Science AMA Series: I’m Janna Levin—astrophysicist, author, and host
of NOVA’s “Black Hole Apocalypse.” Ask me anything about black holes,
the universe, life, whatever!
Abstract
Thank you everyone who sent in questions! That was a fun hour. Must run,
but I’ll come back later and address those that I couldn’t get to in 60
minutes. Means a lot to me to see all of this excitement for science.
And if you missed the AMA in real time, feel welcome to pose more
questions on twitter @jannalevin. Thanks again. Black holes are not a
thing, they’re a place—a place where spacetime rains in like a
waterfall dragging everything irreversibly into the shadow of the event
horizon, the point of no return. I’m Janna Levin, an astrophysicist at
Barnard College of Columbia University. I study black holes, the
cosmology of extra dimensions, and gravitational waves. I also serve as
the director of sciences at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a
non-profit foundation that fosters multidisciplinary creativity in the
arts and sciences. I’ve written several books, and the latest is titled,
“Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space.” It’s the inside
story on the discovery of the century: the sound of spacetime ringing
from the collision of two black holes over a billion years ago. I’m also
the host of NOVA’s new film, “Black Hole Apocalypse,” which you can
watch streaming online now here. In it, we explore black holes past,
present, and future. Expect space ships, space suits, and spacetime.
With our imaginary technology, we travel to black holes as small as
cities and as huge as solar systems. I’ll be here at 12 ET to answer
your questions about black holes! And if you want to learn about me,
check out this article in Wired or this video profile that NOVA
produced. —Janna