Could humans ever travel to other galaxies within their lifetime? The immense scale of the Universe seems to prohibit such voyages, after all the nearest galaxy is so far away that it takes light itself - the fastest thing in the Universe - 2.5 million years to complete the trip. Remarkably, there is a trick that might allow humans to accomplish this feat - join us today as we step onboard the constantly accelerating spaceship!
Written and presented by Professor David Kipping.
Chapters
0:00 - Prologue
2:57 - A Journey to Alpha Centauri
11:27 - Returning from Distant Shores
21:12 - Onward to the End
Further reading and resources:
► Lee, J. & Cleaver, G., 2015, "The Relativistic Blackbody Spectrum in Inertial and Non-Inertial Reference Frames": https://arxiv.org/abs/1507.06663
► Yurtsever, U. & Wilkinson, S. 2015, "Limits and Signatures of Relativistic Flight": https://arxiv.org/abs/1503.05845v3
► Margalef-Bentabol, B., Margalef-Bentabol, J., Cepa, J., 2013, "Evolution of the Cosmological Horizons in a Concordance Universe": https://arxiv.org/abs/1302.1609
► Columbia University Department of Astronomy: http://www.astro.columbia.edu
► Cool Worlds Lab website: http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.edu
Music is largely by Chris Zabriskie (http://chriszabriskie.com/) and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), in order of appearance;
► Cylinder Five (http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/)
► Music from Neptune Flux, "The Oceans Continue to Rise http://chriszabriskie.com/neptuneflux/
► Music from Neptune Flux, "We Were Never Meant to Live Here" http://chriszabriskie.com/neptuneflux/
► Cylinder Two (http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/)
► Cylinder Four (http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/)
► Cylinder Eight (http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/)
► "It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn" by Hill, licensed through SoundStripe.com
► Cylinder Two (http://chriszabriskie.com/cylinders/)
► "It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn" by Hill, licensed through SoundStripe.com
YOUR GUIDE
The Cool Worlds Lab (http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.edu) is a team of astronomers seeking to discover and understand alien worlds, particularly those where temperatures are cool enough for life, led by Professor David Kipping. Content is primarily written, produced and presented by David Kipping, but regularly features his students and visitors as guest presenters.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1: How do I access the audios?
After you register for the audio program, you will be instructed to download the Soundwise mobile app. When you sign in on the app, the program you registered for will automatically load in your library.
2: Can I listen offline?
Yes. Tap on the download icon next to an audio track will download the track to your phone. Simply download the audios when you have wifi and you can listen to them anywhere you go.
3: What should I do if I have technical issues?
Check out common troubleshooting tips here. If the issue is not resolved, please write to support@mysoundwise.com.