There is a strand in contemporary astronomy that aims to survey and map the universe on larger and larger scales, going all the way back to the beginning of time. In this video, Josh Frieman, Director of the Dark Energy Survey and Astrophysics Professor at the University of Chicago, describes the promise these projects hold for understanding the hidden dynamic of the cosmos, including the identity and influence of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, and whether Albert Einstein’s theories are correct.

A startling collision in an ancient galaxy slews Earth’s largest telescopes to a spot in the Hydra constellation. Two rapidly spinning neutron stars have violently merged to form a possible black hole. And, for the first time, astronomers see its electromagnetic flash and hear its gravitational thunder as they watch new elements being born.

Narrator: Perry Anne Norton
Writer / Director: @DavidSkyBrody
Executive Producer: Thomas Lucas

What are the odds of life on planets orbiting nearby stars? Scientists, wielding sensitive new telescopes and “big data” tools, have detected planets around thousands of stars; some Sun-like and some very different from our star. Many newly discovered “exoplanets” lie in “habitable zones,” where liquid water may support the chemistry that enables biology. How will astronomers discover if we have company in the cosmos…and where they live?

Narrator: Perry Anne Norton
Writer / Director: @DavidSkyBrody
Executive Producer: Thomas Lucas

Dr. Robert Stein, professor of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State Universe has long envisioned a day when he could use supercomputer programs to “see” through the roiling surface of the sun and glimpse its dynamic interior. He describes his quest and offers ideas about what drives the violent outbursts known as coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, known to disrupt the electrical systems that power our civilization.