Four Cosmic Mysteries

The Focus

This program focuses on four intriguing--and cutting edge--mysteries of the Universe. Each of these is now a major field of study, and scientists worldwide believe we are on the brink of discovering mind-altering answers. 1. Is there life beyond Earth? 2. What is Dark Matter and Dark Energy? 3. What is the Multiverse? 4. What are Supermassive Black Holes?

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1. Life Beyond Earth

"Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, alien), is life that does not originate from Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms such as prokaryotes to intelligent beings, possibly bringing forth civilizations that might be far more advanced than humans. The Drake equation speculates about the existence of sapient life elsewhere in the universe. The science of extraterrestrial life is known as astrobiology." See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraterrestrial_life

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THE DRAKE EQUATION: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation SETI: https://www.seti.org/event/search-life-beyond-earth-how-its-done-where-it-stands-and-why-it-matters NASA: https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/search-for-life/ ASTROBIOLOGY: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/astrobiology/ SPACE TELESCOPE: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/in-the-search-for-life-beyond-earth-nasa-dreams-big-for-a-future-space-telescope/ NOVA OVERVIEW (with video clips): https://opb.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/nvfl/ SEARCH FOR LIFE (with links): https://www.space.com/space-exploration/search-for-life BEST PLACES TO SEARCH: https://www.planetary.org/articles/the-best-places-to-search-for-life-in-our-solar-system ARE WE CLOSER? (BBC): https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/facts-alien-life-beyond-earth ALIEN LIFE WILL BE DIFFERENT: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-search-for-extraterrestrial-life-as-we-dont-know-it/ GENERAL OVERVIEW: https://earthsky.org/space/life-beyond-earth-astrobiology-solar-system-exoplanets/

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2. Dark Matter & Dark Energy

In astronomy, dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter that does not interact with light or other electromagnetic radiation. Dark matter is implied by gravitational effects which cannot be explained by general relativity unless more matter is present than can be observed. Such effects occur in the context of the formation and evolution of galaxies, gravitational lensing, the observable universe's current structure, mass position in galactic collisions, the motion of galaxies within galaxy clusters, and cosmic microwave background anisotropies. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_matter
In physical cosmology and astronomy, dark energy is a proposed form of energy that affects the universe on the largest scales. Its primary effect is to drive the accelerating expansion of the universe. Assuming that the lambda-CDM model of cosmology is correct, dark energy dominates the universe, contributing 68% of the total energy in the present-day observable universe while dark matter and ordinary (baryonic) matter contribute 26% and 5%, respectively, and other components such as neutrinos and photons are nearly negligible. [It] dominates the universe's mass-energy content because it is uniform across space. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_energy

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3. The Multiverse

The multiverse is the hypothetical set of all universes. Together, these universes are presumed to comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The different universes within the multiverse are called "parallel universes", "flat universes", "other universes", "alternate universes", "multiple universes", "plane universes", "parent and child universes", "many universes", or "many worlds". One common assumption is that the multiverse is a "patchwork quilt of separate universes all bound by the same laws of physics." See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiverse

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4. Supermassive Black Holes

A supermassive black hole (SMBH) is the largest type of black hole, with its mass being on the order of hundreds of thousands, or millions to billions, of times the mass of the Sun. Black holes are a class of astronomical objects that have undergone gravitational collapse, leaving behind spheroidal regions of space from which nothing can escape, including light. Observational evidence indicates that almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. For example, the Milky Way galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center, corresponding to the radio source Sagittarius A*. Accretion of interstellar gas onto supermassive black holes is the process responsible for powering active galactic nuclei (AGNs) and quasars. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermassive_black_hole

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OVERVIEW (How the Universe Works): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ra40OLu578GALAXY M87 SUPERMASSIVE HOLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqNOxoJ1OW0MILKY WAY SUPPERMASSIVE HOLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP11kMBYOoM FIRST PHOTO OF BLACK HOLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyMtsyzXWd4 2018 NOVA PRESENTATION: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LYSfpKog4w FOUR TYPES OF BLACK HOLES: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxrzEWA1WU4NAT GEO: BLACK HOLES 101: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOEDG3j1bjs BLACK HOLES: FROM BIRTH TO DEATH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-P5IFTqB98