Jim Al-Khalili talks to astrophysicist Brian Schmidt about his discovery that the expansion of the universe is speeding up – and what wine-making and astronomy have in common.
Have you ever pondered the fact that the universe is expanding? And not only that, it’s expanding at an increasing speed – meaning everything around us is getting further and further away?
If that isolating thought makes you feel slightly panicked, don’t worry: this programme also contains wine!
Brian Schmidt is a Distinguished Professor of Astrophysics at the Australian National University, known for his work on supernovae: massive explosions that take place when stars come to the ends of their lives. They are among the most energetic events in the universe and incredibly difficult to find; but that’s what his High-Z Supernova Search Team did, identifying enough of these rare and distant explosions to measure just how fast they were moving away from us.
This led them to the realisation that, contrary to long-held belief in cosmology, the expansion of the universe was speeding up; a discovery which earned Brian a share of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s gone on to discover one of the earliest stars in the universe; run a university; and become a winemaker, at his very own vineyard just outside Canberra.
In a conversation spanning the genius phraseology of writer Douglas Adams, the importance of pisco sours, and the similarities between astronomy and viticulture, Brian tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili how his supernovae breakthrough paved the way for a revolution in astronomy – and where the field needs to go next…
Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced for BBC Studios by Lucy Taylor
Revised for World Service by Minnie Harrop
