How fast does the Sun orbit the Milky Way? | Brian May's Astrophysics Thesis on Solar System Dust

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  • čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
  • This week I sat down and read Dr Brian May's (from Queen) astrophysics thesis all about dust in the plane of the Solar System. You can usually see the glow from this dust just before sunrise and just after sunset. Watch to find out how Brian May spent years studying this dust before his success with Queen, and how he came back to it in 2006 to finish off his research and find evidence for how fast the Sun is orbiting around the Milky Way. ‪@BrianMay‬
    Brian May's Thesis is available online here: core.ac.uk/download/pdf/29574...
    Song clips used:
    Under Pressure [Live at Wembley] - 00:53 - • Video
    We Are The Champions - 01:43 - • Queen - We Are The Cha...
    Another One Bites The Dust - 03:19 - • Queen - Another One Bi...
    Don’t Stop Me Now - 04:08, 15:53 - • Queen - Don't Stop Me ...
    Bohemian Rhapsody - 06:50 - • Queen - Bohemian Rhaps...
    Somebody to Love - 08:02 - • Queen - Somebody To Lo...
    It’s a Kind of Magic - 10:19 - • Queen - A Kind of Magi...
    Killer Queen [Top of the Pops] - 13:50 - • Queen - Killer Queen (...
    I Want It All - 17:50 - • Queen - I Want It All ...
    ----
    📚 "Space: 10 Things You Should Know": bit.ly/SpaceDrBecky
    📚 US & Canada version: "Space at the speed of light" (same book, different title): www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...
    📚 German translation "Das kleine Buch vom großen Knall" : www.dtv.de/buch/becky-smethur...
    ---
    🔭 Royal Astronomical Society podcast that I’m co-hosting 😱 🥳- podfollow.com/supermassive
    ---
    🔔 Don't forget to subscribe and click the little bell icon to be notified when I post a new video!
    ---
    📹 Dr. Becky also presents videos on Sixty Symbols: / sixtysymbolsand Deep Sky Videos: / deepskyvideos
    ---
    👩🏽‍💻 Dr Becky Smethurst is an astrophysicist researching galaxies and supermassive black holes at Christ Church at the University of Oxford.
    drbecky.uk.com
    rebeccasmethurst.co.uk
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Komentáře • 1,7K

  • @GelidGanef
    @GelidGanef Před 5 lety +1857

    Brian May may be the astrophysicist of Queen but Becky Smethurst is the Queen of Astrophysics 👑

  • @chrissscottt
    @chrissscottt Před 5 lety +1087

    As a Queen fan I'm tempted to buy May's thesis but I suspect it would only gather dust.

  • @pgm3
    @pgm3 Před 4 lety +457

    The reason Dr May left astrophysics for 35 years? Galileo let him go!

  • @jzero4813
    @jzero4813 Před 4 lety +196

    I was doing research at ICL in the Physics department when Brian May decided to come back to finish this thesis. It was the most surreal sight in the world to see that massive explosion of hair come shuffling into the common room looking for coffee along with the rest of the brown trousers and elbow patches about. Among his points of advice to PhD students at the time, in addition to working hard and so on, was to "have an awesome hairdo".

    • @CaptApril123
      @CaptApril123 Před 3 lety +27

      "I knew you'd come crawling back here, with your Glam-rock tail between your legs."
      "Shut Up Kevin!!!"

    • @VelvetCondoms
      @VelvetCondoms Před 2 lety +10

      I love comments like this, because published paper has at least one story like this and I like to hear those stories.

    • @peterxyz3541
      @peterxyz3541 Před rokem

      The 3rd Doctor? Jon pertwee?

    • @jzero4813
      @jzero4813 Před rokem +1

      @@My_Fair_Lady I don't know you, and you don't know me.

    • @jzero4813
      @jzero4813 Před rokem +4

      @@My_Fair_Lady Then we probably do know each other. I was in the experimental solid state group at the time and was there until spring '09. Terribly rude of you to call me a liar if you're actually so educated.

  • @garrycollins3415
    @garrycollins3415 Před 5 lety +400

    First Class Honors for incorporating Queen lyrics with great affect.

    • @DylanFahey
      @DylanFahey Před 5 lety +5

      Is it affect or effect? Always a tough choice.

    • @garrycollins3415
      @garrycollins3415 Před 5 lety +5

      @@DylanFahey it should be effect because in this case the word is a noun. I think.

    • @xCorvus7x
      @xCorvus7x Před 5 lety +4

      @@garrycollins3415
      An affect is an emotion or desire that influences behaviour.
      Albeit Dr. Smethurst's work has affected you in ways you find pleasant, 'effect' is your word of choice.

    • @garrycollins3415
      @garrycollins3415 Před 5 lety +3

      @@xCorvus7x ah the good doctor. I are engineer, language has never been my lernin' of choice. I just googled it and found the explanation of noun versus verb (things and doin' words). And everyone knows the internet is always right.

    • @xCorvus7x
      @xCorvus7x Před 5 lety

      @@garrycollins3415
      Pardon me, please, I am not able to handle this reply appropriately.
      You are certainly not serious, but whether this is banter or sarcasm I cannot quite tell (though _someone_ gave my comment a thumbs up); while snarky remarks are easy to produce, particularly in the verbally rich language of English, I have no idea how to respond, if this was banter.
      I hope the information I provided was of service to you.

