*How do scientists actually measure the history and expansion of the universe?*
Saul Perlmutter explains the observational foundations of precision cosmology, from supernova distance ladders and the cosmic microwave background to baryon acoustic oscillations, gravitational lensing, gravitational waves, and the next generation of observatories designed to test our understanding of the cosmos.
0:26 Supernovae and the Expansion of the Universe
2:23 Building the Cosmic Distance Ladder
7:30 Reading the Cosmic Microwave Background
12:09 Baryon Acoustic Oscillations
16:47 Can Gravitational Lensing Become the Third Pillar?
23:45 Gravitational Waves and Standard Sirens
26:57 DESI, Rubin, Roman, and JWST
*Saul Perlmutter* is an American astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking discovery that the expansion of the universe is accelerating. His pioneering work has transformed our understanding of cosmology, including the study of dark energy and the evolution of the universe.
*Resources:*
* _Sense & Sensibility & Science_ — Saul’s undergraduate course at UC Berkeley using the tools of science to improve everyday decision-making: https://sensibility.berkeley.edu
* _Scientific Thinking for All: A Toolkit_ — a six-unit high school adaptation of the course, developed with the Lawrence Hall of Science and Nobel Prize Outreach: https://scientificthinking.lawrencehallofscience.org
* _Third Millennium Thinking_ — Saul Perlmutter, John Campbell, and Robert MacCoun on the tools scientists use to avoid fooling themselves, applied to everyday decisions: https://thirdmillenniumthinking.com
*More from Saul Perlmutter on Closer To Truth:*
* Closer To Truth: The Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJr3pJl27pLLkP0kHQKL9nZh35UkgkR_
* Closer To Truth contributors: https://closertotruth.com/contributor/saul-perlmutter/
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Closer To Truth, created and hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence and sentience. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.
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