Will Aliens be Hostile, Rogue Black Holes, Faster than Light Expansion | Q&A 172

[@odysseus5872]

I love that you can answer questions about alien life with a level headed approach. You just answer as if it were any question about space. This makes you trustworthy on so many levels.

[@sergioortiz8219]

Question: Even if we don't know the physics involved in detail, we can all intuitively understand that gravitation attracts particles that have mass, magnetism attracts or repels particles that have a charge, and the strong force attracts quarks to keep nuclei together. But I've never heard of a similarly intuitive explanation for the weak force. Can you give it a try? Thanks.

[@guitart4909]

Good question. For one, the weak force isn’t as relatable in the macro world so it won’t have many intuitive examples, if any. The exchange of W and Z bosons in the nucleus turns a proton into a neutron and an electron in a process called beta decay. This has many implications such as new elements being created, super nova explosions, and nuclear fusion. We say the weak force is responsible for beta decay but it doesn’t necessarily help us understand what exactly “is” the weak force? Its not really so much of a force as it is an arbitrary name we’ve assigned to describe a series of relatable phenomena. We can witness a phenomenon and ask ourselves, “what causes this observation?” But if we dissect any observation over and over we will eventually hit bedrock where the observation has no preceding cause nor is it governed by a preceding principal. This is what it means to be “fundamental.” And it is a difficult concept to accept because we live in the real world where everything we witness has a preceding cause and is governed preceding events. But do we even really understand gravity intuitively? I don't think there is anything intuitive about gravity. Take a life form that evolved in an asteroid belt with ~ zero gravity and the concept of falling would be just as non-intuitive as the weak force.

[@soqmeister]

Question: rogue black holes can be picked up by gravitational lensing when they pass in front of a star, but when not in front of a star could they cause a distortion of the CMB and be tracked that way?

[@brutalblunos6822]

I can see that doing live Q&A has lots of benefits, but I would love to see some footage from outside again like in the old days :) don't get me wrong I love the live Q&A but sometimes I miss the forest episodes. Any plans on revisiting this idea every once in a while or is it not worth the extra effort?

[@schlechtgut8349]

I liked that videos so much. Do you know why he stopped doding them?

[@UrbanPorcupine]

What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect one of these videos today.

[@Paul_Ch52]

You asked for questions so ... Type 1a supernova are used as standard candles. What do we see in their spectra that identifies a 1aSN from other gathered light? How deep into this spectra ID can you take us? Great stuff as usual, Fraser. Thank you.

[@Christamaiztha]

I have a question: I get we can’t just make another James Webb if something goes wrong. But why is there always just one of everything? Why didn’t we make say two or three James Webb’s at the same time? Surely that can’t be so much more expensive! That way we would have redundancy. But also, we would be able to build them quicker since we can do different tests at the same time and the just copy&paste the changes to the two other telescopes. Right?

[@rogerwilco1777]

Make sense to me, but most people think its better to spend billions/trillions 'liberating' brown people from those pesky resources under their feet

[@nfg_racing7968]

Because they would rather spend the money manipulating the population to think a certain way

[@Colombia20102018]

Something like this was mentioned on the movie Contact. Why not built two for the cost of one? My answer as of why not: bureaucrats.

[@czerskip]

What a great episode! Thanks for inspiring thoughts 🧠🌌🚀🤖🐄

[@winstonsmith478]

GREAT answers to the question "Why do we assume extraterrestrials are evil?" which also shows why only foolish civilizations would beam/beacon their presence into an "unknown neighborhood." It also shows why negative RF SETI results prove absolutely nothing since that should be expected.

[@frasercain]

As I said later in the video, we're already broadcasting our existence to the Universe, through the gasses in our atmosphere.

[@winstonsmith478]

@@frasercain I thought I'd included this, but maybe that was another response elsewhere. I'd include links, but KZbin too often deletes posts with them in my experience. One puny light year: 27 Jan 2010 Aliens can't hear us, says astronomer [so, we can't hear them] Fainter broadcasting signals and digital switchover mean Earth will soon be undetectable to extraterrestrials 27 Jan 2005 Dr. Seth Shostak Answers Your Questions About SETI Q: What is the maximum distance at which SETI can detect signals which are not deliberately beamed at us, such as normal radio telecommunications traffic? And are there plans to increase this range? - Steve t A: Our best SETI experiments to date could detect Earth-like “leakage” signals at no more than 1 light-year’s distance. So not too far. But keep in mind that (1) our experiments do get more sensitive with time, so this distance will increase, and (2) we’ve only had radio for a century. Aliens, who may have invented this technology thousands or even millions of years ago, will undoubtedly have some transmitters and antenna systems capable of putting out signals far more powerful than what we manage with our erudite and always entertaining commercial television efforts!