  • @RachelsSweetie
    @RachelsSweetie Před 5 lety +320

    I've told my kids once or twice how cool it was that Queen's guitar player went back decades later and finished his PhD in astrophysics. Thanks for going through his work with us, both scientific and musical. And it's cool that you got your PhD, too. Now I'm waiting for you to post some of your band's videos.

  • @ricksneed4171
    @ricksneed4171 Před 4 lety +76

    Thank you for making ASTROPHYSICS fun and semi understandable. I'm a 69-year-old bricklayer and between you and Tyson, Greene, Nye and a few others I have a bit of understanding of the cosmos and the environs.

  • @tomgio1
    @tomgio1 Před 5 lety +24

    As a banker who has moonlighted as a garage band rock musician for 33 years, I casually mention Brian May (Astrophysics PhD, and Bruce Dickinson, type rated 747 pilot) as exalted examples demonstrating that yes, we musicians have chops beyond what most would consider in our typical wheelhouse. Thank you for this wonderful post!

    • @rhonafenwick5643
      @rhonafenwick5643 Před rokem +6

      You can also add to that list Dexter Holland, lead singer of The Offspring and holder of a PhD in Molecular Biology!

  • @enysuntra1347
    @enysuntra1347 Před 5 lety +491

    "It's incredibly dry!"
    Well... What did you expect? It's DUST!!!

    • @erictaylor5462
      @erictaylor5462 Před 5 lety +10

      Maybe she was talking about the humor. British wit is also very dry.

    • @erictaylor5462
      @erictaylor5462 Před 5 lety +4

      "dust" includes water, and there is quite a lot of water in the dust. So interstellar dust is anything but dry.

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 Před 5 lety +4

      @@erictaylor5462 you sure? Over at +Thunderf00t, he demonstrated in a near-vacuum water was either vapour, or frozen solid...

    • @erictaylor5462
      @erictaylor5462 Před 5 lety +9

      @@enysuntra1347 Well, hell. Here I am looking shit up to prove you wrong and me not wrong and guess what happened? I found out you were not actually wrong! But I still hold that I am also not wrong.
      In *SOME* definitions of wet, the state of the water is specified as "liquid" but "wet" is sometimes used when the state of the water is a gas or solid (ice). For example, it may be "hot and wet" out if the temperature and humidity are both high, but if the temperature is high and the humidity low it's called a dry heat.
      As a skier, I know snow can be considered dry, , wet, or really wet (slushy). "Dry snow is quite cold (well below the freezing point) and have a low water content per unite volume. This prevents the snow particles sticking together making it rubbish for snowballs but wonderful to ski on.
      While the dust contains little if any liquid water, it is full of water.
      Even so, while Thunderfoot is right to show that water can not be liquid in a vacuum he is, in general full of shit. He asserts knowledge he doesn't actually have. While he is often right, he is usually wrong, so please don't bother me by pointing out times he is right. Also, he's an asshole when you point out something he's wrong about. As I did here, when I see something I think is wrong on the internet, I tend to look it up and provide links proving my point. It's a good practice because as happened here, sometimes you might find out that what you think is wrong isn't. It saves you looking foolish when you find out you are not right, even if you kind of are.
      Just don't believe everything you see or read on the internet, unless you have outside information confirming the assertions made.

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 Před 5 lety +5

      @@erictaylor5462 Peace.
      I don't know +Thunderf00t personally, but yes, I take some of his claims with a grain of salt. The parts I can test from my knowledge - engineering and technics - usually are right, albeit not complete. How can you, however, make complete videos for a general audience?
      I'm coming from the different part of the spectrum, high temperature, high pressure steam usually in steam locomotives or turbines (or turbines powering locomotives). While it seems counter-intuitive to me ice (which Phil's explanation is IMO great to explain, even though boiling point there should be extremely low) does not suplimate directly into steam, to my knowledge water at vacuum either is solid ice, or a gas.
      While ice certainly has a great cohesion, what rinses dust on Earth - adhésion to ærosol droplets-seems to go missing in space. So you seem from my understanding to have either solid ice, or gazeous steam, but neither the liquid film under your skier, nor steam condensing more and more into vapour and ærosol.
      That's my factual understanding, while water is in the dust, it takes part in its dustiness, not wetting it.
      I could be wrong (not that much steam engines in space... or anywhere else nowadays, for that matter). However, I meant my remark as a light jokelet, not a serious contribution. Pardon if I caused you extra trouble.

  • @scamassassin2538
    @scamassassin2538 Před 5 lety +282

    I love listening to Dr May speak about this topic! He’s such a brilliant man! Dr May: “Yes yes.... this little side project did sidetrack me for a bit.... but when passion infects you, it will always fight to get out.”..... this little “side project” being Queen!😂🤣 Brilliant!!

    • @frankowalker4662
      @frankowalker4662 Před 4 lety +7

      Yeah, I saw that interview, it was brilliant, I did'nt know he was that witty.

