WEBVTT

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[rocket rumbling]

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[dramatic music]

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>> HEY, WELCOME
TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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I'M YOUR HOST, AMBER WHALEN.

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WHAT DO RADIOS, MICROWAVES,
AND X-RAYS HAVE IN COMMON?

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WELL, RADIOS PLAY MUSIC,

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MICROWAVES ARE A FAST
AND EASY WAY TO COOK FOOD,

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AND X-RAYS ALLOW US
TO SEE OUR INSIDES

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FROM THE OUTSIDE.

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SO HOW DO THESE THREE THINGS
HAVE A COMMON LINK?

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THEY'RE ALL PART
OF A BROADER SPECTRUM,

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THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM,
TO BE EXACT.

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THIS IS THE NAME
THAT SCIENTISTS HAVE GIVEN

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TO ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES
OF RADIATION

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THAT TRAVEL IN WAVES.

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SO WE CAN LISTEN TO OUR FAVORITE
MUSIC FOR FREE

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BECAUSE THE RADIO STATION
EMITS RADIO WAVES.

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BUT DID YOU KNOW
THAT STARS, PLANETS,

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AND EVEN GASES IN SPACE
EMIT RADIO WAVES TOO?

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[dramatic rock guitar music]

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EVEN OUR OWN SUN CREATES
RADIO WAVES.

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TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

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THIS IS A SOLAR FLARE
ON OUR SUN.

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ON THE RIGHT,
YOU SEE RADIO WAVES.

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WHEN THE SUN FLARES,
SO DO THE RADIO SIGNALS.

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OKAY, SO, ENOUGH
WITH RADIO WAVES.

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THERE ARE EVEN MORE INTERESTING
TYPES OF RADIATION OUT THERE.

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LIKE I SAID, MANY DIFFERENT
TYPES OF RADIATION CAN BE FOUND

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ON THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM,

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FROM THE RADIO WAVES
WE TALKED ABOUT

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TO MICROWAVE,
INFRARED,

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AND VISIBLE--

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THAT'S THE PORTION
OF THE SPECTRUM

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THAT WE CAN SEE
WITH OUR OWN EYES--

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TO ULTRAVIOLET,

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X-RAYS,

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AND GAMMA RAYS.

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THE HIGHER YOU GO
ON THE SPECTRUM,

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THE HIGHER THE ENERGY GETS.

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SO RADIO WAVELENGTHS
ARE VERY LONG,

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WHEREAS GAMMA RAY WAVELENGTHS
ARE VERY SHORT.

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HERE'S OUR SUN AGAIN.

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EACH COLOR YOU SEE
REPRESENTS RADIATION

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FROM DIFFERENT PARTS
OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM.

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BY LOOKING AT THE SUN
IN DIFFERENT WAVELENGTHS,

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WE ARE ABLE TO NOTICE
DIFFERENT FEATURES.

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[percussive rock music]

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WHAT'S THE TERM "X-RAY"
MEAN TO YOU?

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BROKEN BONES
AT THE HOSPITAL, RIGHT?

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WELL, HIGH-ENERGY X-RAYS
ARE VERY USEFUL

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FOR MORE THAN LOOKING
INTO OUR BODIES.

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MANY DIFFERENT X-RAY TELESCOPES

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HAVE ENABLED US
TO EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE.

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WE HAVE LEARNED
ABOUT BLACK HOLES,

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NEUTRON STARS, AND SUPERNOVAS,
AMONG OTHER PHENOMENA.

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SO YOU MIGHT WONDER,

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WHY DO WE WANT
TO SEE GAMMA RAYS?

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WELL, SOME OF THE MOST
INTERESTING OBJECTS

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THROUGHOUT OUR UNIVERSE

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EMIT A GOOD PORTION
OF THEIR LIGHT AS GAMMA RAYS.

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HOWEVER, IT'S NOT VISIBLE
TO THE NAKED EYE.

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SO TO LEARN MORE, ENGINEERS
AND SCIENTISTS CREATED

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THE GAMMA RAY LARGE AREA
SPACE TELESCOPE, OR GLAST.

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LAUNCHED IN JUNE OF 2008,

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THE TELESCOPE
WAS RENAMED FERMI,

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AFTER PROFESSOR ENRICO FERMI,

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A PIONEER
IN HIGH-ENERGY PHYSICS.

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[upbeat rock music]

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FERMI NOW ORBITS EARTH

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AND CREATES IMAGES
OF OUR UNIVERSE.

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OKAY, SO MAYBE
I HAVEN'T BEEN CLEAR

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ON HOW INCREDIBLY POWERFUL
GAMMA RAYS ARE

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AND WHAT MAKES THEM
SO WORTHY OF STUDY.

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A SINGLE GAMMA RAY BURST,
LIKE FROM THE DEATH OF A STAR,

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IS SO FORCEFUL THAT
FOR A BRIEF MOMENT IN TIME,

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IT ACTUALLY OUTSHINES
THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE.

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THAT'S PRETTY POWERFUL
IF YOU ASK ME.

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HOW ABOUT ANOTHER POWERFUL
FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE?

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A BLACK HOLE.

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BUT GET THIS:

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EVEN A BLACK HOLE,
WHICH IS INFAMOUS

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FOR PULLING IN MATTER,
EVEN LIGHT,

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ACTUALLY PUSHES AWAY MATTER
IN JETS THAT MOVE

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AT OVER 99%
OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT.

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GUESS WHAT'S INSIDE THESE JETS.

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YOU GOT IT.

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GAMMA RAYS,
AND A WHOLE LOT OF THEM.

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FERMI WILL HELP SCIENTISTS
STUDY WHY THIS HAPPENS.

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TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

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FERMI SENT THIS IMAGE
BACK TO EARTH.

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IT COMBINES 95 HOURS
OF IMAGES OF THE SKY

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AND GAMMA RAYS EMITTED.

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IF YOU LOOK CLOSE,

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YOU'LL SEE THAT'S
OUR OWN MILKY WAY GALAXY

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RIGHT IN THE CENTER.

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THERE ARE
IMMENSELY POWERFUL GAMMA RAYS

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COMING FROM
OUR OWN GALACTIC BACKYARD.

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IT KIND OF MAKES YOU REALIZE
HOW BIG THINGS REALLY ARE

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AND HOW MUCH WE STILL
NEED TO KNOW

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ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON
OUT THERE.

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WELL, UNTIL NEXT TIME,
I'M AMBER WHALEN,

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AND THANKS FOR WATCHING
"NASA LAUNCHPAD."