[@winstonsmith478]

@@frasercain Yes, I knew that before watching your video. My point was that the failure of RF SETI to find anything proves nothing due to the the stupidity of INTENTIONALLY broadcasting ones presence. I never claimed that we could hide from another civilization more advanced than us through their spectroscopic analysis of the components of our atmosphere.

[@extropian314]

Hey Frasier, Was wondering if ya'd consider or had looked into using *4K* gfx for these awesome sequences.

[@nileist6666]

Im so happy i randomly found you today

[@frasercain]

Thanks! Welcome aboard.

[@InfiniteBeautyOfficial]

@Mr. Cain; 💞Happy 🥰 Valentine 💞

[@frasercain]

Thanks!

[@InfiniteBeautyOfficial]

@@frasercain awe, you're welcome 🤗 I love your channel. I've learned loads from you in the last 3 1/2 years since I accidentally came across your platform. Did you know that I passed astronomy because of your videos. I know I have health problems right, but I love the universe even though it scares me. The universe and life fascinates me. I love you for all that I've learned from you without you ever asking anybody for anything in return. 💞 When I was in Highschool, I would search through your videos to help me with my projects and other lessons. I'm Sophia. I'm close to beating cancer 🙏🕊️ I have surgery coming up & doctor's are saying I have a good chance in beating this 🤗🕊️ have a good rest of your day 🥰🙋💫

[@G274Me]

Fraser, you’re the man!

[@SeaTacDelta]

Hey Fraser, thanks for all the great content. Not sure if you've covered this before by why does Venus still have an atmosphere? It doesn't have a magnetosphere and is much closer to the sun so why hasn't the solar wind stripped it all away like Mars? Also the vulcanism seems to be pretty quiet so would that be enough to replenish the gasses lost to space? Is its mass enough to hold onto all the gasses?

[@MountainFisher]

It is it's gravity, simple as that plus Venus' atmosphere is heavy too, but greater gravity is the simplest answer.

[@kargi42]

Question: If universe expands into something, what that something expands into? Do you think this an artifact of human thought or an endless loop?

[@la7dfa]

I am from the lands of the Vikings. The safest route sounds like becoming Berserkers again. Time to eat some mushrooms and build new ships 😁

[@tedparadiso6916]

Dominance is Dominance, it rules !

[@MrBendybruce]

Hi I have a question that really eats at me, so maybe you can help. Acceleration, in a physics sense, does not just include something travelling faster in a straight line, where you feel a force pushing you back into your seat. It also includes angular momentum, where you feel a force pushing away from the change of angle. My question is, Relativity says mass warps Spacetime, and as a result the Earth Orbits the Sun, apparently because it is following the curvature of warped spacetime. So is this type of motion to be regarded as a form of acceleration, and is there a centrifugal force being generated against the mass of the Earth, as a result? My intuition is telling me it is not quite the same thing as a car driving at speed around an oval track, which has nothing to do with curved spacetime.

[@DanBennett]

Thank you!

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Very informative, Coach

[@mobileroto]

Question: I wonder if an AGN's accretion disk could be traversed by an object not orbiting on its plane or would it be instantly vaporized (I guess I'm asking about the density of the disk :P) Also what another smaller black hole? Would it perturb it? Thanks: I've been following you for years but never asked anything... I think I liked the whole video format but I understand your reasons for switching! Thank you from Argentina!

[@nunyobiznez875]

Is there any possibility that JWST might be able to image Oumuamua and get a better look at it? Or possibly with some other new or future telescope like ELT or Luvoir? We at least need to be able to tell Avi Loeb if it's a light sail or not :-) Or will we have to send an expedition after it, to answer that one?

[@thedevereauxbunch]

These are my favourite videos.

