A Deep Dive Into The Bizarre Future of Telescopes

Hoping to see deeper into the universe, scientists and engineers are designing some of the largest and weirdest telescopes ever conceived. Come with our guest host Astro Alexandra on a tour of the telescopes of the future.
Hosted by: Astro Alexandra
Find Astro Alexandra at msha.ke/astro_alexandra/
----------
Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: / scishow
----------
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:56 Advantages of utilizing multiple telescopes for comprehensive astronomical research
4:51 The Extremely Large Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope
10:36 The Square Kilometer Array Observatory and interferometry
13:58 SPACE TELESCOPES!
14:52 Origins
17:43 LUVOIR
19:47 Habex
21:40 Athena
24:07 SPIDER
25:29 Lunar Crater Radio Telescope
28:57 Sun Based Telescope
30:13 How Telescope technology has changed
31:35 Outro
Correction:
26:40 The image here is actually Opportunity, not Perseverance.
----------
Huge thanks go to the following Patreon supporters for helping us keep SciShow free for everyone forever: Adam Brainard, Alex Hackman, Ash, Benjamin Carleski, Bryan Cloer, charles george, Chris Mackey, Chris Peters, Christoph Schwanke, Christopher R Boucher, DrakoEsper, Eric Jensen, Friso, Garrett Galloway, Harrison Mills, J. Copen, Jaap Westera, Jason A Saslow, Jeffrey Mckishen, Jeremy Mattern, Kenny Wilson, Kevin Bealer, Kevin Knupp, Lyndsay Brown, Matt Curls, Michelle Dove, Piya Shedden, Rizwan Kassim, Sam Lutfi
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
SciShow Tangents Podcast: scishow-tangents.simplecast.com/
TikTok: / scishow
Twitter: / scishow
Instagram: / thescishow
Facebook: / scishow
#SciShow #science #education #learning #complexly
----------
Sources located at this link:
drive.google.com/file/d/134vR...

[@ASTRO_ALEXANDRA]

I had the best time learning about the future of telescopes for this project! I can't wait to see where these things take us...

[@gioflores7989]

Very glad to see u here on SciShow. I followed you on Instagram but unfortunately I took down my account. I'll follow you on KZbin if possible

[@jllhrmonica]

Eyyo! Watching your shorts lately!

[@sultan.savalan]

Thank Alexandra for your awesome presentation 👏

[@LeoAngora]

Welcome to SciShow and the world of horizontal video!

[@GlaucoHass]

That's top cameo, right here! Fantastic to see you on SciShow. I'm one of the trillion people that follow you everywhere and if others still don't, please do.

[@lady_draguliana784]

I want to see a ridiculous headline with maximum repeats of an abbreviations: "At 9:33pm GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) the GMT (Giant Magellan Telescope) was observing the GMT (Galactic Microwave Topography) and discovered a GMT (Gravitational Micro Turbulence) event in progress!" 🤣

[@macseigel7295]

“At 9:33 GMT the GMT was observing the GMT and discovered a GMT event in progress!” I just really wanted to see it all wrote out without the parentheticals.

[@lady_draguliana784]

@@macseigel7295 Indeed! "At 9:33pm GMT the GMT was observing the GMT and discovered a GMT event in progress!" as the headline and the article never specifies either! just maximum Nerd Trolling! 🤣

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

You've got a promising career in headline writing.

[@nickid113]

I like that she took a comfortable seat....letting us know this is a long video

[@bjornolson6527]

Along with elocution, phrasing, and inflection, etc.; a draw to my mind/focus. Please come back, often!😊🎉

[@arieverhoeff9141]

and talking about things as resilient as Dolly Parton :)

[@samiscebba4332]

she's ganna get neck pain if she doesnt roll her shoulders back & engage thoracis extension

[@JenniferNg0529]

My current PhD research is on liquid mirror telescopes! I was so excited to watch this video!

[@andre_sich]

That's amazing, the words sounds totally like science fiction to me, I can't believe there is research on it already. Good luck with your research!

[@Hey-gr4we]

Going old school in a new way.

[@savagesarethebest7251]

Like mercury ?

[@payamkohan2452]

Thanks 😍 we are also excited to see the results of your studies. We will support

[@emperordima9139]

I like the new girl

[@sohinidutta97]

As someone who's working on these weird telescopes, this makes me very happy. Great video!

[@willowmoon7]

Thanks for everything you do!

[@pett8676]

How do you keep such big mirrors dust free during operations?

[@pesteanvstefan5491]

Neah , you arent.

[@sohinidutta97]

@@pett8676 my work is on data analysis and processing from telescopes like the SKA, not the engineering (though the engineering is really cool!). It's really challenging to extract the signal that we want to observe from everything else.

[@jasongarcia2140]

You're a rockstar.

