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Ask a Spaceman!

Ask a Spaceman!

Paul M. Sutter 278 episodes Latest May 19, 2026

Astrophysicist Paul M. Sutter answers your questions about space and time in this educational podcast. Each episode aims to bring you closer to complete knowledge of the universe. The show covers a wide range of topics from black holes to the Big Bang.

Episodes

AaS! 273: What if the Universe Had No Beginning? Jun 9, 2026 30:18 What does is mean for the universe to have a wave function? How does Hawking's "no boundary" proposal mean that the universe comes from itself? And is it really the final answer? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: h
AaS! 272: Are Neutrinos Their Own Evil Twins? May 19, 2026 34:30 What does "antimatter" actually mean? Can a particle be its own opposite? What would happen to it, and what does this have to do with a missing scientist? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www.pmsutter.com/
AaS! 271: What Happens When Light Goes Boom? May 5, 2026 21:38 How can matter ever go faster than light? What happens when it does? Who discovered this, and what is it good for? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www.pmsutter.com/books Keep those questions about space,
AaS! 270: Is the Universe…Defective? Apr 21, 2026 28:53 What did the universe do to make so many defects? What happens when they get trapped? And could they be hiding right in front of our noses? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www.pmsutter.com/books Keep thos
AaS! 269: Why Are Interstellar Objects So Weird? Apr 7, 2026 27:04 What makes the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas so weird? Why are we finding so many interstellar visitors recently? How are they made, and where do they come from? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www.pmsutter
AaS! 268: What are Little Red Dots? Mar 17, 2026 32:07 What do we find when we push the James Webb Space Telescope to its limits? Are Little Red Dots newborn galaxies or old black holes? What are they teaching us about the early universe? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a bo
AaS! 267: Is the Universe Older than We Think? Mar 3, 2026 27:56 How can anyone agree on the age of the universe? And how can we be so confident if it's all just a bunch of models? What if the universe is extra lumpy, does that change anything? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book:
AaS! 266: Is the Universe Made of Math? Feb 17, 2026 31:00 Why is math so effective at describing the universe? What is reality is made of math? What does it mean for us to be conscious beings in a mathematical structure? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www.pmsut
AaS! 265: Does Antimatter Fall Up? Feb 3, 2026 27:35 What is the weak equivalency principle? How was antimatter discovered and why is it the perfect thing to put gravity to the test? What did the CERN experiment discover? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www
AaS! 264: Just How Weird is the Quantum Eraser? Jan 20, 2026 29:36 How does the double-slit experiment work? What does it teach us about reality and measurement if we try to mess with the experiment after it's already started? How does quantum complementarity guide us with how to think about it? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube
AaS! 263: Does Free Will Exist? Jan 6, 2026 30:12 What is causal determinism? What are some of the ways that physics can permit free will? What does emergence have to do with all of this? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www.pmsutter.com/books Keep those
AaS! 262: Does the Universe Have Extra Dimensions? Dec 16, 2025 32:57 What do extra dimensions have to do with the strength of gravity? What is a tower of gravitons? How can we detect extra dimensions even if we can't perceive them? I discuss these questions and more in today's Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All episodes: http://www.AskASpaceman.com Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/PaulMSutter Read a book: https://www.pmsut

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