>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
MY NEXT GUEST IS A PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS AND MATHEMATICS AT
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.
HE'S ALSO THE FOUNDER OF THE WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL,
HAPPENING NEXT WEEK RIGHT HERE IN NEW YORK CITY.
PLEASE WELCOME BRIAN GREENE.
♪ ♪ ♪ ( APPLAUSE )
WELCOME BACK.
COME ON UP.
BRIAN, IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO TALK TO YOU.
LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT GRAVITATIONAL
WAVES, THE DISCOVERY FINALLY OF THE BENDING OF SPAIRKS THE
FABRIC OF SPACE TIME.
AND WHAT ARE WE EXCITED ABOUT SCIENCE-WISE TONIGHT?
WHAT ARE YOU EXPLAINING?
>> TONIGHT, WE ARE BASICALLY THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF AN
AMAZING DISCOVERY IN ASTRONOMY, THE MOST POWERFUL EXPLODING
STAR, THE MOST POWERFUL SUPERNOVA EVER DETECTED IN HUMAN
HISTORY.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS A SUPER NOVA, FIRST OF ALL?
>> A SUPERNOVA IS AN EXPLODING STAR.
AND THE ONE THAT WAS FOUND IS 570 BILLION TIMES BRIGHTER THAN
THE SUN AT ITS PEAK LUMINOS ET.
JUST IMAGINE THAT.
A POINT OF LIGHT IN THE SKY HALF A BILLION TIMES-- YOU KNOW, 500
BILLION TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN THE SUN.
>> Stephen: OKAY, AND WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?
>> WELL, IT HAPPENED 3.8 BILLION YEARS AGO.
BUT IT WAS DISCOVERED ONE YEAR AGO.
IT'S FUNNY HOW IT WORKS, TIME-- >> Stephen: IT IS, IT IS, IT
IS, BECAUSE IT'S 3.8 BILLION LIGHTYEARS AWAY.
>> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: DO WE SEE A FLASH OF LIGHT?
IF IT'S THAT BRIGHT WHY DON'T I LOOK UP AT NIGHT AND SEE THE SKY
COMPLETELY BLOTTED OUT BY A SUPERNOVA?
>> IF IT WAS CLOSE ENOUGH TO US, YOU WOULD HAVE.
IN FACT, IF THIS SUPERNOVA HAPPENS, SAY, AT THE DISTANCE OF
PLUTO, IT WOULD HAVE WIPED EVERYTHING OUT.
WE WOULD ALL BE GONE.
SO IT'S CEEND OF GOOD THAT IT HAPPENED 3.8 BILLION LIGHTYEARS
AWAY.
>> Stephen: SURE, SURE.
WHY WAS IT SO HUGE?
WHY THIS-- WHAT'S THE NAME, HYPERNOVA.
>> HYPERNOVA.
>> Stephen: WHAT CAUSES ONE?
>> LET'S LOOK AT A STAR BEFORE IT EXPLODES TO GET A SENSE-- YOU
CAN BRING IT UP ON THE SCREEN HERE.
IF WE DIVE INTO A STAR RIGHT, WE PENETRATE, SAY, INTO THE
SURFACE, AND WE GO DEEPER, LAYER BY LAYER, ULTIMATELY WE GET TO
THE STAR'S CORE.
AND THE CORE, BECAUSE OF ITS ENORMOUS TEMPERATURE, TENS OF
MILLIONS OF DEGREES, IS ACTUALLY A NUCLEAR FURNACE, WHERE SIMPLE
ATOMS FUSE TOGETHER TO BUILD THE MORE COMPLICATED ONES, LIKE ONES
NEEDED FOR LIFE.
THE THING SAS THESE ATOMS FUSE, THEY GIVE OFF ENERGY, AND THAT
ENERGY STREAMED OUTWARD AND IT PROMS THE STAR UP.
THAT'S HOW THE STAR SUPPORTS ITS OWN WEIGHT.