[@Threedog1963]

Regarding question one... you don't get to the top of the food chain by being nice. Competition is what evolution is all about.

[@robmey7254]

Question- any new updates on a star trek style replicators for food by NASA or equivalent type agencies. Reason I ask is they are basically fancy futuristic 3D printer. Would solve alot of the bringing nutrition to space problems.

[@Jaggerbush]

Assuming we are looking at the edge of our observable universe- if at that edge, we were relocated there- would we now just have another 90 billion light year radius? Like a circle ⭕️ intersecting with another circle ⭕️ which would then see a universe almost all of which we can not see now? Does this make sense?

[@rhoddryice5412]

Yes. But it’s the diameter that’s 9e10 ly.

[@frasercain]

Yes, anywhere you go in the Universe, you'll see roughly the same thing. If you could instantly travel out to the edge of the observable Universe, you'd just have a new observable Universe surrounding you.

[@jamesscanlon5733]

Off the topic...could Legrange points 4 &5 be useful for Space Telescope locations; or are they too far away...& why are they considered "stable" and points 1, 2, & 3 are not stable?

[@DailyDoseofSpace.]

I just realised, we will never know if we are really alone in the universe. Sure, right now we haven't found any life out there but that doesn't mean we are still alone. Either we find life and we know, or we don't find life and we never know.

[@idodekkers9165]

Hey Fraser can you explain white holes a bit more? was the big bang a white hole? should there be as many of them (theoretically) as black ones, are they the "other side" of a black hole?

[@derivious2012]

hi fraser, i remember years ago you spoke about a time where you would no longer be able to respond to comments in youtube with actual typed responses as you would be far to busy. Looking at the comments section as of late is this time upon us now?

[@SuperJordannz]

Question: If we look further away, we see back in time so if someone was floating in space from the big bang would they see everything getting further away and ageing then at some point would they see the furthest away things ageing start to slow down then get younger? if you know what I mean. I'm not sure how to word this haha.

[@Jaggerbush]

Question- am I the only one who thinks that “habitable planet” is a pie in the sky? The oxygen would have to be right. The water- the temp- the gravity- the magnetic poles- the weather extremes- the viruses - the toxic plants - GRAVITY - fertile soil - tides- oceans - fresh water lakes - We can’t balance our own planet yet we think we can take something like Mars - deal with radiation - oxygen - water - gravity - fertile soil- drinkable water ??? I’m not saying we shouldn’t be preparing to reach for other planets but the idea of it being a new frontier with images of brining back lush plants and blue water is crazy. When we talk about living on mars - we should see more visions of ppl going crazy and starving underground bec a war back on earth has delayed their cargo and they are starting to eat each other. That seems more realistic.

[@Alexander_Kale]

Me know one thing and one thing only about earth like planets: At least one exists. On the other hand, anything that can happen once can also happen more than once. That's why we know that "at least" one earth like planet exists. The Question is not "whether" or "if" another earth like planet exists, because the answer to that is trivial: Yes, it does. Not exactly the same, maybe it doesn't even carry life. But close enough for sure. The real question is: How far away is it? And the answer might very well be: Very far away.

[@sgtmarty9682]

Hey Fraser. Won't our Oort cloud interact with other stars at some point? Won't our Solar system also interact with another star's similar cloud? Are other stars (Proxima Centauri?) getting nearer? Near enough that we get bombarded by that star's icy bits?

[@norcalpacific]

If 3 of the 5 Lagrange points are unstable, why are those 3 considered Lagrange points? I thought Lagrange points have cancelling-out gravity that keeps things in place (stable).

[@frasercain]

Nope, you can just remain at them with very little propellant.

[@norcalpacific]

@@frasercain So then the unstable 3 points require even more propellant and adjustments?

[@michasaaban932]

Can a future telescope be composed of separate mirror fragments arranged to travel together, precisely aligned, in the space? Each of them could even be a payload of individual rocket. The overall cost would be enormous but the risk of entire project would be dramatically reduced.

[@johnbennett1465]

For an optical telescope, it would be very hard to keep them aligned correctly. I do think it will be possible to send separate mirrors up and connect them together afterwards. For radio telescopes, the alignment is easier. Setting them up with large separations would be practical and give better resolution.

[@Makoto778]

6:00 Wouldn't it also be a possibility that some alien civilizations may form an 'alliance' of sorts to fight off berserkers?

