Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Invisibility Quest

Episode 3 of 13

Listener Dylan wants to know; is anything in the universe truly invisible? Hannah and Dara are on the case.

Hannah and Dara tackle a disarmingly simple question: is anything in the universe truly invisible? After ruling out mysterious Nordic spirits and 鈥楧ara鈥檚 ire鈥, our curious duo start to track down the invisible waves all around them. Including, it turns out, some which are emanating from their VERY OWN FACES! An infrared camera reveals Hannah鈥檚 nose as a particular hotspot.

Turning their gaze to bigger things, they wonder: what does our own galaxy look like when viewed in this invisible spectrum? Infrared reveals vast loops and whorls of dust and gas - gigantic structures otherwise totally hidden. But there are even cooler surprises. Ever wondered what an X-ray of the universe looks like? Turns out it鈥檚 a sparkly map of white-hot black holes!

Back on earth, the discussion turns to ways of making objects disappear by bending light in tricksy ways. But why is the fancy science of 鈥榤etamaterials鈥 still struggling to make a proper invisibility cloak? Sorry, Harry Potter fans.

In the end, our physicists reveal a universe bursting with even more elusive, even more mysterious stuff: dark matter and dark energy. Prepare to see the unseen in a whole new light!

Contributors:

Matthew Bothwell - the Public Astronomer at the University of Cambridge and author of The Invisible Universe
Andrew Pontzen - Professor of Physics at Durham University
Mitch Kenney - Assistant Professor in metamaterials at the University of Nottingham

Producer: Ilan Goodman
Executive Producer: Sasha Feachem
A 成人快手 Studios Audio Production

Release date:

28 minutes

On radio

Next Saturday 10:00

Broadcasts

  • Next Saturday 10:00
  • Mon 21 Apr 2025 15:30

Why do you see faces in unexpected places?

We are 鈥渉ardwired鈥 for recognising faces and it starts at birth.

Podcast