Skip to main content
Back to Show
PBS Space Time

Why the Universe Needs Dark Energy

Season 2 Episode 27

We know the universe will continue to expand forever, so now we can begin to complete the first Friedmann equation, and determine the shape and geometry of our universe. At first glance, it would seem that the equation doesn’t quite add up, and that our universe is a hyperbolic plane. But when we add in the cosmological constant, the equation balances out, and we return to a flat universe.

Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
Season
How Many Black Holes Are In The Solar System?
18:32
Dark matter has eluded us for many decades but we may be able to discover more now.
Does Infinity - Infinity = an Electron
15:35
What do you get if you combine something that’s infinitely massive and negative infinitely massive?
What Does An Electron Actually Look Like?
13:39
What does an electron really look like?
The NEW Ultimate Energy Limit of the Universe
16:35
Is there a limit to how much energy you can cram into, or pull out of one patch of space?
Does the Planck Length Break E=MC^2?
17:19
I’d like to invite you to an even higher level of nerdom!
Can the Universe Remember? Exploring Gravitational Memory
11:43
Gravitational tsunamis exist and we’re on the verge of being able to detect them.
How Can Humanity Become a Kardashev Type 1 Civilization?
18:40
Will we ever become a Kardeshev Type-1 civilization and how can we get there?
Do Neutron Stars Shine In Dark Matter?
14:05
New data is telling us that Neutron stars may make one of the most popular dark matter candidates.
What If the Cosmological Constant Is Not Constant?
15:14
Is Dark Energy Getting Weaker?
What If The Universe Did Not Start With The Big Bang?
16:08
Here’s the story we like to tell about the beginning of the universe.
The New Physics of Black Hole Star Capture | Extreme Tidal Disruption Events
17:44
We’ve never seen a TDE in the Milky Way, but we’ve seen them in distant galaxies.
Can We Test Quantum Gravity?
16:51
Let’s talk about quantum gravity experiments that can be done here on Earth!
Active loading indicator