[@brane7414]

That's a good possibility. But maybe interstellar traveling is impossible (for example, there are no wormholes or traveling near the speed of light is impossible) and every advanced civilization reach some sort of plateau in terms of colonisation, therefore they can't meet other civilizations. Maybe that's the reason we aren't destroyed by alien berserkers. Or aliens doesn't exist, which i don't personally believe considering the vastness of the universe. There are a lot of possibilities, we just don't know.

[@gamerxt333]

The idea of aliens not exisiting at all, or never existed previously, is too far fetched to me. Sure we havnt seen them ( I think ), yet that could be explained with reasons such as, they don`t choose to visit everywhere or even they don`t have the technology to do so.

[@blueredbrick]

Like the Federation of Planets in Startrek dealing with the likes Borg or Romulan or the Founders ?

[@jeremyeharris]

Hi Fraser, How different would our understanding of the universe beyond the solar system be today, if we had huge modern, cutting edge technology ground based telescopes, but but no space telescopes because rocket technology hadn't been invented yet?

[@PrincessTS01]

lets give them all the "Vulcan Hello"

[@SpaceCadet4Jesus]

And we get the Romulan raspberry as reply.

[@hodor3024]

Hey Fraser, love what you're doing. What are your thoughts on conformal cyclic cosmology?

[@frasercain]

I don't have an opinion. I'm a journalist, not a cosmologist.

[@speakz6935]

Hi Fraser, will the JWST be able to image alien megastructures?

[@I.amthatrealJuan]

Yup, the image was released. We should have seen your reaction to it.

[@HPA97]

Could there be planets in the Oort cloud? And if so could it be that occasionally a planet falls inwards similar to Oort cloud comets?

[@la7dfa]

Afaik there could be at least one big planet in the Oort cloud, but it could also be many smaller spheres making up the same amount gravity. The reason they are so hard to observe is the vast distances. I would not think its a big object orbiting eliptically to near the sun, because there are billions of years since the late heavy bombardment.

[@1000dots]

With a project like Breakthrough Starshot, how dangerous would the small fast probes be to an inhabited planet in the target system? Like, if Earth was hit by one of those small probes at 0.2c what would it do to the planet?

[@extropian314]

27:50 Just would like ta point out that in fact Earth's atmosphere has been heavily oxygenated for more like *2.7 billion*

[@tomdolan9761]

The history and the motivation of a completely alien space fairing species isn't really fathomable. An assumption of benign intention is more dangerous because it's disarming. A natural wariness is simply a good survival strategy

[@mooferoo]

28:20 of course another possibility is that the berzerka probes are currently in transit, and i for one welcome our new berzerka probe overlords.

[@Christamaiztha]

I have a follow up question to the follow up question about living beside the Big Bang: if I understand correctly the Big Bang happened and everything started expanding so everywhere is the Big Bang. What if you lived where the Big Bang originated? The spot everything is expanding away from? Isn’t that the centre?

[@johnbennett1465]

Current understanding allows two possibilities. First the Universe is infinite in size. If so, it has always been infinite. It was just denser in the past. Second is that the Universe wraps on itself like a 3D game of Pacman or Asteroids. In this case you can say that all or no positions are at the center. Which one depends on how you define center.

[@frasercain]

You said it already. The Big Bang happened everywhere. It's not expanding from any one place, every place is moving away from every other place.

[@johnbennett1465]

@@frasercain just FYI, you seem to be replying to the original poster, but I got notified. This implies that you replied to my message. I only mention this because they will not be notified and may not see your comment.

[@mralekito]

I love space 🙂

Hi Fraser! Do you really think that in a couple centuries we would be traveling through space as the vulnerable biological beings we are today, or as a cyborgs, perhaps uploaded minds with avatars to interact with the physical world which don't have to worry about the duration of galactic journeys? I honestly can't imagine us doing the former when biotechnology will surely enable the later.

[@joaodecarvalho7012]

If we think of universes that came before ours, aren't we talking about a hypertime that exists beyond our universe?

[@volpedo2000]

When scientists talk about the multiverse do they mean multiple universes or multiple instances of observable universes each with their own Big Bang happening in the cosmic soul of the wider universe? Like atolls in the sea.

