October is Nobel Prize month, and this year the Physics Nobel was shared by three amazing physicists: one who took Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and wrapped some bonkers Escherian mathematics around it to show that these black hole things are real solutions of the equations; and two who then said, OK, let's go find one in the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. Here's to Reinhard Genzel, Andrea Ghez and Roger Penrose, the newest Physics Nobel Laureates!
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Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.
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Things we talked about in this episode:
As of 2020, 57 women have won a Nobel Prize (Marie Curie got two: Physics and Chemistry!) That’s 57 — compared to 870 men and 25 organisations. We should celebrate those who have won, and try harder to recognise, encourage and reward women across the sciences — and all facets of human endeavour.
The 2020 Nobel Prize announcement video
The Nobel Foundation’s 2020 Physics Prize page
The Physics Nobel Prize since 1901
A short history of black holes
Minute Physics video series on Special Relativity
Royal Institution video introduction to General Relativity
Schwarzschild and his radius
Escher’s impossible constructions
Star S2 orbiting the black hole at super speed
An article on quantum gravity