Summary
Recent research reveals that the universe may experience one final series of spectacular explosions before its ultimate demise, challenging previous assumptions about its quiet end. New calculations by astrophysicist Matt Kaplan suggest the existence of a new type of supernova, termed a black dwarf supernova, which could occur in the far future as iron stars reach critical mass limits.
The discussion traces the evolution of stars, particularly focusing on their lifecycle from formation to eventual collapse. Initially, stars like our sun will become white dwarfs after exhausting their nuclear fuel. Over billions of years, these remnants cool and crystallize into black dwarfs. However, under specific conditions, these black dwarfs may undergo pycnonuclear fusion, leading to the creation of iron stars. Kaplan's findings indicate that as these iron stars evolve, they could eventually surpass the Chandrasekhar limit, resulting in catastrophic collapses and explosive events.
This new understanding adds a dramatic twist to the long-term fate of the universe, suggesting that instead of a dull end marked by black holes fading into nothingness, there could be a series of explosive events that provide a final spectacle in the cosmic timeline. The implications of these findings highlight the dynamic and evolving nature of astrophysical research, offering a glimpse into the universe's distant future.
Show Notes
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE↓ More info below ↓Uploaded 15-12-20Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeGood news everyone: it looks like the universe is going to end with a series of catastrophic explosions. The very, very long story short is that the universe ends in heat death, as it approaches maximum entropy, and its eternal exponential expansion drives it to effective utter emptiness and absolute cold. But new calculations have revealed we may be able to look forward to one last source of astrophysical cataclysms - a new type of supernova that can only happen at the end of the universe. Check out the Space Time Merch Storehttps://pbsspacetime.com/Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetimeHosted by Matt O'DowdWritten by Matt O'Dowd Graphics by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Pedro Osinski, and Adriano Leal Directed by: Andrew KornhaberAssistant Producer: Setare GholipourExecutive Producers: Eric Brown and Andrew KornhaberEnd Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRl6-nb4iOnsij-vnpAjp0QSpecial Thanks to Our Patreon SupportersBig BangAhmad JodehAlexander TamasBrodie RaoClinton RobinsonDavid NicklasFabrice EapJuan BenetMark RosenthalMatthew MillerMorgan HoughRadu NegulescuScott GraySean MaddoxQuasarChristina OegrenHank SMark HeisingVinnie FalcoHypernovaAlec S-LBen Delochuck zegarDanton SpiveyDonal BotkinEdmund FokschanerJason FinnJohn HofmannJohn PollockJohn R. SlavikJordan YoungJoseph SalomoneJulian TyackeJustin JermynL. Wayne Ausbrooksm0nkMark Matthew BoskoMathewMatthew O'ConnorNicholas NewlinTimothy McCullochwilliam bryanАнтон КочковGamma Ray BurstA GAdrian HatchAlecZeroAndreas NautschAndrew MannAndrew RichmondAnthony KahngAstaurusAstronauticistBill BlairBleys GoodsonBradley JenkinsBrandon labonteBrandon LattinBrian BlanchardBruce BCameron SampsonCass CostelloChristopher BarronCraig StonahaDan WarrenDaniel JenningsDaniel LyonsDarren DuncanDarryl J LyleDavid HughesDavid JohnstonDawn M FinkDerek DavisDevon RosenthalDFaulkDrJYouEndre PechEric KieblerEric Websterfieldsa eleanoryFrederic SimonGeoffrey ClarionGeoffrey ShortGraydon GossGreg SmithIsaac SuttellIsmael MontecelJ. KingJames RamseyJeremiah JohnsonJeremy ReedJohn FunaiJohn GriffithJohn RobinsonKevin LeeKevin O'ConnellKevin WarneKyle HoferLily kawaiiLuaanLucas MorganMalte UblMark Daniel CohenMartin J LollarMartin SkansMD3Michael BartonMichael ConroyMirik GogriMr TNateNick VirtueNickolas Andrew FreemanOliver FlanaganPatrick SuttonPeter MertzPratik MukherjeeRichard DeightonRobert C SchuppRobert IlardiRobert WalterRuss CreechScott GossettShane CalimlimSimon OliphantSteven SartoreTim StephaniTonyfaceTybie FitzhughYannick WeynsYurii Konovaliuk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from PBS Space Time
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE
Thank you to Brilliant for Supporting PBS. To learn more go to https://brilliant.org/SpaceTime/