    • @mikebannwart2913
      @mikebannwart2913 Před 2 lety +3

      when Queen just happens to be your back up plan and it worked out so well you might as roll with it since you dont know how long it was going to last...35 years later, oh i can finally get back to my main passion lol good times

  • @PatrickPoet
    @PatrickPoet Před 4 lety +22

    She's so cool. I love the way that she doesn't just educate us about the science but lets us see that she's just another person -- that's the kind of thing that might let a young woman feel like she had permission to be smart and do STEM if she wants. She's my favorite science youtuber for both those reasons 1) she does an excellent job teaching me things and 2) she role models much. She's making the world a better place.

  • @mariomatovina4
    @mariomatovina4 Před 5 lety +27

    There is nobody more cool than Brian May. Great guitarist, great hair and he's astrophysicist.

    • @Songbirdstress
      @Songbirdstress Před rokem

      The fact that he's a legendary rock guitarist is probably the least interesting thing about him...

    • @deviouskris3012
      @deviouskris3012 Před rokem

      His guitar must have some serious mass. I saw him at my local pub and my hand was drawn directly to touch it while he was playing a child’s sized acoustic.

  • @EtzEchad
    @EtzEchad Před 5 lety +336

    "We're made of Star Stuff!" - Carl Sagan
    Actually, there is a reason that the Universe is so dusty. It's hard to clean up because nature abhors a vacuum.

    • @MarcCoteMusic
      @MarcCoteMusic Před 5 lety +5

      LOL... Well done, David.

    • @eddieb7054
      @eddieb7054 Před 5 lety +4

      Very thesis worthy sir.

    • @eddieb7054
      @eddieb7054 Před 4 lety +15

      That's why it's "mess(i)er.

    • @thePronto
      @thePronto Před 4 lety +1

      That's what I told my mum. She just handed me a vacuum.

    • @erictaylor5462
      @erictaylor5462 Před 4 lety +4

      The English people won't get that. They call a vacuum a "Hoover"
      Hey, are those vacuum cleaner trucks they use to clean parking lots "Hoover Craft in England?

  • @SlideRulePirate
    @SlideRulePirate Před 5 lety +278

    A Doctorate AND Rock God Stardom.... He really did want it all.

    • @davecasey4341
      @davecasey4341 Před 5 lety +20

      And he wanted it NOW!

    • @Cougar1212
      @Cougar1212 Před 5 lety +6

      Hillbillies get "docorates". Intellectuals get "Doctorates. Ya maroon! : )

    • @soaringvulture
      @soaringvulture Před 5 lety +2

      Anyone could want. Brian May got it.

    • @zwz.zdenek
      @zwz.zdenek Před 4 lety +1

      @@Cougar1212 Small correction. He is a pirate, not a hillbilly.

    • @stevec6427
      @stevec6427 Před 3 lety +1

      There's quite a few rock stars who are also doctors of various subjects. A lot of bands are formed while the members are at university. Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, Greg Graffin of Bad Religion and of course Brian Cox are the first few who come to mind

  • @jerrysg7
    @jerrysg7 Před rokem +4

    In 1966 my PhD thesis in Polymer Chemistry at the University of Akron, Ohio contained a very simple FORTRAN program to do least squares regression analysis. It was the first computer program in a thesis at that University. I often wondered where I would have gone if I had not considered computers as just a very expensive tool and had stayed with them instead of staying in chemistry. Still a very satisifying career.

  • @NorthernChev
    @NorthernChev Před 5 lety +45

    So, I guess one could say, that after 35 years his research is officially "done and dusted!".

  • @noelwade
    @noelwade Před 5 lety +341

    1978: "I want to Ride My Bicycle..."
    2008: I want to Survey Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Cloud
    ...now _that_ is a journey!

    • @molynieux
      @molynieux Před 5 lety +4

      "I study dust zodiacal" (works best when you stress the antepenult, as in America, rather than the penult, as was done in the video.)

    • @zaphodhead1
      @zaphodhead1 Před 5 lety +2

      On my bicycle I study dust zodiacal

    • @georgeb.wolffsohn30
      @georgeb.wolffsohn30 Před 3 lety

      Yeah, but poetically it just doesn't scan.

    • @edwardofgreene
      @edwardofgreene Před 3 lety +3

      Well to be fair Bicycle is Freddie's song. However Fat Bottom Girls is Brian's and that's still quite the journey.

    • @lisawillis8227
      @lisawillis8227 Před 3 lety

      Best comment

  • @turkosicsaba
    @turkosicsaba Před 5 lety +242

    You might be a fan of Brian's work, but in sweltering Britain, Brian's work is a fan of yours! 🤔

    • @dmpyron2
      @dmpyron2 Před 5 lety +13

      Reporting that reply for being pun-gent

    • @TanjoGalbi
      @TanjoGalbi Před 5 lety +2

      @@dmpyron2 Don't you mean re-pun-gent? :P

    • @Yamo314159
      @Yamo314159 Před 5 lety +1

      You blew me away with that pun!

    • @flipshroomz9379
      @flipshroomz9379 Před 5 lety +1

      'Pun-gent effulgent' .. 🖐👀🖑
      Now were talking Space Rock!

    • @JungleJargon
      @JungleJargon Před 5 lety

      The definition of the word fan is not exactly the same so that would be a bait and switch definition of the word "fan". I am so smart! It took me a while but I figured it out.

