Starts With A Bang podcast

Starts With A Bang #112 - Galactic Archaeology


Listen Later

When we look out at our home galaxy, the Milky Way, we have to recognize that even though it's been growing and evolving for 13.8 billion years, we're only observing it as it is right now: a snapshot in time determined by the light that's arriving in our instruments right now. However, just like we're living "right now" in human history but can, through the science of archaeology, learn about historical events that happened many thousands of years ago (before recorded history) or even earlier, we can learn about the Milky Way's history through the astronomical equivalent: galactic archaeology.

How do galactic archaeologists do it? They look at as much data as possible, across many wavelengths of light, including at many rare and obscure species of stars, in as many locations as possible and to the greatest precisions possible all at once. By combining these different lines of evidence, we can arrive at a coherent and compelling picture for how our little corner of the Universe grew up, including by reconstructing the merger history of the Milky Way.

Surprisingly, it isn't only the "big data" missions that are contributing to this understanding, but even smaller, less heralded (and more accessible) telescopes, with the right equipment and sets of observations, can make a huge impact. Join us for this episode, where astrophysicist and observatory director Elaina Hyde joins us, helping us better appreciate the wonders of our own cosmic past!

(This illustration of our Milky Way shows an ancient galactic stream wrapped around our galaxy's plane at nearly a 90 degree angle: evidence for a recent and even ongoing merger in our galaxy's history. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC/Caltech))

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Starts With A Bang podcastBy Ethan Siegel

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

65 ratings


More shows like Starts With A Bang podcast

View all
Big Picture Science by Big Picture Science

Big Picture Science

930 Listeners

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science by The Planetary Society

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

1,328 Listeners

StarTalk Radio by Neil deGrasse Tyson

StarTalk Radio

14,142 Listeners

Universe Today Podcast by Fraser Cain

Universe Today Podcast

543 Listeners

Ask a Spaceman! by Paul M. Sutter

Ask a Spaceman!

802 Listeners

The Quanta Podcast by Quanta Magazine

The Quanta Podcast

507 Listeners

Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries by Professor Fred Watson and Andrew Dunkley

Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights & Cosmic Discoveries

226 Listeners

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy by Stuart Gary

SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

295 Listeners

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating by Big Bang Productions Inc.

Into the Impossible With Brian Keating

1,048 Listeners

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas by Sean Carroll | Wondery

Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

4,122 Listeners

Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe by iHeartPodcasts

Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

2,308 Listeners

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss by Lawrence M. Krauss

The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss

507 Listeners

The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

The Supermassive Podcast

279 Listeners

Why This Universe? by Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman

Why This Universe?

362 Listeners

The Joy of Why by Steven Strogatz, Janna Levin and Quanta Magazine

The Joy of Why

496 Listeners