StarTalk Radio
Cosmic Queries – Planck Lengths to Supermassive Black Holes with Matt O’Dowd
Apr 2, 2024
Extragalactic astrophysicist and host of PBS Space Time, Matt O'Dowd, discusses supermassive black holes, Planck lengths, and the gravitational wave background. Topics include falling into a black hole, exploring supermassive black holes, gravitational lenses, dark energy mysteries, and cosmic expansion. The conversation delves into the limits of measuring space distances and the endless possibilities of human inquiry into the cosmos.
48:43
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Quick takeaways
- Supermassive black holes could form from collapsing gas clouds in early universe due to purity of gases.
- Observations suggest the possibility of clusters of black holes in the core of the Milky Way.
Deep dives
Formation of Supermassive Black Holes in the Early Universe
In the early universe, the formation of supermassive black holes could have occurred from collapsing clouds of gas and dust. The purity of the gas, mainly hydrogen and helium, prevented fragmentation and allowed the cloud to collapse into a massive singular mass.
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