AND THIS IS VITAL BECAUSE SOONER OR LATER, A STAR USES UP ALL ITS
NUCLEAR FUEL.
NO MORE FUSION, NO MORE OUTWARD FLOWING ENERGY.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, WHAT HAPPENS IS THE STAR WILL
COLLAPSE IN ON ITSELF.
MATTER RUSHES IN AND REBOUNDS LIKE A BALL BOUNCING OFF A VERY
STIFF SURFACE, SENDS A SHOCK WAVE GOING THROUGH THE STAR,
RIPPLES OUTWARD LAYER BY LAYER.
AND THE STAR EXPLODES.
>> Stephen: TOW IS COLLAPSES IN AND THEN BURSTS BACK OUT WITH
THE FORCE OF REBOUND.
>> EXACTLY.
AND IT'S AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL DISPLOAGZ.
WE DO HAVE A DEMONSTRATION TO GIVE A SENSE OF HOW THE ENERGY
OF THE CORE IS TRANSMETTED LAYER BY LAYER THROUGH THE STARS.
>> Stephen: WHAT IS THIS CALLED?
>> THIS IS CALLED THE GAL LAYAN CANNON.
>> Stephen: DID GALILEO COME UP WITH THIS?
>> I DON'T THINK SO.
BUT HE DROPPED A LOT OF STUFF, AND WE'RE GOING TO CROP SOME
STUFF HERE.
THE IDEA HERE IS THAT EACH OF THESE BALLS REPRESENTS A LAYER
OF A STAR.
SO THIS BIG ONE HERE IS THE CORE, AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO
IS WE'RE GOING TO DROP THIS STACK, AND THIS BALL BOUNCING
OFF THE BASE HERE IS LIKE THE CORE REBOUNDING AFTER THE STAR
COLLAPSES.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
>> AND THEN AFTER IT BOUNCES UP, IT'S GOING TO HET THE NEXT
LAYER, WHICH IS GOING TO TRANSMIT THAT ENERGY LAYER BY
LAYER UNTIL WE GET TO THIS LITTLE GUY OVER HERE.
AND WE'LL SEE HOW ALL THE ENERGY WILL BE CONCENTRATED IN THIS
YELLOW BALL, AND WILL FLY UP WITH --
>> THIS REPRESENTS THE OUTER LAYER OF THE STAR?
>> THIS IS LIKE THE SURFACE OF THE STAR.
IF I JUST DROP THIS BY ITSELF, NOT MUCH HAPPENS.
BUT IF I DROP THE WHOLE STACK -- >> OKAY, BEFORE YOU DO THAT,
BEFORE YOU DO, THAT I'VE BEEN INFORMED THAT THIS GALILEOAN
CANNON, THIS IS SOMETHING PEOPLE HAVE DONE BEFORE BUT NO ONE HAS
DONE A GALILEOAN CANNON THIS TALL BEFORE AND WE HAVE SOMEONE
HERE FROM THE GUINNESS RECORDS PEOPLE RIGHT IN THE FRONT ROW.
AND YOU'RE GOING TO DROP THE TALLEST GALILEOAN CANNON OF ALL
TIME, AND WE'LL KNOW YOU'VE BROKEN THE RECORD IF THAT YELLOW
BALL GOES THROUGH MY MOUTH UP THERE.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: OKAY?
>> THAT'S OUR TARGET.
>> Stephen: THAT'S OUR TARGET.
ALL RIGHT, AND THIS-- OKAY, SO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, NOW,
REPRESENTING A SUPERNOVA AND THE RAPID EXPANSION OF THE OUTER
SHELL OF A STAR AND BREAKING A WORLD RECORD, MR. BRIAN GREEN.
WOOOO!
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THE WORLD RECORD
GALILEOAN CANNON, HYPERNOVEMBER.
THE "WORLD SCIENCE FESTIVAL" IS JUNE 1-5 IN NEW
JUNE 1-5 IN NEW YORK CITY.
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT world science festival.com
BRIAN GREENE EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.