Catalog Search Results
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
If a quantum fluctuation gave rise to our Universe, must ours be the only one? Are others possible, perhaps even with different rules? This lecture examines reasons for suspecting the existence of other universes, though we do not know how to test for their presence.
4) Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy, 2nd Edition: Episode 92In the Beginning
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
This lecture turns back the clock to almost the moment of creation-a fraction of a second after the Big Bang-and follows events as they sort themselves out, from what may have been packages of space-time foam winking in and out of existence, to conditions conducive for star and galaxy formation.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
The Greek philosopher Aristotle concluded that Earth is stationary at the center of the Universe, surrounded by 55 nested spheres. Ptolemy elaborated this geocentric model into a system that held sway for nearly 1,500 years.
6) Understanding the Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy, 2nd Edition: Episode 21The Colors of Stars
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
The surface temperature of a star determines its apparent color. The hottest stars are bluish in color, and the coldest stars are reddish; stars at intermediate temperatures appear white. The Sun is a white star.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
Earth is one of the four innermost, or terrestrial, planets; the others are Mercury, Venus, and Mars. All are relatively small, rocky, and dense. This lecture examines Earth's structure, properties, and the forces that affect it.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
The daytime sky contains intriguing natural sights that offer a colorful introduction to astronomy. One such phenomenon is the rainbow. This lecture examines how a rainbow is created and how it appears under different circumstances.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
In 1995, the first extra-solar planet was discovered around a Sun-like star. Since then, about 200 have been found. The easiest to detect are those with large masses, close to their host stars, and with brief orbital periods.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
Apparent brightness is the observed brightness of a star. Because stars are at different distances, astronomers need a standard reference by which to compare stars in absolute terms, as if they're all at the same distance. This standard is called intrinsic brightness, or luminosity.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
This lecture discusses the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a plot of stellar surface temperature versus luminosity that contains a wealth of information. Stars spend most of their existence on the diagram's well-defined main sequence; outliers include supergiants and white dwarfs.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
In 1987 a Type II supernova only 170,000 light years away became visible. Earlier photos of the region showed that the exploded star was a blue supergiant, a previously unsuspected candidate for this fate. Ghostly neutrinos were detected from this supernova.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
Because they don't emit any light, black holes can't be seen directly. But they reveal their presence through their gravitational influence on other objects. This lecture looks at the methods astronomers use to track them down.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
How do galaxies form and evolve over time? Is it possible to determine what nearby galaxies, or even the Milky Way, once looked like? The answers can be found by examining distant galaxies that formed when the Universe was young.
Series
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2024.
Language
English
Description
Why is the sky dark at night? In an infinitely old and large Universe the sky should be ablaze with light at all times. There are several possible answers to this paradox, each of which has profound cosmological implications. The relative youth of the Universe is now known to be the main explanation.
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