Q-90.1's Our Universe

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Do you have questions about space, time and the nature of the universe? Join Aurelian Balan, Delta College associate professor of physics, as he uses astronomy and physics to help answer your questions while diving into some amazing topics.

Q-90.1 FM WUCX


    • Oct 10, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 4m AVG DURATION
    • 67 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Q-90.1's Our Universe

    Quantum Computing

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2024 4:00


    Computers, tablets, and phones have become very fast. The latest multicore processors are capable of an incredible number of calculations each and every second. Yet, we are changing the way we do computing thanks to our ever-increasing knowledge in the field of quantum physics. How does quantum computing work, and are quantum computers faster than classical computers?

    How Magnetism Works

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 4:00


    Let's study the mystery of magnetism, exploring the tiny particles and invisible fields that govern this powerful interaction.

    How Venus Lost Its Water

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 4:00


    Ages ago, Venus may have had oceans of water and been much more like Earth. Where did all the water on Venus go? And why is it such a hellscape today?

    The Physics of Polarizing Sunglasses

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2024 3:30


    Have you ever squinted at a shimmering lake or felt blinded by the reflection off a wet road? That's glare, and it's not just uncomfortable – it can make it difficult to see clearly.

    Your Best Chance to See a Nova

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2024 3:30


    A nova called T Coronae Borealis erupts every 80 years and your only chance to see it is sometime between right now and September of 2024.

    NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications Experiment

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 29, 2024 4:00


    Imagine sending massive amounts of data from our spacecraft and receiving high-res video in minutes, not hours or days. It might sound like science fiction, but that's the reality NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications Demo, or DSOC, is aiming for.

    The Radio Spectrum

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2024 3:30


    The radio spectrum is a fascinating realm of invisible energy carrying everything from your favorite radio station to your Wi-Fi connection and beyond. So how does it work?

    The Acceleration Due to Gravity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2024 3:30


    We've all heard this number before – 9.8 m/s² – But what does that really tell us? And what does it have to do with our weight?

    The Mariner Valley of Mars

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2024 3:30


    Mars is a world of towering mountains, vast plains, and deep canyons. Today, we're going to take a look at one of the most remarkable features on Mars: Valles Marineris or… the Mariner Valley.

    The Most Promising Dark Matter Experiment

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 4:00


    Most of the universe is made of a type of matter that doesn't interact with light—dark matter. This is a big deal—throughout history we've studied and learned about the universe by observing it, yet we can't directly observe most of the universe!

    The Elusive Oxygen-28

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2023 3:30


    Physicists have finally detected the elusive oxygen-28 isotope, but the observations are surprising and unexpected.

    Nuclear Fission Reactors

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2023 4:00


    In 1942, a team working on the Manhattan Project were the first scientists to build a nuclear fission reactor, but it was only the first *man-made* fission reactor on Earth.

    Exoplanets

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2023 3:30


    How many planets do we know of outside of our own Solar System? Are any of these planets habitable? How do we even find them?

    Jupiter's Moon, Io

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2023 3:00


    There is a moon in our Solar System that is considered to be the most volcanically active world that we know of. This Moon is one of Jupiter's 90+ known moons, and is called Io.

    The Carrington Event

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2023 4:30


    On Sept. 1, 1859, the most intense geomagnetic storm on record caused a planetwide disturbance.

    The Basics About Our Moon

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2023 3:30


    Every now and then the news picks up on something interesting going on with the Moon. We often hear about a supermoon, or a harvest Moon, or my personal favorite the Super Blood Wolf Moon! Let's dive into what all these terms mean.

    If Earth Had Two Suns

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2023 4:00


    Earth orbits the Sun in the habitable zone – a place where liquid water can exist in great quantities on our surface. But how would things change if Earth revolved around two suns, and do we know of any real-life planets that orbit more than one star?

    The Doppler Effect

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2022 4:00


    Have you ever noticed how the siren of an ambulance sounds higher in pitch when it's approaching, and lower when it's driving away from you? That shift in pitch is related to the Doppler effect – an observed change in the length of a wave due to relative motion between the source and the observer.

    NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2022 3:30


    In September of 2022 NASA conducted the world's first planetary defense technology demonstration. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test demonstrated asteroid deflection by changing an asteroid's motion in space through kinetic impact.

    The Strong Force

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2022 4:00


    There are four fundamental forces that govern every interaction that happens in the universe and the strong nuclear force is responsible for keeping the nucleus of an atom together.

    Starlink and Space Junk

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2022 4:00


    Never before in Earth's history have we seen such a dramatic increase in the number of artificial satellites, and potential future debris, in orbit around the planet.

    The Power of Lasers

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 4:00


    Whether or not you realize it, many things you do in your day-to-day life rely on laser technology. Let's go through how lasers works and some potential applications.

    How Long Do Stars Live?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2022 4:30


    What determines how long a star like our Sun lives? It's been around about four and a half billion years, so why hasn't it burned out yet? Also, what about all the other stars in our galaxy? How long will they live? Let's take a look at the lifecycle and lifespan of these celestial powerhouses.

    Our Place in the Universe

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2022 4:00


    The universe is vast, and our place in the universe has been the subject of a large amount of research. Let's take a close look at Earth's place in the universe.

    How Practical is Solar Energy?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2022 4:00


    How practical is solar energy and putting solar panels up on your roof? What exactly will that accomplish for the environment and for your finances? Today, we're going to look at the practical aspects of powering your home and community with solar.

    Extreme Temperatures of the Solar System

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2022 4:00


    Earth has a pretty large range of temperatures, but make no mistake about it, even with the extremes from Death Valley to the South Pole, it's still mild here compared to any other world.

    All About Telescopes

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2022 4:00


    To take a closer look at the wonderous nature of the night sky, you may have considered getting a telescope at some point. Today, we look at different telescope types and a couple potential ways to see deeper into the universe.

    Measuring the Vast Distance to a Star

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2022 4:00


    Stars are so ridiculously distant that it's hard to understand just how far-off they are. But how do we know, really, how far away stars are?

    A Planet Far, Far Away

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2022 4:30


    How may planets do we know of outside of our solar system… beyond the influence of our Sun? When a planet is found to orbit a star other than the Sun, it is called an exoplanet. Currently, there are around 5,000 known exoplanets.

    The James Webb Space Telescope

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 4:25


    While the Hubble Space Telescope continues to operate, NASA, The European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency have collaborated to build, launch, and successfully deploy the most powerful and complex space telescope ever built.

    Why Polaris is Special

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 3:35


    There are a few misconceptions and many mesmerizing details about the nature of Polaris, also known as the North Star.

    The Speed Limit of the Universe

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2022 4:00


    We think of the speed of light as almost instantaneous, but compared to the vastness of space, light is slow.

    Nuclear Fusion

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2019 4:27


    Every day, the Earth receives enough energy from the Sun to meet our energy needs for a year, thanks to nuclear fusion.

    Space Debris

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2019 4:30


    The night sky is likely to get a lot more dynamic in the coming years because of companies looking to get into the space Internet business.

    How We Got Our Moon

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2019 3:30


    Earth has one of the largest moons in the Solar System, even compared to the massive outer planets. How did Earth get such a massive moon?

    X-Rays and CT Scans

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2019 3:45


    Learn the difference between these two tests, what they do, and what kind of exposure you get from them.

    Cell Phone Radiation

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2019 4:00


    Explores the radio waves and microwaves that make our cell phones work and see how our cellular technology might affect us on a cellular level.

    Neutrinos

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2019 4:30


    How do mysterious little particles with no electric charge and nearly zero mass shed light on the creation of the universe?

    Antimatter

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2018 4:00


    What is antimatter and how can we use it?

    Asteroid Mining

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2018 4:00


    Lately, we have become interested in the ice, rock, and metal just beyond our atmosphere.

    Milkdrameda

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2018 4:30


    The irresistible force of gravity means that we're on an eventual collision course with our neighboring galaxies.

    Energy Production

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2018 4:30


    How we generate our electricity and heat our homes affects everything from the environment to our wallets. So how do Michigan and the United States as a whole produce their energy?

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