  • @X-Gen-001
    @X-Gen-001 Před 4 lety +31

    Thanks for the link. I'm checking out his thesis right now. Dr Brian May is a brilliant and incredibly talented man. Back in the glory days of Queen I had no idea he was an aspiring astrophysicist. A Kind Of Magic is still one of my all time favorite albums.

  • @susannekalejaiye4351
    @susannekalejaiye4351 Před rokem +6

    Fascinating. Like every point you bring up, the order you present them and the contrasts over time. So glad he finished this and that you reviewed it. Thank you

  • @JETGuitars
    @JETGuitars Před 5 lety +184

    ❤ not many people know how brilliant Brian May of Queen is!

    • @muffty1337
      @muffty1337 Před 5 lety +7

      But now i am one of them. ^^

    • @terrymac9570
      @terrymac9570 Před 5 lety +4

      Amazing man

    • @enysuntra1347
      @enysuntra1347 Před 5 lety +9

      No wonder, all the dust obscures his brilliance.

    • @Omnifarious0
      @Omnifarious0 Před 5 lety +2

      I believe that one of the members of Prodigy also has an advanced degree in one of the hard sciences.

    • @seraphina985
      @seraphina985 Před 5 lety +8

      Indeed, I was aware of their brilliance as a musician but learning of their contributions to science is completely new to me. Also learned just how brilliant of a youtuber Becky is, not often that I get the pleasure of learning something completely new and unexpected like this with the amount of reading that I tend to do but this one was truly a surprise.

  • @donald-parker
    @donald-parker Před 5 lety +82

    I have dreams (nightmares) about trying to go back to university to get a post grad degree. After 40 years I can't even remember what I've forgotten. I am supremely impressed by the idea that he came back after so many years and "picked where he left off". And, as a guitar player, I am also supremely impressed. And we have not even begun to explore his stereoscope, or politics, or animal rights battles. A true renaissance man, a gentleman, and an honorable person.

    • @michaelaramis1210
      @michaelaramis1210 Před 4 lety +3

      recently i went back to take a special test to grad from highschool ( after ten years) i experienced some kind of unease because it has been many years since i actually took a test.
      a much older man was in the class too, he forgot his calculator, panicked and said he would leave as there was no point in taking the test because he would fail...
      ( the applicator convinced him to not leave, as math was only one of 7 areas to test that day )
      i imagine he also had a long detour.
      it is very reassuring when someone comes back after a time and closes cicles.
      makes me feel a little less odd
      anyway, just wanted to tell a story

    • @shenghan9385
      @shenghan9385 Před 4 lety

      "i cant remember what I have forgotten", gold.

  • @kevinsorensen367
    @kevinsorensen367 Před 2 lety +3

    This, is epic. Perfectly placed clips of queen in a highly informational video. Brilliant work!

  • @andreachavez2117
    @andreachavez2117 Před 2 lety +9

    Popped in for a look at Dr. May's work. I've come away with a clearer understanding of a complicated subject and a new youtube channel to pay attention too. Thanks for making space a bit more digestible for those of us who never made it through physics, but still love looking up and wondering.

  • @jaymattson5449
    @jaymattson5449 Před 5 lety +78

    The cut clips are absolutely brilliant. :)

    • @dragonatorul
      @dragonatorul Před 4 lety +1

      I wonder how fast the video was demonetized because of the clips.

  • @poonamtribhuvan3521
    @poonamtribhuvan3521 Před 5 lety +34

    Undoubtedly the queen of astronomy..

  • @timsmith5339
    @timsmith5339 Před rokem +1

    I've watch this a few times now and it still makes me smile. The clips of Queen singing with some degree of relevance is very well done. I also seem to pick up some other nougat of information each time too! Thanks Dr. Becky

  • @g-wizgeorge4454
    @g-wizgeorge4454 Před rokem +7

    I enjoyed this video. The interspersed clips of May’s other efforts… and doing so as apropos as possible to the presentation, was smile inducing.
    Thank you for the educational and entertaining video.

  • @timsmith6675
    @timsmith6675 Před 5 lety +120

    Good presentation as well as being humorous. Love the shirt, too.

  • @bsadewitz
    @bsadewitz Před 5 lety +18

    Overcoming inertia and returning to university after such a prolonged absence is a formidable accomplishment for anyone at any level. He managed to have a world class music career and then returned to his studies; this could be an example of opportunity cost in an economics text.
    I have never heard the words "heliocentric" and "dust" in such close proximity. Fascinating, thank you!

  • @deanlawson6880
    @deanlawson6880 Před 2 lety +7

    What an excellent video!
    It's such an interesting story about (Dr.) Brian May, the awesome Lead Guitar of Queen, being such a brilliant guy. I've been a life-long Queen fan and was even fortunate enough to see them perform live in concert many years ago. What a great kickass show that was!
    Thanks Dr. Becky for bringing us these excellent videos like this! I really enjoyed this video about (Dr.) Brian May!

  • @thatotherguy7596
    @thatotherguy7596 Před rokem +2

    It's amazing how talented a human being can be. Keep it up Dr. Becky and Dr. May. 💕

  • @AdrianoCasemiro
    @AdrianoCasemiro Před 5 lety +51

    Very interesting take on explaining Brian May's thesis to us noobs and amateurs around your channel. Also, the clips from Queen are all spot on. Another awesome video. Keep'em coming, Dr. Guaranteed to blow my mind!

