Summary
In this episode of Star Talk Cosmic Queries, the hosts and guest Wendy Friedman discuss the expanding universe and the role of dark energy and galaxy evolution. They explain the Hubble constant and its importance in measuring the size and age of the universe. Wendy Friedman spearheaded the project to measure the Hubble constant with an accuracy of 10. The universe is expanding faster than the speed of light but this does not violate Einstein's theory as there is no speed limit for the universe itself.
The podcast episode also discusses the potential for galaxies to collide in the future, with the Andromeda galaxy expected to collide with our Milky Way galaxy billions of years from now. The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to provide new information about the Dark Ages, a period of time in the early universe where we have no information about galaxy formation. The podcast emphasizes the collaborative nature of science and the importance of colleagues in the checking process.
Wendy Freeman, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago, discusses the challenges of understanding the age of the universe and using the James Webb Space Telescope to study it. The field of cosmology has changed significantly since Freeman was a graduate student, with new discoveries and mysteries emerging, such as dark matter and dark energy. Making accurate measurements of astrophysical objects, which can be located millions of light years away, is also a challenge due to uncertainties and limitations of detectors.
The podcast also addresses questions from listeners about black holes during the Big Rip and whether nuclear fission reactions could create a new universe. Overall, Freeman emphasizes that there are still many unanswered questions in cosmology, but progress is being made through new data and discoveries. The episode concludes with a lightning round of questions.