[@janklaas6885]

multieverse is just an theory

[@stick2pacman804]

As the galaxy spins, will we one day eventually, if we last that long, be able to see the great attractor before it devours us?

[@JohnSmith-kf1fc]

So Fraser, how can JWST orbit around L2 if there is nothing there to orbit around? I was under the impression that JWST orbits the sun at L2, not orbiting L2 itself. Thanks for clarifications, peace

[@maynunal]

advanced civilizations can just hurl a huge rock at us before we even see/meet them!!

[@solarsystemcitizen1104]

Indeed. Just ask The Narns :(

[@SpaceCadet4Jesus]

We'll dodge at the last second.

[@maynunal]

@@SpaceCadet4Jesus that's how the aliens find out how advanced we are!!!:-) lol!!!

[@johndoeofficial4357]

How can JB discover if there are aliens out there since it will see the light from 13B years ago when "the life" was stil forming?

[@SCIENindustries]

What about considering that in time we have (and will be) more peaceful, would that be the case? 🤔

[@frasercain]

That's a possibility, that only peaceful civilizations can avoid killing themselves off.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

26:55 what do those areas marked "wing" mean?

[@InfiniteBeautyOfficial]

Sir. Cain, I forgot to ask. Are there Astronauts at/in the ISS at all times?

[@Kneedragon1962]

I couldn't be arsed, right now.... I would not assume they're going to be hostile, I think that's a bit paranoid, but I would not assume they're not. Let's say ~ how do you feel about meeting a group of people from a whole different continent, with a culture you know nothing about? Do they speak your language? Do you know anything about their history? Are street gangs and casual street-crime and violence a part of their own culture? How do they treat their women? How do they talk about those women when they're not around? Do they have a culture of carrying a weapon, sharp blade, or fire-arm? Do they get around in groups to support each other's sense of confidence? The group I'm thinking of here, are the Lebs in Sydney's Eastern suburbs... Do they make tough-boy jokes within the group, in the language of the old country, where they build their own social position in their own little group by mocking the locals who don't speak their language? My point is we should not assume anything about the mindset of ET because we've never met one. Perhaps they'll be more civilised and civil than us, and feel about us the way we feel about Lebs, and maybe they're right. But we should not assume anything. I would hope we become aware of them before they become aware of us, and I would hope we go into the meeting knowing at least as much about them (the good and the bad) as they know about us.

[@PhysicsPolice]

30:00 What if they tried to wipe us out 5 times already (Ordovician, Devonian, Permian, Triassic, and Cretaceous) and it's just a difficult thing to accomplish?

[@frasercain]

We just don't stay dead. Good point, though. Unless you pushed the Earth into the Sun, I don't think it would be possible to destroy life on Earth. But definitely possible to wipe out a civilization.

[@ztechrepairs]

The only kind of animal you going to be sending to Mars as a food source is spam in a can

[@Raz.C]

re - 28:00 Maybe they DID send in the Berserker Probes and THAT'S the cause of at least one of the mass extinctions events in our planet's history...

[@simba9825]

How do we know light is red or blue shifted? How do we know it wasn't its current colour all along? How do we know it used to be a different colour?

[@FrAvatar]

Google "periodic table of elements and spectroscopy" to get images, but basically if you look at the light spectrum of stars and galaxies the signature wavelength of atoms that would be blocked at certain wavelength are not exactly at the frequency they should be but appear shifted up or down on the "light bar" they shift up towards blue if approaching us as the light gets "compressed" and shifts towards red because the light is getting stretched as it's getting further. It's the same principle of doppler effect like a car engine sounding higher as it comes towards you and the shifts to a lower tone as it passes you and drives away from you.

[@kx4532]

No eastern society ever conquered and destroyed all in their path :p

[@frasercain]

The biggest empire ever was the Mongols. :-)

[@pauljefferies9087]

Okay now hold on. If Earthlings use up resources, we create refuse. Where would we put that refuse? We would recycle it, reuse it, learn to use it again and again. Sustainable.

[@disinclinedto-state9485]

Hey, Fraser. Could dark matter be all the light-year lengths of lead that various civilizations have put into the universe to test their neutrino penetration metaphors?

[@RayRay-zt7bj]

I never assumed aliens will be hostile, that is unless we present hostility to them first.

