Dear Hank & John 390: Breathe Mars (w/ Dr. Katie Mack!)
May 29, 2024
Astrophysicist Dr. Katie Mack joins Hank and John Green to discuss the universe's history, dark matter, and energy. Topics include color perception, napping in contacts, journeying to Mars, global sleep patterns, atomic composition, cosmic rays, and the challenges of sending humans to Mars.
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Introducing Crash Course: The Universe
- Hank and John Green introduce Dr. Katie Mack, astrophysicist and co-host of the new podcast "Crash Course: The Universe".
- The podcast explores the universe's history, from the Big Bang to its eventual end.
Universe Expansion and Density
- The universe's expansion involves increasing space between galaxies, not the creation of new matter.
- Existing matter stays bound, but the overall density decreases, while dark energy's density remains constant.
Measuring Time Through Space
- Cosmologists measure time by the universe's scale factor, essentially its size at a given point.
- Redshift, the stretching of light, helps order events without relying on specific time calculations.