  • @tarmaque
    @tarmaque Před 5 lety +19

    I hope someday you get to meet Dr. Brian May, and I hope he's seen this and loved it as much as I do.

    • @MyYTwatcher
      @MyYTwatcher Před 5 lety +3

      I think she already met him considering that "inscription" (or how do you call it in English) in the beginning of the book.

    • @tarmaque
      @tarmaque Před 5 lety +1

      @@MyYTwatcher I must have missed that! Of course I was eating lunch at the time too.

  • @papaowl13803
    @papaowl13803 Před 4 lety

    Your way of thinking and explaining, put space and time at our level. I have learned so much from your videos. Am so glad to have found your channel Dr Becky. You have given me an extra spark you learn more about your universe.

  • @TheBaconWizard
    @TheBaconWizard Před 5 lety +26

    We need a Brian May vs Brian Cox collab, both musically and on a science podcast or something.

    • @jca111
      @jca111 Před 4 lety +3

      They both have appeared on stargazing live together in the past

    • @simianinc
      @simianinc Před 3 lety

      May was on Cox’s TV show as a guest. Cox kept interrupting May and changing the subject. I thought it was rude and disrespectful

  • @hebl47
    @hebl47 Před 5 lety +30

    10:03 so that's why The Knights Who (No Longer) Say Ni wanted a shrubbery! They didn't want it to obscure the western edge from 70° to 120°.

    • @brianb8060
      @brianb8060 Před 3 lety +1

      And that's why they wanted the mightiest tree cut down with... A HERRING.

  • @davidstenton5181
    @davidstenton5181 Před 5 lety +14

    Ah, Fortran takes me back to my programming days (70s-80s). This has rapidly become my favourite CZcams channel - your enthusiasm is infectious.

    • @PhilBoswell
      @PhilBoswell Před 5 lety

      I like the description of shouting at the computer…yes, that's pretty much what it felt like.
      As part of my course at UCL we actually got to run a tiny program on the Cray Supercomputer they had hidden away somewhere, which had to be written in Fortran. If I had known then, I'd have kept it as a reminder :-(

    • @tmage23
      @tmage23 Před 5 lety +1

      @@PhilBoswell IMO people who learn Fortran early become better programmers because they understand just how finicky and stubborn a language can be.

    • @PhilBoswell
      @PhilBoswell Před 5 lety

      @@tmage23 in that case why isn't everybody who ever tried COBOL a programming genius? :-P
      By that point I had already been exposed to SmallTalk, so I was not as smitten with Fortran as certain people…

    • @simonblackham4987
      @simonblackham4987 Před 5 lety

      My feeling is that Fortran is closer to how a computer works ... other (high level) languages are more like how some logician thinks you ought to program ... hence the arguments about the use of 'goto'.
      PS Algol60 as undergrad ... Fortran IV (Daniel D McCraken anyone?) in engineering (how could a Fortran compiler take as much as 286K ?) ... Ace then RM cobol and successors for business ! ... forays into many other languages as required.

    • @fromagefrizzbizz9377
      @fromagefrizzbizz9377 Před 5 lety +3

      @@PhilBoswell We considered the people who programmed in Cobol dullards. By the time the program was big enough to do anything, you'd used up a whole carton of punch cards.

  • @Triggerboy78
    @Triggerboy78 Před 5 lety

    Wow... just wow. Awesome video, great editing, featuring 2 of my favorite things in life music (especially Queen) and science. Thx Becky!

  • @PauloConstantino167
    @PauloConstantino167 Před 4 lety +2

    Oh wow Thank you so much Brian for coming back to science just to illuminate our knowledge about space dust. We needed that so badly.

  • @jameswebb8162
    @jameswebb8162 Před 5 lety +13

    I didn’t realize he finished it!! Way to go!! Thanks!! I’ll have too look at it!

  • @erictaylor5462
    @erictaylor5462 Před 5 lety +5

    I have known who Brian May is since I was 12 and fist discovered Queen in 1982. A few years ago I was watching a documentary and they had "Dr. Brian May"
    I was thinking, "Wow, not only does he have the same name as the guitarist/song writer but he *LOOKS* like him as well. Then I looked him up, thinking maybe they were related. Well, I guess they are related after all. *VERY* closely related.

  • @pault151
    @pault151 Před rokem +2

    Dr. Becky, you and/or your editors also have an impeccable grasp of Queen lyrics for all of the little drop-in samples. Science PLUS entertainment, a fantastic combo!

  • @m0j0rising
    @m0j0rising Před 2 lety +1

    I just stumbled on this somewhat older video that you'd made and enjoyed both the fact that you covered it so wonderfully and had so many topical snippets from Queen's prodigious library of songs. Well done!

  • @wavemaker54
    @wavemaker54 Před 5 lety +45

    Nice! Looks like you scored an autographed copy of his thesis.

    • @gasdive
      @gasdive Před 5 lety +7

      I was waiting to see the close up of that page.

    • @wavemaker54
      @wavemaker54 Před 5 lety +1

      @@gasdive Likewise! I thought for sure there would be one, at least at the end of the outtakes.

