Questions Show: Avoiding the Heat Death, Orbiting Galaxies, and the Dangers of Space Radiation

Orbiting galaxies. Okay, colliding really. NGC 6050 by Hubble

Will robots be able to avoid the heat death of the Universe? Can galaxies orbit each other like binary stars? And what are the dangers of space radiation to astronauts on the Moon?

If you've got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to info@astronomycast.com and we'll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

Avoiding the Heat Death, Orbiting Galaxies, and the Dangers of Space Radiation

Could we transfer our consciousness to robots so the human race could survive the destruction of the galaxy and the heat death of the universe?

• Robot Power Regulations – Society of Robots
• Tutorial:  How to Build a Robot — Society of Robots
• Ep. 86 End of the Solar System
• Ep. 87:  End of the Universe

If galaxies are near to each other, will they orbit each other or collide?

• Colliding Galaxies — UTK
• Dwarf Galaxies Orbiting the Milky Way — PhysOrg
• Tidal Tails are 'Skid Marks' from Famous Galactic Collisions – Universe Today
• Binary Galaxies – Caltech
• Ep. 26: Largest Structures in the Universe discusses colliding galaxies.

If solar radiation is a problem on Mars, isn't it a bigger problem on the Moon?

• Radiation levels on the Moon and Mars — Health Physics Society
• Radiation on the Moon — Universe Today
• Problems with solar flares for people on the Moon — Science@NASA
• Standards for Protection Against Radiation — US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
• STEREO Mission
• Study of Radiation Doses Experienced by Astronauts on EVA — NASA
• Radiation Dose Limits for Astronauts (paper, subscription required) – Radiation Safety Journal

If I were located on one of the most distant galaxies from Earth, one  that is only exceeded by the Cosmic Microwave Background, what would the sky look like?

• Cosmic Microwave Background — NASA
• Ep. #5 — The Big Bang and the CMB

Why didn't you mention Herschel in Ep. #132?

• Herschel website
• Ep. #132: Infrared Astronomy

I see pictures of stars with bowshocks around them.  Does our sun have one?

• Hubble image of bow shock around LL Ori
• Bow shocks – Wiki

I'd like to pursue a career in science journalism — suggestions?

• All about Pamela Gay (from Star Stryder)
• Pamela's Wikipedia page
• Astronomy Magazine
• Sky and Telescope
• Knight Science Journalism Fellowship
• Carnival of Space
• Fraser's story
• Universe Today's 10th anniversary story
• Fraser's Wikipedia page
• Science journalism:  Supplanting the Old Media? –Nature

Would geostationary satellites work on other planets?

• Geostationary Orbits
• Rotation of Mercury
• Retrograde rotation of Venus — Universe Today
• Rotation of Saturn — Universe Today
• Rotation of Jupiter — Universe Today
• Mars' Rotation — Universe Today

The Universe is expanding at an ever greater rate, so doesn't this constitute adding energy to the Universe?

• Dark Energy — NASA
• Dark Matter — NASA
• Energy for an Expanding Universe — Department of Energy "Ask a Scientists"

If the redshifting of light indicates all matter is moving away from us, how do galaxies and superclusters collide?

• How do galaxies collide in an expanding Universe? — Cornell U
• Why do galaxies collide if they are moving away from each other? –Naked Scientists Forum

1. Kayla Says:
   July 5th, 2009 at 7:15 am

   Thanks for sharing your experiences Fraser.

2. Adam Says:
   July 7th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

   What about mechanical energy? For robots. Like an alternator from a car. Or is that breaking the laws of thermodynamics? Sry for spelling am on iPod.

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