Category Archives: Astronomy

Q: What’s the difference between black holes and worm holes? Could black holes take you to other universes?

Posted on October 18, 2011 by The Physicist

Physicist: The short answer is: A worm hole is a “tube made of spacetime” that connects two different regions.  If it’s set up right, you could enter one side of the tube and exit the other end somewhere else, or … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Math, Physics, Relativity | 36 Comments

Q: If you could hear through space as though it were filled with air, what would you hear?

Posted on October 9, 2011 by The Physicist

Physicist: You’d be able to hear the Sun, and nothing else.  Maybe at night you’d be able to hear your own thoughts. Owing to the nature of how things like sound and light spread out, the loudness and brightness of … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Physics | 11 Comments

Q: What is the three body problem?

Posted on October 3, 2011 by The Physicist

Physicist: The three body problem is to exactly solve for the motions of three (or more) bodies interacting through an inverse square force (which includes gravitational and electrical attraction). The problem with the 3-body problem is that it can’t be … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Equations, Philosophical, Physics | 29 Comments

Q: Would it be possible for humans to terraform mars?

Posted on July 27, 2011 by The Physicist

Physicist: In terms of feasibility: no.  In terms of being remotely possible: yes, but probably not permanently. Mars is much colder than Earth, has no water, and effectively no air.  On the up side, unlike many planets, you can stand … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Biology, Physics | 31 Comments

Q: What exactly is the vacuum catastrophe and what effects does this have upon our understanding of the universe?

Posted on June 16, 2011 by The Physicist

Physicist: The vacuum catastrophe is sometimes cited as the biggest disagreement between theory and experiment ever.  They disagree by a factor of at least 10107. According to quantum field theory the energy of empty space can’t quite be zero.  In … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Particle Physics, Physics, Quantum Theory | 22 Comments

Q: How close is Jupiter to being a star? What would happen to us if it were?

Posted on June 8, 2011 by The Physicist

The original question was: I have heard Jupiter referred to as a failed star.  That if the cosmic chaos of the early solar system had worked out a little different, and Jupiter had gotten a bit more mass, it might … Continue reading →

Posted in -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Physics | 135 Comments