Cosmic Queries – JWST’s Primordial Galaxies with Neil deGrasse Tyson & Wendy Freedman

What do the early galaxies discovered by JWST tell us about the early universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Matt Kirshen explore the expansion of space, dark energy, and the age of the universe with astronomer, Wendy Freedman.

What is the Hubble constant? Wendy helps us explain what it is, how Edwin Hubble got it, and why it’s important. If the universe is expanding at an increasing rate why are we calling it a constant? When did we figure out the expansion was speeding up? Discover our cosmic horizon, how we found the age of the universe, and Einstein’s biggest blunder.

What does the JWST discovery tell us about our current model for the early universe? Learn about The Dark Ages– and, no, it is not the era following the fall of the Roman Empire. How is the JWST helping challenge ideas in astronomy?

Is our universe young, middle-aged, or old? Learn about the different ages of the universe, dark energy, and how we live at an inflection point between eras. What does Wendy think about The Big Rip Theory? If time is relative, how do we reliably predict the age of the universe? What if we predicted the age of the universe from right outside a black hole?

Thanks to our Patrons Fernando Colón, Richie Mercado, Miami John, David Rivera, Matthew Reason, and Kostas Chaskis for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free.

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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00:00 - Introduction
01:48 - What is the hubble constant?
6:20 - Einstein’s Blunder & The Expansion
9:08 - How come the universe is expanding faster than light but things aren’t moving away from each other?
14:38 - JWST, Early Galaxies & The Dark Ages
19:00 - JWST Findings Challenging Astronomy
22:15 - Challenges in Astrophysics
29:15- Is our universe young, middle-aged, or old?
32:28 - Is there evidence of The Big Rip?
35:55 - If time is relative, how do we reliably predict the age of the universe?
39:32 - Why are they called black holes? Is it still condensed matter?

[JALNIN]

This episode was a real treat for me. The Hubble made the 90's super exciting. I followed along by reading the Health and Science section of the Boston Globe on my subway commute. It made us rethink our understanding of the Universe many times and it's a real thrill to hear from one of the main people who was behind this work. Thank you. The single biggest jaw dropping moment of my life was the day the first Hubble Deep Space photo was published. I think my jaw was on the floor the whole day, couldn't even focus on anything else. It was just so mind blowing to learn there were that many other galaxies. I loved following along as the science community tweaked and refined our understanding of it all. I was fully expecting JWST to find early galaxies more mature than expected because that's the same thing the Hubble found. Just further with JWST. Now we're learning it's closer to 2 to 4 trillion galaxies in the observable Universe. Awesome. Thanks again for doing what you do. We love it!

[Goodjobeveryone]

My day gets brighter and my mind finds new questions each and every time I see there’s a new StarTalk!

[ginamcdonald]

I did not want this episode to end. This is so interesting, and I learn so much every time I watch StarTalk!

[ywfbi]

Absolutely love the part of the discussion regarding uncertainties and testing the measurements.
IMHO Wendy really spoke to the real progress of science today.
Fantastic show :)

[mattdenihan]

Hey Neil / Chuck just wanted to say thanks for everything you do, I love being able to watch/ listen every day to startalk! I love being able to learn a little more everyday about the universe and everything within.

[bharfbattlebrain]

I love it. All the questions that I had were answered, along with several others, though it's left me with questions I've never thought of before, but that'll be sorted in future installments no doubt. And the beauty of it is, I can enjoy learning about this wonderful universe that we live without worrying about having to take any exams.

[harshsharma]

Love every episode of startalk just as i love every star in the universe!

[XxTheAwokenOnexX]

At last, iam finally the first person to like a StarTalk video 👍

[Brian-uytj]

There is, as there should be, constant reference to the Hubble telescope and the JWST but they never remember to mention the engineers who designed these two marvels of scientific equipment. You are amazed at what you see, in addition to that, I am amazed at the engineers who figured out how to make that happen. Truly amazing stuff!

[manny]

Not the response I personally wanted to hear from Dr. Freedman regarding the big rip but I respect her even more for feeling the way she does about it. Great show and great guest yet again. ☄️🔭

[jeffreyjackson]

I love Neil's ability to make mundane things interesting and cool. Then takes the already epic stuff and describe it in ways you never though of that make it even cooler 🤯

[MisterSixty]

Relatively speaking, time passed by so quickly watching this episode!

Thank you, Professors and Hosts 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[alansilverman]

Please do a segment with Wendy delving into her research using the Webb to measure the Hubble constant with Red Giant Branch Tip Stars as opposed to Cepheid Variables which you haven't covered here in more detail...

[lorigarza]

And she just answered my question. Why is the universe expanding. Hopefully they will learn the answer to that in my lifetime.

[kellinrogers]

Dr. Tyson, my 11 year old wants to be a theoretical physicist. Where do I start? What resources are available for a kid who is already talking about Einstein blowing away Newtonian gravity?

[robertamcintyre]

Wendy is so good at explaining difficult concepts that lay people can grasp.

[skeller]

I love great scientists, because they are humbled by what we do not yet know, yet bold enough to discover new things that we now know better.

[sagarah]

The more I learn about the universe, the more it sounds like cell development on a much grander scale

[rdberg]

I really like Wendy Freedman as a person. She is very even--tempered and kind in addition to being brilliant.

[bugssy]

Will someone please turn on the lights in this cave we call the universe so we can see all the way to the end?