[@extropian314]

5:47 Re "berserkers vs peaceful civilization": If either of them is significantly _more intelligent_ than the other, it's very likely they'll "win", having better technology and the problem-solving ability to utilize it (when we define _intelligence_ as "the ability to solve complex goals in complex environments). Kindness and ethicalness doesn't necessarily mean weakness, I think. Still, for example a scrawny human would have to carefully exercise their intelligence _and_ be fairly smart (probably no young children here) to beat an angry and unethical huge gorilla -- while very smart humans will have already prepared for such a scenario and win easily.

[@machelvet9594]

3:26 We have only ourselves and our thinking to extrapolate what could be out there. But even if we think there is just one civilization that has this kind of "Hitler / Nazi" approach towards Lebensraum and inferior life, we should keep in mind that there were about 20 (I think) attempts on his (Hitler's) life. So even among the aliens there might be some that don't approve of their own policy. On the other hand being cautious and open is definitely the right stance.

[@stevencoardvenice]

Question: if our solar system is the byproduct of an ancient supernova, where is the stellar remnant that would have been left behind? Neutron star/black hole, etc

[@milohobo9186]

I assume that a civilization that has the technology and can harness the energy required for long distance travel would have no need for our resources. The more interesting possibility is that of knowledge, biodiversity, and cultural artifacts. Those are priceless, and can only be gained through trust and conservation. Unfortunately, humans seem to be destroying the biodiversity that would make our planet so valuable.

[@RobertFromEarth]

I agree that an E.T. lifeform would recognize life on earth and find some value in it. Most humans value life on earth but we think that it's an unlimited ressource or refuse to see that we are destroying it. The real danger would be a form of rogue A.I. that sees biological lifeforms as a threat and proceed to eliminate it. Beside that, I believe we've been visited and nothing bad has happened to this day. We are not a threat. But if the humankind had the possibility to travel in the galaxy and encounter other lifeforms, we would be a threat.

[@disinclinedto-state9485]

Love these so much, Fraser! Please make a $1/month patreon so us semi-mostly-poor people can contribute even just a little!

[@ElijahPerrin80]

Are we going to learn the hard way or are we going to look before we leap?

[@elck3]

Am I the only one who feels depressed about your answer on why we're likely alone - that if we weren't, we'd have been wiped out by now via Beserkers? Fraser, don't you feel existential dread thinking this way?

[@Alexander_Kale]

Doesn't have to be berserkers. If there had been a peaceful colonization effort of Earth, you would ALSO not be here, no violence involved or necessary, because said effort would have happened a million or more years in the past, when humanity did not exist yet.

[@PhantomHarlock78]

Hi, Fraser. Will Nasa colorize James Webb images to look like the type of image Hubble takes and have more appeal to the public?

[@stankythecat6735]

It’s not for public appeal , it has scientific value

[@rhoddryice5412]

There are several(5?) detectors for different wavelengths (from near infrared to mid infrared) they are all monochrome but if want to combine them you need to assign colours. So I assume there will be pretty pictures but they will all be false colour.

[@phoule76]

ha, the background for 27:20 question

[@_swordfern]

One could suggest we're already coppertops. Aliens are always thought of some other terrestrial lifeforms.

[@InfiniteBeautyOfficial]

Time stamp 26:00 Ursa Major known as HD 84406

[@Kamil_O]

i like these videos

[@frasercain]

Thanks!

[@Sentinel-ai-alpha]

there is a lot of thorium here to fission before we will be fusing helium

[@elleshar666]

When I think of aliens I think of dinosaurs without the asteroid impact..

[@gamerxt333]

If all life shares simularities, then maybe. Although there`s still factors like gravity strength and gas type.

[@xyz6106]

Hey Fraser, is there any research based on reproduction and cell growth in space? I assume that would be a priority if we do plan on moving out of here.

[@Kentchangar]

Why do we always hear: "A planet in the habitable zone around star X, or Y or Z" when all we know about those types of stars (red Dwarf, White dwarfs, basically any non Sun like star) is that they have one or multiple characteristics that probably prevent life from forming on planets orbiting them? Thanks!

[@frasercain]

It's just saying that the planet is in a region that water could be liquid on its surface.

