Space Nuts Episode 487: Rethinking the Universe - Dark Energy, Comet Atlas, and Pluto's Moon Mystery
Join Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson as they welcome the newest member to the team and kick off the first episode of 2025 with groundbreaking discussions and cosmic revelations. This episode is packed with intriguing topics, including a revolutionary paper challenging our understanding of dark energy, a mesmerizing comet lighting up our skies, and a fresh perspective on how Pluto acquired its moon, Charon.
Episode Highlights:
- Dark Energy Debate: Explore the bold new paper suggesting the universe might not have dark energy and isn't expanding as we thought. Fred Watson and guest Professor Jonti Horner delve into the implications of this paradigm-shifting research and what it means for the future of cosmology.
- Comet C/2024 G3 Atlas: Discover the celestial wonder of Comet Atlas, a once-in-160,000-year event. Learn about its journey close to the sun and how you can catch a glimpse of this spectacular comet in the night sky.
- Pluto's Moon Charon: Uncover the fascinating story behind Pluto's largest moon, Charon. Jonti Horner explains the new theory of a gentle collision that might have led to Charon's capture, providing fresh insights into the dynamics of our solar system.
- Astronomical Events of 2025: Get a sneak peek into the best celestial events to look forward to this year, including lunar eclipses and meteor showers.
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Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.
00:00 - Andrew Dunkley returns to Space Nuts with Professor Fred Watson
02:21 - Professor Jonti Horner is filling in for Fred for next month
04:38 - New research suggests the universe has no dark energy and isn't expanding
13:31 - Andrew Dunkley: The dark energy model fits the, uh, data better
16:21 - C 2024 G3 Atlas was discovered in 2024
22:51 - Fred says people should look out for comet in the evening sky next week
27:05 - This is an interesting story about how Pluto got its moon
34:02 - The encounter between Theia and Pluto lasted 10 hours, Fred says
36:43 - This year is absolutely terrible for eclipses of the sun
40:09 - Andrew Dunkley: Thanks to Professor Fred Watson and Professor Jonti Horner
✍️ Episode References
University of Southern Queensland
[https://www.usq.edu.au/](https://www.usq.edu.au/)
University of Canterbury
[https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/](https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/)
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
[https://academic.oup.com/mnras](https://academic.oup.com/mnras)
Dark Energy Survey
[https://www.darkenergysurvey.org/](https://www.darkenergysurvey.org/)
Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
[https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/](https://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/)
Space.com
[https://www.space.com/](https://www.space.com/)
Stellarium
[https://stellarium.org/](https://stellarium.org/)
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