    • @marrrtin
      @marrrtin Před 5 lety +1

      @@wavemaker54 another disappointed person wanting to see the autograph.

  • @slayerem
    @slayerem Před 5 lety +27

    This video was very well thought and produced. All those clips inserted here and there captured or punctuated the idea you were making brilliantly. I knew about Brian May going back to finish his phD, I did not knew he did it. This video is a small gem you produced and we (I, for sure) am thankful for your work in bringing science out to public and doing it in such an original and interesting way.

  • @Tinman_56
    @Tinman_56 Před rokem +1

    Dr. Becky, this episode BLEW my mind! Wish you were my professor back in the day ! Very informative. Thank you .

  • @CrownRock1
    @CrownRock1 Před 3 lety +1

    Dr. May is amazing! Don't Stop Him Now!

  • @alexdevisscher6784
    @alexdevisscher6784 Před 5 lety +14

    Thanks for sharing that. Finishing a PhD thesis is hard enough. I can only imagine how hard it must be to return to a PhD thesis after 35 years.

  • @erictaylor5462
    @erictaylor5462 Před 5 lety +15

    18:30 A fan of Brian May using his book as a fan. Love it!

  • @HughPryor
    @HughPryor Před 5 lety

    Thank you for summarising his thesis. I'd had a look at it and found it difficult to make sense of so that's awesome!

  • @livertiahaywood9917
    @livertiahaywood9917 Před rokem

    Thanks for explaining it so we can all understand. This was awesome. Enjoy your day.

  • @ffggddss
    @ffggddss Před 5 lety +85

    "...all 215 pages of it; [I wonder how long] *my* thesis is. Hang on. 189. Dammit!"
    Dear Dr. Becky: My dad, who got his doctorate at MIT, once told me a tale of an unusually young full professor of mathematics there, whose thesis was 2 pages!!
    A true wunderkind!
    Point is, the shorter a (successful) thesis is, the *more,* not less, impressive that is.
    So you should be proud - you beat Brian May by 26 pages!
    Fred

    • @ffggddss
      @ffggddss Před 4 lety +1

      @David Renton I tend to agree; but what has that got to do with my comment?
      Fred

    • @ffggddss
      @ffggddss Před 4 lety +4

      @David Renton Well, I didn't catch that. It just seemed like an unrelated (though good) point.
      I guess the relation is that editing can get the substance across in fewer pages? Which is one of the most important functions of good editing.
      Fred

    • @jmchez
      @jmchez Před 4 lety +5

      Louis DeBroglie's thesis is supposed to have been, maybe, 4 pages. The story goes that his professors did not quite understand it but sent a letter to Einstein, who responded with, "This is genius!".

    • @kevinzhang3313
      @kevinzhang3313 Před 4 lety +4

      For people actually pursuing it, it's the content rather than the page number.

    • @meamzcs
      @meamzcs Před 4 lety +3

      Well... I'd say Impact/Word is the most important metric.

  • @henrikleion9861
    @henrikleion9861 Před 5 lety +11

    I found the chapter on how they built the equipment really interesting. The first time I ever got any use of the classes I took on analog electronics and filter theory.
    Really amazing what dr. May and colleagues were able to do with physical components and hand-wired stuff.

    • @libertyresearch-iu4fy
      @libertyresearch-iu4fy Před 5 lety +1

      Does it say if John Deacon assisted with that? He is an electronics engineer, and the bass player for Queen.

  • @TheRealAndian
    @TheRealAndian Před 2 lety

    i truly appreciate all the music clips. this is really fascinating info, too!

  • @AntneeUK
    @AntneeUK Před 2 lety

    Really appreciated the frequent (and relevant) Queen clips 😁

  • @DeathValleyDazed
    @DeathValleyDazed Před 5 lety +4

    Thanks for adding your delightful personality to a layman’s explanation of Dr May’s astrophysics!

  • @olly5764
    @olly5764 Před 5 lety +30

    Dr Brian May is now officially my second favourite Doctor of Astrophysics! Very interesting video,

  • @BeTheGuitar
    @BeTheGuitar Před 3 lety +1

    Saw this video a little late, but still worth commenting on. Thank you for doing this video, as it’s (relatively) easy to follow and shows a fascinating other side to a man that has affected me and many others so profoundly with his musicianship. He inspired me to build my own guitar in the 70’s, so it looks like I’ll need to block out my schedule for the next 10 years or so to get a doctorate in astrophysics. Jeez, thanks Drs. Becky and Brian.

  • @justjoe1010
    @justjoe1010 Před 4 lety

    Wow so fun to find you that was a really well done explanation of a very complicated issue all we need more of this

  • @JeffSyam
    @JeffSyam Před 4 lety +3

    For those who might be don't know, the song "39" (from the album "A Night at the Opera", written by Brian May) is about space travel with the twist of time dilation.

    • @jca111
      @jca111 Před 4 lety +3

      Yes and I love that is done in the style of an old folk song telling a travelers take

  • @Brainfryde
    @Brainfryde Před 5 lety +5

    17yr old me loves to hear the science and information; 50yr old me loves you for not making it a technical nightmare of terminology while still throwing a few bits out for the math brain to enjoy :)

  • @turpialito
    @turpialito Před 5 lety

    Fascinating video. Do keep them coming!