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACEUploaded 02-11-17If vacuum energy really does have the enormous value predicted by quantum field theory then our gently expanding, geometrically flat universe shouldn’t exist. This is the vacuum catastrophe.You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeGet your own Space Time tshirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBiTweet at us! @pbsspacetimeFacebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetimeEmail us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] comComment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetimeHelp translate our videos!https://www.youtube.com/timedtext_cs_panel?tab=2&c=UC7_gcs09iThXybpVgjHZ_7gPrevious Episode:The Missing Mask Mystery | Space Timehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RchRrngfjQYLinks to Comments Response:Michaelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5rAGfjPSWE&lc=z23swryzgkibc3atqacdp43a31ukx3xnflbaomxcwwlw03c010cJeremy Zambellihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5rAGfjPSWE&lc=z23dhh04rtmeez1rb04t1aokgicw4o1gjiic2vmezi2fbk0h00410TS1336https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5rAGfjPSWE&lc=z22sux052luoih4xz04t1aokgu2halbv0cnkiqu4azyerk0h00410Eliran Cohenhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5rAGfjPSWE&lc=z22yzr5z3u3yvn2hs04t1aokgnid302xmdruho1qwzylbk0h00410 Let’s talk about vacuum energy from a theoretical standpoint. From the perspective of quantum field theory, every point in space is represented by a quantum oscillator; one for each elementary particle type. Higher energy oscillations represent the presence of real particles. However even the lowest possible energy oscillation – the one corresponding to the absence of particles – has some energy. Written and Hosted by Matt O'DowdProduced by Rusty WardGraphics by Kurt RossAssistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike PetrowMade by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big BangBITISMCoolAsCatsDavid NicklasQuasarTambe BarsbayMayank M. MehrotaMars YenturMark RosenthalDean FuquaY2Justin LloydHypernovaEdmund FokschanerMax LevineMatthew O’ConnorEugene LawsonBarry HatfieldMartha HuntJoseph SalomoneChuck ZegarCraig PetersonJordan YoungRatfeastJohn HofmannThanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: Denys IvanovNick VirtueAlexey EromenkoNicholas RoseScott GossettMark DykstraChris HicksMark VasilePatrick MurraySultan AlkhulaifiAlex SetoMichal-Peanut KarmiErik SteinDaniel LyonsKevin WarneJJ BagnellJ RejcAmy JieAvi GoldfingerJohn PettitShannan CatalanoFlorian StiglmayrYubo DuBenoit Pagé-GuitardNathan LenizJessica FraleyLoro LukicBrandon LabonteDavid CraneGreg Weiss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Viewers like you help make PBS (Thank you 😃) . Support your local PBS Member Station here: https://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACEUploaded 10-08-17Could it be that all the electrons in the universe are simply one, single electron moving back and forth through time?You can further support us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetimeGet your own Space Time tshirt at http://bit.ly/1QlzoBiTweet at us! @pbsspacetimeFacebook: facebook.com/pbsspacetimeEmail us! pbsspacetime [at] gmail [dot] comComment on Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/pbsspacetimePrevious Episode:Dark Flowhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgdNBQCdhdAIn the spring of 1940, the great physicist John Archibald Wheeler had a flash of insight. He picked up the phone and called Richard Feynman. The fateful conversation began, “Feynman, I know why all electrons have the same charge and the same mass." "Why?" asked Wheeler’s former graduate student. "Because, they are all the same electron!" Wheeler went on to describe the One-Electron Universe idea: that there exists only one electron, and that electron traverses time in both directions. It bounces in time, eventually traversing the entire past and future history of the universe in both directions, and interacting with itself countless times on each pass. In this way it fills the universe with the appearance of countless electrons. And when the electron is moving backwards in time it is a positron; the antimatter counterpart of the electron.Written and Hosted by Matt O’Dowd Produced by Rusty WardGraphics by Kurt RossAssistant Editing and Sound Design by Mike PetrowMade by Kornhaber Brown (www.kornhaberbrown.com)Comments answer by Matt:0xFFF1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgdNBQCdhdA&lc=z23sjnwjrwnljxe3macdp435v2eqfl1uknp1kknjllxw03c010c Daniel Grasshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgdNBQCdhdA&lc=z230gbubioqjyn1vfacdp43azemsjdresxvjbu412tdw03c010c M Paulsonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgdNBQCdhdA&lc=z221xpzafrikhxyjf04t1aokgiuxpnkzxeknjelcsx0jbk0h00410 Special thanks to our Patreon Big Bang, Quasar and Hypernova Supporters: Big BangCoolAsCatsDavid NicklasQuasarTambe BarsbayMax LevineMayank M. MehrotaMars YenturMark RosenthalDean FuquaHypernovaEugene LawsonChuck ZegarJordan YoungRatfeastJohn HofmannJoseph Salomone Martha HuntCraig PetersonScience Via MarketsBarry HatfieldThanks to our Patreon Gamma Ray Burst Supporters: Peter DurocherMichael KersChris HicksMark VasilePatrick MurraySultan AlkhulaifiAlex SetoJared MooreMichal-Peanut KarmiBernardo HigueraErik SteinDaniel LyonsKevin WarneJJ BagnellJ RejcAmy JieAvi GoldfingerJohn PettitShannan CatalanoFlorian StinglmayrYubo DuBenoit Pagé-GuitardNathan LenizJessica FraleyLoro LukicBrandon LabonteDavid CraneGreg Weiss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Learn More About Opera One: https://opr.as/Opera-browser-PBS-Space-Time