[@brantwedel]

Nice! I like this longer-form explainer style, and guest hosts that have subject matter experience makes a ton of sense for them!

[@RBN.De-En]

+

[@elibaum]

100% Much more of this please!

[@michelleatkinson4940]

See sells , nice thumbnail 😅

[@wetekwetek]

Holy crap. This is the most comprehensible video about the (possible) future of (radio)telescopes. Also I can share this with people that have no clue about what humanity/science is already capable of doing at this moment. 42 out of 10, would science this...

[@StrangeChickandPuppo]

+

[@colubrinedeucecreative]

Hank was right, it was a great episode! Well done team!

[@lifeteen2]

One of the really cool details that makes the Magellan telescope unique is that there are no straight lines obstructing the optical path. The edges of all the mirrors are round, and the support structure is aligned with the gaps between the giant round mirrors. Just like JWST, ELT has hexagonal mirror segments and supports blocking some of the light, which will cause those characteristic diffraction spikes. The GMT won't have those spikes, which is especially important for imaging planets and other faint objects very close to bright stars.

[@LGRuggeri]

Who else is here because of Hank's new curly hair???

[@lorenzosaudito]

🙋

[@terriusmaximus5218]

That would be me as well.

[@astro_villain]

Lmaooo

[@eaterdrinker000]

Same here. Also, I just recently learned from Barbara Rossi how to achieve Al-Astra's hairstyle! kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKGbn4aMrdBrfcUsi=ugDrpDzl45usi-eH (P.S., I have no idea who Barbara Rossi is or how I came to subscribe to her channel.)

[@Ravnz51]

Me

[@drttalk]

I looove just how weird and creative the little bits stack up to solve similar problems. This is why science should be free for people to learn from, and together we can build a wondrous future.

[@KabeerKishore]

astro alexandra on scishow??? hell yeah!

[@noahw5887]

KabeerKishore is commenting on Scishow??? Hell yeah!

[@Matli-MC]

​​​@@noahw5887wow, so many stars here! Noahw5887 is commenting on kabeer comment on scishow? Wow 🎉

[@victoriaeads6126]

"As resilient as Dolly Parton" is the best analogy I have heard in a very long time.

[@stevenqirkle]

I don’t get it?

[@dannyarcher6370]

She's one to talk.

[@sntslilhlpr6601]

@@stevenqirkle She's an absolute force of nature. You can love or hate her music or her style, but she's a genuinely good person who does untold amounts of charity work.

[@mizake01]

THAT'S when i realized that this was a "different" sciShow Comedy with science MUST go together sometimes. Cheers! 🍻

[@rhov-anion]

Dolly is a national treasure. Not really a country music fan myself, but she's such a genuinely wonderful person who has stood firm against sexism and fought for education.

[@jimthepyroful]

Heard about this from the curly hair video, and as soon as I heard it was Astro Alexandra I watched it immediately. She makes me excited about space like no one else!

[@98Zai]

When this popped up in my feed I thought it was a compilation of old scishow videos, but this is a documentary! Thanks for telling me about it, curly Hank :)

[@markgoggin2014]

Dear SciShow, bring Astro back. I could watch her talk all day

[@madsringswaldegan1058]

ALEXANDRA IS ON SCISHOW THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

[@EricBurns1]

I recently got to meet John Mather, the former heard of the JWST project, and talked briefly about proposed future telescopes. My favorite is definitely the New Worlds Mission with the starshade design.

[@13brightyellow]

Love the deep dive form! This was great!

[@rw4283]

I'm so happy to see you here on the SciShow! I hope you end up posting more videos on your own channel.

[@youtubersdigest]

Hey is that Alexandra?? I love her videos. She’s always quick to correct the horrible misinformation of news outlets

[@Junior2045]

Lol ya had me there for a second with the "Habitable" part. I really thought we'd be living in a huge telescope =(

[@tenthz]

I had that thought, too! Would be cool to blend a space telescope with a space station.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Good news: you already are. (Since the whole Earth has a telescope array.)

[@JarrodCoombes]

I absolutely love how these absolutely brilliant engineers and scientists can come up with these mind boggling designs for telescopes, but then completely stall on on coming up with names and just end up with things like "The very large telescope" Really highlights where the priorities are, lol.

[@DataSoong101]

Watching this is making me so ridiculously excited that I'm shaking and smiling and nearly want to cry, I love this too much.

[@3008fadi]

I enjoyed every moment of the episode, receiving answers to several lingering questions. Despite its brevity, the video was remarkably informative, with the presenter's enthusiasm and spontaneity shining through, making it truly enjoyable from all angles. I found myself wishing it wouldn't end

[@Sarmen.Michaels]

I love this episode. Thank you SciShow. Astro Alexandra is an amazing host. Don’t forget to be awesome.