  • @funkingfuss9724
    @funkingfuss9724 Před 4 lety +1

    There is just something fascinating about an Old Dusty Queen that I can't explain.
    I am always amazed by People that are demonstrably geniuses in multiple fields. What a Gift they have been given. As a non gifted, I see a similarity to an athlete that excels at multiple sports. In life I mostly encounter people that are smart in only one aspect of life ie. An Engineer that can get you to the moon, but can't drive to work without causing a traffic jam. A designer that can build a car on paper, but can't figure out what's wrong when it breaks down. Every one is Smart about something, and I try to learn from them. Becky, with your CZcams videos, you have shown an talent in multiple areas and I thank you for what you have given me. Please keep teaching me stuff.

  • @MelancholyCrypto
    @MelancholyCrypto Před 5 lety +6

    I am learning so much from this, thank you!

  • @RickySTT
    @RickySTT Před 5 lety +14

    They published Dr. May’s thesis as a book because... *he’s Brian freakin’ May.*

  • @mcleodkirk1
    @mcleodkirk1 Před 4 lety

    That was so cool. Thanks, Dr. Becky!

  • @edmondmurphy
    @edmondmurphy Před 4 lety

    Dr Becky, you are a legend. My kids love you and I've been asked to podcast your BBC Oxford broadcasts!! You are a legend!

  • @susanne5803
    @susanne5803 Před 5 lety +47

    09:52: "Seventies was just the decade of hairography, wasn't it ..."
    💇‍♀️ 💛 Yes, it so was!
    Thank you very much for another excellent video with a surprising topic! Kind regards

  • @VAXHeadroom
    @VAXHeadroom Před 5 lety +74

    8:17
    Wait.
    You have a SIGNED copy?!?

    • @symphony_baritone
      @symphony_baritone Před 5 lety +6

      Holy cow you're right....

    • @VAXHeadroom
      @VAXHeadroom Před 5 lety +7

      @@symphony_baritone RIght? And I mean, seriously, how could you NOT mention that in the video?

    • @MammaApa
      @MammaApa Před 5 lety +6

      @@VAXHeadroom I read in another comment that she borrowed it from a friend. So probably that. A NON signed copy is expensive enough. Like three figures expensive. I gave up my idea of getting one pretty fast.

    • @BillFlann9
      @BillFlann9 Před 5 lety +1

      Holy s#!+, I saw that and it went right past me. How did she not mention that! Fantastic video none the less.

  • @mbisson5816
    @mbisson5816 Před 4 lety

    This is why I like to watch Dr Becky. I'd never really thought space dust could be so interesting, but it is.

  • @gpicken
    @gpicken Před 2 lety +1

    An amazing guy. Loved his relationship with Sir Patrick Moore. I was born in 60 and pursued a career in Earth Science with a great interest in Astronomy. Your like a combination of the best if both IMHO. Live watching your work. 👍

  • @innertubez
    @innertubez Před 5 lety +3

    Amazing!! I never knew this. Thank you!
    “Another One Writes On Dust”

    • @Max50ww
      @Max50ww Před 5 lety

      Not bad.....as far as puns go

  • @TheBradbernard17
    @TheBradbernard17 Před 5 lety +7

    iv said it b4 ill say it again, i love this chick! she is so dope. her editing in this one is nothing short of comedic geniusnessocity.

    • @DrBecky
      @DrBecky  Před 5 lety +11

      Thanks! I’ve started to have much more fun with my editing recently so it’s good to know it’s appreciated 👍

  • @borninjapan231
    @borninjapan231 Před 4 lety

    I really love your work. It's interesting enough to keep me listening and content is distant enough for me crash therefore I truly thank you!

  • @1234uz
    @1234uz Před 4 lety

    That was an awesome Video Dr Becky

  • @shogun2215
    @shogun2215 Před 5 lety +26

    I seriously love how you say Dust, it's so northern 😂

    • @NoName-fc3xe
      @NoName-fc3xe Před 5 lety +9

      Dr Becky would make a great Discworld witch! When she said "our Brian" my first thought was, that sounds like something Nanny Ogg would say.

  • @mr51406
    @mr51406 Před 5 lety +14

    8:17 It’s an autographed copy?
    VERY awesome interesting video! ⭐️☮️❤️🌹

  • @ronbock8291
    @ronbock8291 Před rokem +2

    Well that’s cool. I remember hearing that he was an astrophysicist, and that his contribution was in the field of optics, which I puzzled at, but now I understand. Thank you.

  • @1JackStClair
    @1JackStClair Před 3 lety

    This is my favorite video of yours! Your Queen clips are great. Also, it's not hot in the room, it's just you.

  • @BillFlann9
    @BillFlann9 Před 5 lety +5

    Great video, informative and fun. It was fun that it was about the work of an awesome rock star, but I believe you covered an interesting aspect of how the institution of Science works. Your mention of the paper on how to correct observations due to dust being the most cited paper in astronomy to be most interesting. It's probably easy for the layperson to fall into the trap of believing that scientific observations are just 'point and shoot' and then you have an answer. I'm reminded of a conversation I overheard when I worked at manufacturer of metrology equipment. It was between a manager and a new scientist that went something like 'thanks for obtaining these measurements, ....now your next task is to prove to me that they are correct'. It impressed on me that we can't just accept the raw data as is. You really got that point across to me again. Thanks for posting, I liked and subscribed. You're very articulate and fun!