[@Kentchangar]

@@frasercainThat is what I thought, but it's misleading. :)

[@Alienalloy]

how do you think the science of astronomy would have developed in an alternate world where earth was covered in a constant low lying cloud, like a grey day....every day... that wow moment might be in the 50's when we first break the cloud layer and see stars for the first time?

[@streak1burntrubber]

Because of that big sun shield, is there anything (besides the sun, moon, earth, I assume the rest of the solar system) that the James Webb Telescope won't be able to observe? Any directions it won't be able to look towards? Perhaps areas near the "poles" of the plane of the solar system? (not sure what the correct term is)

[@frasercain]

Nope, that's it. Its orbit around the Sun will give it a view to the entire sky over the course of a year.

[@colinhouseworth9027]

At what temperature does water ice sublimate on Mars?

[@Ficktao]

Not "Western-centric", because colonization, conquest and fighting for territory is a human trait that all humans share.

[@fahadalharbi960]

If Aliens are able to travel space and reach us that mean they extreamly advanced related to us, and they will not do all that difficult endeavor to come and say Hi there, or kidnapp some farmer to inspect his behind to study our biology.. They will get of most of Us before they even come close to earth

[@manfredmaniek]

How fast does a supernova event happen? If I was on Mars and the sun went supernova, would I see the process unfold in any way or one moment it's there and the next I'm dead?

[@Raz.C]

Jesus, Fraser!! When you were talking about Star-Shimmer/ Planet-Shimmer, you kept describing the planets as "discs." Now, I know that you mean "they appear to be discs," but if there are any flat earthers lurking about, they're going to claim that "Top NASA scientist ADMITS that ALL planets are discs!!!" You have to be careful, dude...

[@user-uc9fx4ru7p]

We can't even get along with each other very little chance we would get along along with them.

[@brane7414]

When we say that universe is about 13.7 billion years old, are we talking about observable universe or the entire universe?

[@frasercain]

Both. Assuming the rest of the Universe is like our corner of it.

[@brane7414]

@@frasercain Thanks sir. I have another question. Is the universe finite? And if it is, how do we know?

[@TagiukGold]

Aliens: All your base are belong to us.

[@joshm3008]

Hello Fraser. Do you think we will have permanent bases on the Moon and Mars by 2050?

[@mattuk56]

Hi Fraser. Do you think oneday we will meet aliens who have heard Tupac Shakurs music?

[@wannabeb3]

Wait a minute, Fraser! I thought you didn't like gravity wells! Shouldn't your background be an orbital space station instead of the moon and Mars? Are you changing your mind?🤣

[@doncarlodivargas5497]

Fraser is streaming the program from his space ship out in the universe, the background is only meant as decorations

[@wannabeb3]

@@doncarlodivargas5497 So what you're saying is that he's aboard the Destiny from SGU.

[@frasercain]

Chad decides where I am. If he thinks I should be on the Moon, I'm on the Moon.

[@ibnrochd6078]

rouge as in rogue ?

[@scottk.6005]

Question: In the future… after we have colonized the moon, Mars, and several other bodies in the solar system... is it possible that our DNA could develop beneficial mutations (or we utilize gene therapy) to make our skin impervious to radiation damage? Remember… early humans from Africa and those who currently live near the equator have already evolved the ability to produce extra melanin in their dermis creating darker skin, and thus significantly more protection against melanomas and other skin cancers (due to UV radiation).

[@Alexander_Kale]

Evolution is not _just_ mutation. It is "mutation followed by natural selection", the latter part being just as important. But there won't _be_ any such selection in the future, because for that to happen our descendants would have to let everyone WITHOUT your hypothetical mutation suffer, and do so over tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years. That does not sound very realistic to me. In the future, we might live in shielded habitats, protecting ALL of us from those harmful aspects of space. We will not expose ourselves or our kids to harmful radiation, just to see which one of us have a slight resistance to it. The only way I can see happening what you propose is an artificially instituted breeding program. Of which I don't really see the point, tbh. Why breed humans to be radiation resistant, when you can instead just make the EVA suits a tenth of an inch thicker?

[@albert_vds]

Isn't it easier to go to a solar system where you don't need to deal with other life.

[@kasonf2176]

I think we are a nature preserve

[@frasercain]

We don't treat Earth well enough then. We're doing a bad job of preservation.