[@wocky661]

There's a question I have had for a while and I think I would LOVE to see a sci show video about the topic! I can't seem to find any macro algae that are toxic to humans. From what I can find, they are ALL edible. Why is that so? Why would large aquatic plants not have any toxins like so many micro algae and ground plants have? There are a lot of plant eating fishes and molloscs, so I don't kknow why. And it kinda bothers me. I'm grateful for all that edible stuff but hey, it's wierd

[@sultan.savalan]

Thank you, guys! By far one of the best episodes of SciShow.

[@StrangeChickandPuppo]

+

[@reillyspitzfaden]

I love her videos! Cool to see her come on SciShow

[@ZipplyZane]

Oh, guest host. I looked her up and was thinking "wow, Scishow is hiring some very accomplished hosts these days."

[@august1871]

Better guests than ghosts I always say

[@jeshkam]

She's seriously cute though.

[@ZipplyZane]

@@LGrian She's an accomplished science communicator. SciShow usually seems to hire unknowns.

[@silviavalentine3812]

​@@jeshkam -.-

[@silviavalentine3812]

​@@BresciGaetano marketing is an absolute trash field to be in.

[@thomasdzubin]

Wow. I casually watch the various Sci show videos, but this one was fantastic with lots of great details about the future projects

[@youtubersdigest]

That’s still just so cool to see her here. That’s a huge step up girl congratulations!!

[@davetoms1]

Astro Alexandra is awesome on all the social platforms! Fantastic getting to see such a phenomenal science communicator partner with my beloved SciShow 🤘🤓🤘

[@andrewbenge2040]

I really like the presentation style with the sets and such this episode. Hope we see more of it

[@emyra_3293]

this video was seriously fascinating!

[@AndrewConkling]

This was so good! Happy to support SciShow and get amazing deep dives like this. 🤩

[@prongs4137]

Sci show always introducing me to more awesome science communicators as their guest hosts.tysm

[@xXjuanpablo1403Xx]

We want more of Astro Alexandra on Scishow!! 💗

[@robearth]

What a get for sci show! Never heard of her before but was immediately struck by this persons vocabulary skills 👌🏻

[@erilmort81]

Alexis Dahl - Writer JD Voyek - Script Editor

[@RogueTurban]

her articulation and annunciation is what stuck out to me. well done.

[@Zumba4USweden]

Awesome! Love this episode! Just bought my first telescope yesterday! 🤩🤩🤩🔭 A Celestron.

[@jasongarcia2140]

Ohhh lucky!!

[@barryeldar687]

Comment for the algorithm, but this really hit different after watching Dr. Fatima's video on telescopes first.

[@Cynthia63636]

Agreed

[@davethepak]

Great video - a bit longer than usually have time for - but excellent vid - with tons of high level info on a lot of scopes - gives ideas on anything else to dig into. Also, as someone with public speaking, science, and comedy experience - Alexandra did a great job - loved the mix of content and humorous asides - just the right balance. As always - great content, delivery and production quality.

[@way-13]

I LOVE THESE SINGLE HOST LONG VIDEOS!!!!

[@yellowjello3750]

Glad to see Astro Alexandra on here.

[@tomholroyd7519]

Antenna design is a magical art

[@KipIngram]

It's not, actually - it's really just geometry. There's just a good bit to keep up with. A guitar string vibration frequency depends on length, tension, and mass per unit length. Imagine that you were stuck with your tension and your mass per unit length - your only way of adjusting frequency would be length. That's the situation you're in with an antenna, though it is complicated some by the possibility of having reflecting and directing elements as well as the one resonant active element. But it's all about length and spacing.

[@elektrikblu7331]

The first of many videos with Alexandra, I hope.

[@benjaminforman8901]

Collaboration is one of the greatest things, in both science itself and science communicators.

[@roberthofmann8403]

I've seen her reels on FB. Glad to see her on SciShow!

[@derekbender]

Hooray Alexandra!!

[@kuryamtl]

loved this format!! More of this please

[@scottsutherland3630]

Excellent video! Big fan of Astro Alexandra's content, so great seeing her collaborating with SciShow. :)

[@sprcrzy110]

I appreciate all of the work that must've gone into this video. Keep doing what you're doing!!

[@andymation]

This was absolutely fascinating and packed with interesting info--so I hate to offer a critique, but note to the editor: I found the pacing of this video exhausting. I literally had to take a break and come back later. This style of non-stop-talking without a break works in smaller doses, but for a 30 minute video it's like drinking from a fire hose. My brain can only take in so much info at once without needing a momentary pause to process and consider what I've just heard. You are overloading my brain's buffer space! With a video this long you need to have some moments to breathe! Feed me, then let me digest for a couple seconds, then feed more, repeat. There's no need to be afraid of retention dropping off; anyone clicking on a 30 minute video knows what they're getting into. Again, I love the info and content, but this would be way easier to fully digest with some more thought to the shape of the pacing.