  • @Veptis
    @Veptis Před 5 lety +3

    The details of instruments is probably my favorite part of any publication. I want to develop highly specialized imaging sensors, some maybe fore astronomy, so any in depth technical details are fascinating for me.

    • @DrBecky
      @DrBecky  Před 5 lety +3

      Nice! You might like to read that chapter then in more detail. The link is in the video description 👍

  • @bencash1137
    @bencash1137 Před 3 lety

    I loved every Queen-Mention in your Video. Quite a nice tribute!

  • @ZiggyAir
    @ZiggyAir Před 5 lety +1

    Thank you for making a subject I had no knowledge of interesting and well explained.

  • @terryendicott2939
    @terryendicott2939 Před 5 lety +26

    You were the support structure when using Brian's dissertation to cool down. Does that make you his fan base?

  • @Mercurio-Morat-Goes-Bughunting

    +42. Thank you for the link and the citation to Brian May's work. It's a good read. Due to the impact it has on so many things we observe (even climate), I think that dust is a very interesting feature of space; particularly with respect to variations in its distribution and the impact this has on Raleigh scattering. With respect to certain "crises" in cosmology, it's a bit like Fourier's connection between convection and thermal gradients. Nobody really cared, so, for more than a century, convection was overlooked as a key mechanism driving plate tectonics; but ultimately obviating the expanding earth conjecture when A. Holmes connected the dots in 1929. Are we getting goosebumps, yet?
    I'm going to come out and say it: Never underestimate the capacity of the "average" reader to simply invest the elbow-grease necessary to figure it out. If you know the answer you're looking for is in there, then that alone makes it worth learning how to figure it out. If not, the bounce will give you another hint at where to look for what you're really looking for. Been there, done a lot of that. I'd do it all again. It was worth every ounce of elbow-grease burned along the way. That said, just based on the pages I've seen in your video, that thesis is a powder keg of information and, for all that, he's managed to make it eminently readable - which is quite the achievement.
    Congrats to Brian May. Good stuff!

  • @j-man72b72
    @j-man72b72 Před 4 lety

    Great video Dr Becky, thanks.

  • @zxephin
    @zxephin Před 3 lety

    I love it every single time you say “dust”. Just fantastic! 😁👍

  • @Kneedragon1962
    @Kneedragon1962 Před 5 lety +4

    "I just chipped a nail. Another one bites the dust, yeah yeah, another one bites the dust"
    I Love it!

  • @jlunde35
    @jlunde35 Před 5 lety +10

    Wow, I never knew that about Brian May. Thank you.

    • @ianbentryn8306
      @ianbentryn8306 Před 5 lety +2

      I know, that whole thing about Queen was news to me!

  • @florgi121
    @florgi121 Před 3 lety

    I remembered this video existed and came back to watch it again because I love both Dr Becky and Brian May. It was just as fantastic and funny as the first time.

  • @SonoftheWars
    @SonoftheWars Před 4 lety

    I could listen to you all day and night.

  • @jasonbone5121
    @jasonbone5121 Před 4 lety +4

    18:32 you missed another chance to insert a Queen snippet with "You're My Best Friend".
    Love your videos!

  • @vollezar
    @vollezar Před 5 lety +7

    Dr. Brian "Like he is my best friend" May should see this.

  • @BrianKelsay
    @BrianKelsay Před 3 lety +1

    I think its great that he never gave up on his dream. He obviously still kept up on the science over the years as well.

  • @thecheshirecat5564
    @thecheshirecat5564 Před 4 lety +1

    Brian May published his code in his thesis, that is SO DAMN RIGHT!!! Megakudos!
    BTW: just discovered this channel and it's ace. Huge fan.

  • @RogerSullivanNOLA
    @RogerSullivanNOLA Před 5 lety +43

    I'm sure he'll be rightly starstruck when he finds out he got this review from Dr. Becky!

    • @davecasey4341
      @davecasey4341 Před 5 lety +9

      And it wasn't a review of his music. It was a review of his thesis. ;)

  • @soberhippie
    @soberhippie Před 5 lety +10

    In a universe right next to ours Brian Cox is still playing the piano in a band and might even have finished his thesis, but Brian May is touring the world with astrophysics lectures and stars in award winning documentaries.

  • @sylviahoffman9440
    @sylviahoffman9440 Před rokem +1

    That was an engaging and fascinating review of Brian's (your buddy) thesis. I have been amazed by his intellect and listened to a couple videos he has narrated on different space topics. The bonus of being a rock star adds to his genius of a dust star doctor! I love that he added a section on the advancement of understanding of dust in 30 years. I doubt there are many theseus with that broad of a study (no offense to yours). Thank you so much for taking the time to share this important study. You are awesome!

  • @JessWLStuart
    @JessWLStuart Před 3 lety +1

    I love this! The music clips interjected in the video are brilliant!
    Bryan May should do a Ted Talk on going back on picking up abandoned projects.