S2018 E1 • How the US Launched Its First Satellite

60 years ago, in January 1958, the United States launched its first satellite, Explorer 1.

Première diffusion : 2 janvier 2018

S2018 E2 • A New, Bubbly Origin Story for the Solar System

We might be closer to figuring out how our solar system was born and NASA has two finalists for its next New Frontiers mission.

Première diffusion : 5 janvier 2018

S2018 E3 • Fighting the Loneliness of Space Travel

Long months or years spent in space can be isolating, making astronauts susceptible to boredom and depression. Here's a look at some long-term studies we've done here on Earth to figure out what isolation does to people, and how to make it a little more tolerable.

Première diffusion : 9 janvier 2018

S2018 E4 • Fast Radio Bursts: Mystery Solved?

Our favorite fast radio burst, FRB 121102, brings us one step closer to understanding its source, and astronomers have a new theoretical upper limit for star masses.

Première diffusion : 12 janvier 2018

S2018 E5 • Could Naked Singularities Exist?

A naked singularity is something that should be a black hole, but it’s neither black nor a hole. If they exist, they’ll rewrite physics as we know it.

Première diffusion : 16 janvier 2018

S2018 E6 • There's Clean (Frozen) Water on Mars!

According to two new papers, Mars may have gigantic drinkable glaciers and we might have found the reason that galaxies glow.

Première diffusion : 19 janvier 2018

S2018 E7 • 3 Times We Thought We Found Aliens

Earthlings have been searching for alien life for centuries, and more than a few times we were confident that we'd found evidence, but to err is human after all.

Première diffusion : 23 janvier 2018

S2018 E8 • We're Turning Pulsars into Galactic GPS!

Scientists have thought for awhile that pulsars could be used as a sort of galactic positioning system, and astronomers have published the most advanced topographical map of Titan to date!

Première diffusion : 26 janvier 2018

S2018 E9 • How Many Galaxies Are There?

We've been trying to count the galaxies in the universe since the mid '90s, but our estimates change as our tools improve. So what does our current estimate really mean?

Première diffusion : 30 janvier 2018

S2018 E10 • Earth Has a New, Orbiting Disco Ball!

Earth has some new orbiters, and while one of them is vexing many scientists, another will help us learn more about our atmosphere.

Première diffusion : 2 février 2018

S2018 E11 • A New Way to Move Tiny Spacecraft | Electrospray Propulsion

Big, fiery rocket launches are just too powerful for something like a toaster-sized CubeSat once it’s in space. Electrospray propulsion is a promising new way to move these little satellites.

Première diffusion : 6 février 2018

S2018 E12 • How SpaceX Launched the World's Most Powerful Rocket

We've found the first evidence of planets outside of the Milky Way, and SpaceX has finally launched the Falcon Heavy rocket into space!

Première diffusion : 9 février 2018

S2018 E13 • Could We Give Mars a Magnetic Field?

One way to help us live on Mars would be to terraform the planet. Some scientists think we might be able to do that by giving it a new magnetic field!

Première diffusion : 13 février 2018

S2018 E14 • How a Frozen Earth Gave the Moon Its Shape

It might look like a perfect circle, but the Moon is actually wider than it is tall. Now, new calculations indicate that the Moon’s shape is a remnant of a time when Earth might’ve been covered in a single, global ice sheet.

Première diffusion : 16 février 2018

S2018 E15 • How Do We Know the Age of the Universe?

What kinds of tools do astronomers use to calculate the age of the universe, and how can they determine the speed of its expansion?

Première diffusion : 20 février 2018

S2018 E16 • How We Solved the Mystery of Pulsating Auroras

Astronomers have finally observed what causes pulsating auroras, and our estimates of the mass of the Andromeda Galaxy have shrunk.

Première diffusion : 23 février 2018

S2018 E17 • How the First Stars Transformed the Universe

The first stars turned all the neutral hydrogen in the universe back into ions, created a bunch of new elements, and just generally made a mess. But without them, you wouldn’t be here.

Première diffusion : 27 février 2018

S2018 E18 • It's Official: Life Could Survive on Enceladus

Enceladus’ environment could totally be habitable for at least one real-world microbe and we just found the oldest supernova.

Première diffusion : 2 mars 2018