[@stephanieparker1250]

I’m excited for the radio telescopes coming out. Gathering light in a telescope is great but it’s limited.

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

Excellent episode. I'm looking forward to more of these deep dive episodes.

[@colettehenderson6108]

I love love love the new format! I always look for the longest episodes of SciShow to watch first

[@mimidhof2179]

What a great addition to sci-show team. Much love for you all by the way.

[@CrucialArmitage]

Welcome to sci show. I have been watching you on facebook and tic Tok for a while now! Love your content. Hope to see you on sci show often

[@cragbot1]

great video, hope to see more of these deep dives

[@sudhanvasapre5171]

Another superb host and another superb show! Great days to be a SciShow fan!! Awesome!!

[@knowledgeckr786]

Thanks

[@gamingwithlacks]

Can Alexandra be a regular guest? Her passion for space is infectious

[@desert_sky_guy]

Sci Show is the bees knees.

[@CamAustralia001]

That is a beautifully sculptured narrative. Well done. Just excellent.

[@datafoxy]

Wow I had no idea there were so many different designs.

[@honrablmsj]

Absolutely fascinating! What a great video!

[@usnavyguy4454]

Best episode I've seen in a while.

[@billmanzke758]

Great presenter. I'll look forward to more episodes from her.

[@kerstinschwarz5222]

This is awesome!!!! I love this format. I can't wait for future videos ❤

[@ryanrigley]

Way cool to see ASTRO Alexandra here. It's fascinating what these new telescopes will bring. Thank you for such an informative deep dive.

[@anaelseiyoku]

What an amazing journey and a great listen

[@Mystical_Zeus]

I remember learning about the Arecibo telescope before it collapsed and I kinda thought it was going to because it looked in a bit of disarray when Tom Scott visited it. This makes me happy we are getting new and more advanced telescopes

[@tjmckenna8262]

Haven’t even finished yet, lovingggg this episode so far, loving the format and editing!!

[@arminmadari4808]

👀

[@KiriKiriKiki]

Literally fell in love with this woman, so happy for this Sci Show collab!!! The entire sci show crew is great!

[@nicksamek12]

Hoping for more long-form to come!

[@RoxaneJ14]

I love the shapes backgroubd!!

[@tudibelle]

Yay for longer form Sci Show vids ❤

[@seawar4]

Great video, gave me goosebumps

[@jmanj3917]

7:00 That's crazy!! And, thank you for using the correct phrasing to describe the relationship... One one-thousandth the width of; Not: A thousand times smaller than... It's hard to believe that an educational YTer finally said it right! 😆

[@normanicole4714]

I loved this long format.

[@erinnauta1405]

Thanks for this telescope update. This made me smarter. And I admit, I am looking forward to the beautiful screensaver images.

[@eugenecbell]

Great report. Y’all did a great job.

[@sharwnthla]

This is fantastic! The combination of SciShow and Alexandra is pure perfection! I hope you wonderful folks work together more. She is truly a joy to listen to, she serves up pure brain food! ❤

[@klauds6375]

Such an amazing video! Gives me endless optimism for our future. I look forward to seeing these telescopes in action.

[@obarium]

Alexandra is wonderful. I love her videos on instagram, and her enthusiasm for space and science.

[@jane2902]

Thank you for this great video and thank you for conveying the “sense of wonders” to us. Ad Astra!

[@kinguq4510791]

Great content, great presentation. Thanks.

[@jamesdubben3687]

Thank you Alexandra, most excellent summary.

[@techalch3m1st42]

I really like that you mentioned gravitational lensing!

[@beanoptodon]

Long form video to watch while I work lets goooooo!!!!!

[@oscarmedina1303]

Fabulous episode. Thank you!!!

[@Tasonir]

Loved Astro, bring her back for more hosting! Also like the couch setup so you can sit some of the time, most SciShow hosts have to stand the whole time!

[@67comet]

Nice to see you over here playing with the SciShow kids Alexandra. I love all the telescopes!

[@dougthemoleman]

I've been enjoying Alexandra's stuff on TikTok, and it's so cool to see she's joined SciShow. Looking forward to more great space content!

[@kaikar532]

More long form content please! This is fantastic

[@TheWhatShallIDo]

I loved this. Keep her around. Also i enjoyed the camera end editing aswell seemed more funny then normal. Good work 5 stars on yelp.

[@exmcairgunner]

Yes indeed I was pleased to see AA on SciShow

[@h2ophilter]

wonderful synopsis and explanation!

[@odesseus]

Alexandra, you do a fantastic job. Thank you so much!

[@alberton.1601]

Nice exposition and hosting, Astro Alexandra!