitchingsNick VirtuePaul RoseRyan JonesScott GossettSigurd Ruud FrivikTim JonesTim StephaniTommy MogensenYurii Konovaliukسلطان الخليفي Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • PBS Space Time

    What Supernova Distance Would Initiate Mass Extinction?

    2026-10-15 | 19 mins.
    Thank you to Brilliant for Supporting PBS. To learn more go to https://brilliant.org/SpaceTime/

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    The deaths of massive stars results in one of the most beautiful and violent events in the universe: the supernova. They are so luminous we can see them here on Earth and historical records show that we can even see them into the day. But supernovas release deadly and violent radiation that could destroy our atmosphere. So how far away do these supernova have to be for humanity to be safe? And when will the next supernova occur

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    Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
    Written by Matt O'Dowd
    Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria
    Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
    Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour
    Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber
    Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
    Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
    Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell

    Spacetime is produced by Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
    This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content.
    © 2023 PBS. All rights reserved.

    End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/user/MultiDroideka

    Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By:

    Big Bang Supporters
    Bryce Fort
    Peter Barrett
    David Neumann
    Sean Maddox
    Alexander Tamas
    Morgan Hough
    Juan Benet
    Vinnie Falco
    Fabrice Eap
    Mark Rosenthal

    Quasar Supporters
    Vivaan Vaka
    Glenn Sugden
    Alex Kern
    Ethan Cohen
    Stephen Wilcox
    Christina Oegren
    Mark Heising

    Hypernova Supporters
    Stephen Spidle
    Chris Webb
    Ivari Tölp
    Zachary Wilson
    Kenneth See
    Gregory Forfa
    Kirk Honour
    Joe Moreira
    Bradley Voorhees
    Marc Armstrong
    Scott Gorlick
    Paul Stehr-Green
    Ben Delo
    Scott Gray
    Антон Кочков
    Robert Ilardi
    John R. Slavik
    Mathew
    Donal Botkin
    John Pollock
    Edmund Fokschaner
    Chuck Zegar
    Jordan Young
    Daniel Muzquiz

    Gamma Ray Burst Supporters
    Jakub Jasinski
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    Matthew Oldfield
    Massimiliano Pala
    Thomas Nielson
    Joe Pavlovic
    Ryan McGaughy
    Chuck Lukaszewski
    Edward Hodapp
    Andrea Galvagni
    Jerry Thomas
    Nikhil Sharma
    Ryan Moser
    John Anderson
    David Giltinan
    Scott Hannum
    Bradley Ulis
    Craig Falls
    Kane Holbrook
    Ross Story
    teng guo
    Mason Dillon
    Matt Langford
    Harsh Khandhadia
    Thomas Tarler
    Susan Albee
    Frank Walker
    Matt Quinn
    Michael Lev
    Terje Vold
    James Trimmier
    Andre Stechert
    Paul Wood
    Kent Durham
    Ramon Nogueira
    Ellis Hall
    John H. Austin, Jr.
    Faraz Khan
    Almog Cohen
    Alex Edwards
    Daniel Jennings
    Cameron Sampson
    Jeremy Reed
    David Johnston
    Michael Barton
    Andrew Mann
    Isaac Suttell
    Bleys Goodson
    Robert Walter
    Mark Delagasse
    Mark Daniel Cohen
    Nickolas Andrew Freeman
    Shane Calimlim
    Tybie Fitzhugh
    Eric Kiebler
    Craig Stonaha
    Graydon Goss
    Frederic Simon
    John Robinson
    Jim Hudson
    David Barnholdt
    David Neal
    John Funai
    Bradley Jenkins
    Vlad Shipulin
    Cody Brumfield
    Thomas Dougherty
    King Zeckendorff
    Dan Warren
    Patrick Sutton
    John Griffith
    Dean Faulk
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More Astronomy podcasts
About PBS Space Time
Space Time explores the outer reaches of space, the craziness of astrophysics, the possibilities of sci-fi, and anything else you can think of beyond Planet Earth with our astrophysicist host: Matthew O’Dowd. For all business inquiries and sponsorship opportunities please reach out to: pbsspacetime@lighthouseagents.com Matt O'Dowd spends his time studying the universe, especially really far-away things like quasars, super-massive black holes, and evolving galaxies. He uses telescopes in space to do it. Matt completed his Ph.D. at NASA's Space Telescope Science Institute, followed by work at the University of Melbourne and Columbia University. He's now a professor at the City University of New York's Lehman College and an Associate at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium. Previous host Gabe Perez-Giz is an astrophysicist who studies black hole physics. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and also hosted PBS Infinite Series. patreon.com/pbsspacetime

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PBS Space Time: Podcasts in Family