Science and Nature

Crash Course Astronomy

Welcome to school without the classroom! Join host Phil Plait and discover everything there is to know about the cosmos.

Life in the Universe: Crash Course Astronomy #46

11m 9s

Here it is, folks: the end. In our final episode of Crash Course Astronomy, Phil gives the course a send off with a look at some of his favorite topics and the big questions that Astronomy allows us to ask.

Episodes

  • Life in the Universe: Crash Course Astronomy #46: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Life in the Universe: Crash Course Astronomy #46

    S1 E46 - 11m 9s

    Here it is, folks: the end. In our final episode of Crash Course Astronomy, Phil gives the course a send off with a look at some of his favorite topics and the big questions that Astronomy allows us to ask.

  • A Brief History of the Universe: Crash Course Astronomy #44: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Brief History of the Universe: Crash Course Astronomy #44

    S1 E44 - 12m 21s

    Thanks to the wonders of physics, astronomers can map a timeline of the universe’s history. Today, Phil’s going to give you an overview of those first few minutes (yes, MINUTES) of the universe’s life. It started with a Big Bang, when the Universe was incredibly dense and hot.

  • Dark Energy, Cosmology part 2: Crash Course Astronomy #43: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dark Energy, Cosmology part 2: Crash Course Astronomy #43

    S1 E43 - 11m 8s

    The majority of the universe is made up of a currently mysterious entity that pervades space: dark energy. We don’t know exactly what it is, but we do know that dark energy accelerates the expansion of space. We think this means the Universe will expand forever, even as our view of it shrinks while space expands faster all the time.

  • The Big Bang, Cosmology part 1: Crash Course Astronomy #42: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Big Bang, Cosmology part 1: Crash Course Astronomy #42

    S1 E42 - 13m 9s

    Thanks to observations of galaxy redshifts, we can tell that the universe is EXPANDING! Knowing that the universe is expanding and how quickly its expanding also allows us to run the clock backwards 14 billion years to the way the universe began - with a bang.

  • Dark Matter: Crash Course Astronomy #41: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dark Matter: Crash Course Astronomy #41

    S1 E41 - 11m 45s

    Today on Crash Course Astronomy, Phil dives into some very dark matters. The stuff we can actually observe in the universe isn’t all there is. Galaxies and other large structures in the universe are created and shifted by a force we detect mostly indirectly, by observing its impact: DARK MATTER.

  • Gamma-Ray Bursts: Crash Course Astronomy #40: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Gamma-Ray Bursts: Crash Course Astronomy #40

    S1 E40 - 13m 51s

    Gamma-ray bursts are not only incredible to study, but their discovery has an epic story all its own. Today Phil takes you through some Cold War history and then dives into what we know.

  • Galaxies, part 2: Crash Course Astronomy #39: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Galaxies, part 2: Crash Course Astronomy #39

    S1 E39 - 15m 20s

    Active galaxies pour out lots of energy, due to their central supermassive black holes gobbling down matter. Galaxies tend not to be loners, but instead exist in smaller groups and larger clusters. Our Milky Way is part of the Local Group, and will one day collide with the Andromeda galaxy.

  • Galaxies, part 1: Crash Course Astronomy #38: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Galaxies, part 1: Crash Course Astronomy #38

    S1 E38 - 11m 51s

    Galaxies contain gas, dust, and billions of stars or more. They come in four main shapes: elliptical, spiral, peculiar, and irregular. Galaxies can collide, and grow in size by eating each other.

  • The Milky Way: Crash Course Astronomy #37: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Milky Way: Crash Course Astronomy #37

    S1 E37 - 10m 59s

    Today we’re talking about our galactic neighborhood: The Milky Way. It’s a disk galaxy, a collection of dust, gas, and hundreds of billions of stars, with the Sun located about halfway out from the center.

  • Nebulae: Crash Course Astronomy #36: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Nebulae: Crash Course Astronomy #36

    S1 E36 - 12m 1s

    Astronomers study a lot of gorgeous things, but nebulae might be the most breathtakingly beautiful of them all. Nebulae are clouds of gas and dust in space. Some nebulae are small and dense, others can be dozens or hundreds of light years across.

Extras + Features

  • The Moon: Crash Course Astronomy #12: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Moon: Crash Course Astronomy #12

    4m 41s

    Join Phil for a tour of our capital-M Moon, from surface features, inside to the core, and back in time to theories about its formation.

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