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PBS Space Time

Black Hole Harmonics

Season 5 Episode 35 | 13m 11s

Black holes are crazy enough on their own – but crash two together and you end up with a roiling blob of inescapable space that vibrates like a beaten drum. And the rich harmonics of those vibrations, seen through gravitational waves, could hold the secrets to the nature of the fabric of spacetime itself. We’ll explore the papers that claim to have detected black hole harmonics.

Aired: 10/06/19
Extras
Watch • 18:33
PBS Space Time
The Particle We’ve Been Chasing for 30 Years Might Not Exist
The universe thrums with quantum fields, except something may be missing: the sterile neutrino.
Episode: S11 E20 | 18:33
Watch • 18:42
PBS Space Time
The Universe Itself Might Be Hiding the Gravity Particle From Us
Gravitons, the particle of quantum gravity, may be impossible to detect.
Episode: S11 E19 | 18:42
Watch • 1:38:18
PBS Space Time
Black Holes. Explained. For 1.5 Hours.
We go in depth on black holes: the strangest objects in the universe!
Special: 1:38:18
Watch • 25:02
PBS Space Time
Heisenberg Made a Discovery in 1925. We Still Can't Explain It
2025 was the international year of quantum science, but today we examine its origins.
Episode: S11 E18 | 25:02
Watch • 21:17
PBS Space Time
Do We Live in the Rarest Solar System In The Universe? We're about to find out!
We’ve found lots of “habitable” worlds but we don’t know what factors are needed for life.
Episode: S11 E17 | 21:17
Watch • 21:31
PBS Space Time
The Gravity Particle Should Exist. So Where Is It?
What is the graviton, and does it even exist?
Episode: S11 E16 | 21:31
Watch • 23:22
PBS Space Time
We Were Wrong About the Quantum Eraser!
Does quantum mechanics allow the future to retroactively influence the past or not?
Episode: S11 E14 | 23:22
Watch • 19:52
PBS Space Time
Why Antimatter Engines Could Launch In Your Lifetime
Antimatter drives sound like science fiction, but they may not be as far as you think.
Episode: S11 E15 | 19:52
Watch • 19:14
PBS Space Time
Why Life on Mars Will Doom Humanity
Life on mars could result in humanity’s destruction via Fermi Paradox.
Episode: S11 E13 | 19:14
Watch • 19:01
PBS Space Time
At What Point Does Spacetime Become Quantum?
How to build a particle collider the size of the solar system.
Episode: S11 E12 | 19:01
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Watch • 18:33
PBS Space Time
The Particle We’ve Been Chasing for 30 Years Might Not Exist
The universe thrums with quantum fields, except something may be missing: the sterile neutrino.
Episode: S11 E20 | 18:33
Watch • 18:42
PBS Space Time
The Universe Itself Might Be Hiding the Gravity Particle From Us
Gravitons, the particle of quantum gravity, may be impossible to detect.
Episode: S11 E19 | 18:42
Watch • 25:02
PBS Space Time
Heisenberg Made a Discovery in 1925. We Still Can't Explain It
2025 was the international year of quantum science, but today we examine its origins.
Episode: S11 E18 | 25:02
Watch • 21:17
PBS Space Time
Do We Live in the Rarest Solar System In The Universe? We're about to find out!
We’ve found lots of “habitable” worlds but we don’t know what factors are needed for life.
Episode: S11 E17 | 21:17
Watch • 21:31
PBS Space Time
The Gravity Particle Should Exist. So Where Is It?
What is the graviton, and does it even exist?
Episode: S11 E16 | 21:31
Watch • 23:22
PBS Space Time
We Were Wrong About the Quantum Eraser!
Does quantum mechanics allow the future to retroactively influence the past or not?
Episode: S11 E14 | 23:22
Watch • 19:52
PBS Space Time
Why Antimatter Engines Could Launch In Your Lifetime
Antimatter drives sound like science fiction, but they may not be as far as you think.
Episode: S11 E15 | 19:52
Watch • 19:14
PBS Space Time
Why Life on Mars Will Doom Humanity
Life on mars could result in humanity’s destruction via Fermi Paradox.
Episode: S11 E13 | 19:14
Watch • 19:01
PBS Space Time
At What Point Does Spacetime Become Quantum?
How to build a particle collider the size of the solar system.
Episode: S11 E12 | 19:01
Watch • 12:39
PBS Space Time
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One of the most important reasons we go to space is to know our own planet better.
Episode: S11 E11 | 12:39