Kainaati Gup Shup with Salman Hameed

Gravitational waves were predicted by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. They were first directly detected in 2015 with LIGO and those were mostly the result of the collision of two star-size black holes. But now in a fascinating way, astronomers have used pulsars (spinning neutron stars) to detect a background hum of gravitational waves, probably caused by supermassive black holes. Ple...

For over fifty years, satellites and telescopes have been detecting short bursts of gamma ray bursts. Their origins remained one of the biggest mysteries of science. Now we know that they are from some of the strangest and biggest explosions in the universe. Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in discussing the origins of gamma ray bursts in this Urdu/Hindi documentary.  For full video: https...

This video on the challenge of increasing light pollution is a part of collaboration between International Astronomical Union's Office for Astronomy Research (IAU OAO) and Kainaat Studios. A companion essay for this video is available at: https://www.iau.org/public/themes/light_pollution/ Stars in the night sky have played a crucial role in the history of humans on this planet. They have not...

We know that black holes are some of the strangest objects in the universe! We now have an example of a supermassive black hole that was ejected from the center of a galaxy. In the process, it is also helping create new stars. Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in discussing how such a black hole got ejected from the galaxy in the first place in this Urdu/Hindi documentary.  For full video:...

In part 1, we looked at the question of life's origins and if the raw materials for life are easily available in the universe. In the second part, we look at the formation of the molecules of life itself - from amino acids and lipids for the membranes, to the formation of the molecule of life, DNA. In the second part, please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in looking at some of the pathways...

How did life begin on Earth? We do not have a definite answer yet. But what do we know about it and how can we approach this question? In the first part, please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in looking at the ingredients necessary for life, and the definition of life itself. For the video of this podcast: https://youtu.be/yYG9VQAhqD8

There are claims that these galaxies should not exit in the early universe. And yet here they are, detected by the James Webb Space Telescope. The light from these galaxies started when the universe was only 500-800 million years old. These are not the farthest/earliest galaxies - that record belongs to another galaxy, JADES-GS-z13-0, which pushes us to only 320 million years after the beginning o...

There is a green comet currently in our night skies. Today we seek out comets with our binoculars and telescopes. But even a few hundred years ago, humans used to associate bad-luck and bad omen at the sight of the comets. Shakespeare wrote about it in his play, Julius Caesar. Comets were mentioned in Akbarnama, the biography of the great Mughal Emperor, Akbar. Mirza Ghalib saw a comet soon before...

We often hear about NASA missions to the Moon and Mars. But China has been making some spectacular progress in the arena of space and astronomy. It now has an orbiting space station, successful missions to the Moon and Mars, and is setting its sights on deep space missions to Jupiter and Uranus. Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring some of the highlights of Chinese space program i...

Astronomers have detected over 5000 exoplanets so far. Some of these are slightly bigger than Earth and are called Super-Earths. Now we have discovered that two of these Super-Earths are mostly made up of water. Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in this conversation about how we detect exoplanets. For the video of this podcast: https://youtu.be/iZFHbv7GuwE

Our Sun is part of the Milky Way galaxy. But can there be stars without a galaxy? And if so, how do they get out of the galaxy? Over the past couple of decades, astronomers have started detecting inter-galactic stars, stars that reside in the space between galaxies. As it turns out, these stars can provide us with important information about the distribution of dark matter as well. Please join ast...

We usually use light to learn about the universe. However, there is an exciting new field of neutrino astronomy that uses a small particle to get information about the heart of exploding stars or the conditions near a supermassive black hole. IceCube Neutrino Observatory uses 1 cubic kilometer of ice to detect neutrinos. Recently, it found 80 neutrinos coming from the galaxy, NGC 1068 (M77) and it...

Humans are soon headed to the Moon again. Artemis I is going through its uncrewed test orbit around the Moon. But more than 50 years ago, humans first set eyes - not on the Moon - but on the Earth! The goal and focus of the Apollo program was, of course, to land humans on the Moon. However, it was the view of the whole Earth that really stole the show. In particular, the picture of the "Earth...

"Pillars of Creation" is one of the most famous picture taken by Hubble Space Telescope. It is a part of the star forming region called, Eagle Nebula. As you may have expected, now James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has now taken a spectacular infrared picture of the same region. Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring the processes responsible for creating these amazing col...

Looking at Saturn through a telescope is an amazing experience. The rings of Saturn are simply magnificent! But how did they form and are how long are they going to last? The recent Cassini spacecraft has provided insight into the origins of rings. Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring the origins of Saturn's rings in this episode. For the video of this podcast: https://youtu....

Sometime ago, NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid. This asteroid, called Dimorphos, was not a threat to the Earth. However, this was mission, DART, was part of a planetary defense test, in case of a real threatening asteroid. Asteroids have of course crashed into Earth before, and one such asteroid was responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs. Please join astrophysicist Salm...

Striking headlines get your attention. This was the case with some news that may be James Webb Space Telescope has overturned the established idea of Big Bang. We are inundated with these type of sensational headlines about science. The problem is that they are mostly misleading. Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring how to think critically about such stories, in this Kainaati Gups...

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is very good at detecting dust. This is because JWST works in the infrared, and dust glows in the infrared. Pictures of galaxies like the Cartwheel galaxy and the Stephan's Quintet show glowing dust. But why is there dust in the universe? This is a fascinating question and central to the origins of the Sun and the Earth as well. Please join astrophysicist Sal...

In 1974, astronomers used the Arecibo Observatory to send a message to a star cluster called M13. It is located 25,000 light years away. So if anyone is there, their response will get to us in 50,000 years!! So then what was really the point of sending that message? Plus what language do you use to communicate with aliens? Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring these questions and m...

The first results from James Webb Space Telescope are finally here. Some people are wondering if the telescope has really lived up to the hype. Is the telescope any good? Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring this question. For the video of this podcast: https://youtu.be/zXqgPDmlPtU

What are the First Images from James Webb Space Telescope? [Urdu/Hindi] | Kainaat Astronomy in Urdu It took more than 25 years to complete the successor to Hubble Space Telescope. And now we have the first results from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). They are astonishing. But what do they tell us about galaxies, stars and exoplanets? Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring the...

How big is our universe? This is one of the fundamental questions of humanity. It is a hard question to answer. But astronomers have made significant progress in the last 100 years to answer it. With James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers are hoping to detect the galaxies that formed soon after the Big Bang. But this is about time. What about space? Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in tac...

Black holes are the strangest objects in the universe. Astronomers have known for some time about the existence of a supermassive black hole at the center of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. They called it Sagittarius A* or Sgr A*. Just recently, using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), astronomers for the first imaged the light right outside the event horizon of this black hole. A few years ago, EH...

Ice giants Uranus and Neptune have beautiful blue colors. Why are they blue, when Jupiter and Saturn are not? Please join astrophysicist Salman Hameed in exploring these two planets and their atmosphere in this Urdu/Hindi science episode of Kainaati Gup Shup. For video of this podcast: https://youtu.be/LZSjy7hkHdU  

Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" is the most-watched science documentary ever! Ann Druyan co-wrote the original Cosmos with her late husband, Carl Sagan. She was also the Executive Producer and Director for "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" and "Cosmos: Possible Worlds", hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson. Please join in a conversation between Ann Druyan and Salman Hameed about her...