Cosmic Queries - Get Some Space
Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice field a grab bag of listener questions on topics ranging from black holes and Hawking radiation to dark matter, exoplanet life, and the structure of the observable universe. They also discuss the feasibility of colonizing other planets, the impact of military versus science funding, how solitude enabled figures like Isaac Newton to make breakthroughs, and the role of science literacy in preventing societal self-destruction.
Solving the Crisis in Cosmology with Wendy Freedman
Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Matt Kirshen interview astronomer Wendy Freedman about measurements of the Hubble constant and the so‑called "crisis" in cosmology. Freedman explains the history of debates over the expansion rate of the universe, the current discrepancy between local distance-ladder measurements and values inferred from the cosmic microwave background, and why she does not yet consider it a true crisis. She describes her team's James Webb Space Telescope program using multiple stellar distance indicators, discusses systematic errors and the distinction between precision and accuracy, and answers audience questions on dark energy, the future evolution of the universe, and whether the universe is finite or infinite.