A dying star explodes into a bright supernova.
Image by Shutterstock/NASA
The universe is wild and full of wonderful mysteries, amazing beauty, and incredibly powerful forces. here is also new scientist Chelsea Whyte and Leah Crane presenting the Dead Planets Society. In this new podcast, two intrepid hosts imagine what would happen if they were given the cosmic power to rearrange the universe.
Together with expert astronomers, physicists, and planetary scientists, they explore everything from the relatively benign scenario of how Pluto could become a planet again. Is it possible to turn Venus into a habitable planet for humans? – Absolutely destructive. Subscribe to New Scientist Weekly for access to all podcasts, including Dead Planets Society, and learn what happens when you punch a hole in a planet, cube the Earth, or turn off the sun.
While you wait for new episodes to be published, check out seven of our most popular in-depth articles exploring our solar system and beyond. To celebrate the launch of the Dead Planets Society, we’re making these premium articles available for free until July 25th. Click to register as a newscientist.com user to unlock access.
cosmic catalog
What on earth is there?check inventory A concise guide to everything we know about the universe, from stars and planets to galaxy clusters and dark energy. Powerful telescopes have allowed us to look deep into moons, black holes, super-Earths and hot Jupiter menageries, giving us a deeper understanding of how the universe works.
save the earth from asteroids
What would we do if scientists discovered an asteroid the size of a large building was hurtling toward Earth at breakneck speed? Figuring out which cities to evacuate, who to notify, and how to keep humanity alive is the goal of the planetary defense project. This article follows a group of scientists meeting in Washington, DC to discuss how we can respond to the worst-case scenario in the universe.
Adventure of your choice in a black hole
Imagine yourself being sucked into one of the cosmic giants: a black hole. The looming darkness covers your eyes, and your body is stretched into ribbons and “spaghettiified” as scientists call it. But what then? In this choose-your-own-adventure story, you decide. Will you be eaten and vaporized into Hawking radiation? Will your atoms be shattered and ejected into a white hole, or could they end up in an entirely different universe?
postcard to the stars
Ever since commercial radio began in the 1920s, we have unwittingly broadcast our presence to stars. About half a century later, scientists began intentionally sending messages into space in the hope that there might be intelligent life forms receiving the messages. So what image do aliens have of us? If they have ears and eyes, they have heard and seen Morse code. simpsons. They’ve also received messages containing binary his codes depicting the double helix of DNA, and perhaps even hummed along. Across the Universe by the Beatles. These days, researchers are working on the latest messages to send to space, but some say there are potential dangers in revealing too much about Earth.
how to get to mars
Earth and Mars are different worlds. The Red Planet is a frigid wasteland with lower pressure and gravity than our home planet. However, that is not the only challenge for those who want to build a house there. Reaching Mars is something we can confidently undertake only after we have answered a few big questions. How do you build a rocket big enough to travel, can it carry all the food and spare parts you need for a multi-month journey, and who will you send as the first humans to set foot on another planet? And the biggest question is, can we bring them home?
A black hole that has existed since time immemorial
As the early universe expanded rapidly, space-time expanded faster than the speed of light. Out of this chaos primordial black holes arose. Or was it? These ancient black holes have been theorized for decades, and some scientists think we may have already discovered them, making it a monumental discovery. Not only will these be the first ever black holes to form, they will be among the most interesting black holes in the universe. Read more to find out what they can tell us about dark matter, the accelerating expansion of the universe, the force that binds everything in existence.
build a moon base
Interest in the Moon has been renewed over the years, with lander and probe programs from China, Russia, Japan, India, Europe and private space companies. But NASA doesn’t just want to visit, the US Space Agency also wants to stay. There are plans to collect lunar ice samples and explore beyond the decades-old Apollo landing areas. But first, astronauts will have to overcome the challenges of cosmic radiation and dangerous moon dust to build and power a lunar base.
topic:
