EMP Attack: The Real Science of Electromagnetic Pulse

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EMPs aren’t science fiction. Real militaries are experimenting on real EMP generators, and as Starfish Prime showed us, space nukes can send powerful EMPs to the surface. So what exactly is an EMP, and how dangerous are they?
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Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
Written by Matt O'Dowd
Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria
Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour
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Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell
Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios.
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Пікірлер: 1 200

  • @anton9690
    @anton96902 ай бұрын

    That last space-time.. 😂❤

  • @Rabcup

    @Rabcup

    2 ай бұрын

    Right? It’s normally so drawn out but this one caught me off guard

  • @marcpeterson1092

    @marcpeterson1092

    2 ай бұрын

    One of the best endings.

  • @Positive_Tea

    @Positive_Tea

    2 ай бұрын

    Brillant right?? 😂

  • @deepak_nigwal

    @deepak_nigwal

    2 ай бұрын

    always and always manage to end with that 'space-time', but this was oddly satisfying 😅

  • @NicleT

    @NicleT

    2 ай бұрын

    I was moved

  • @larrymunn5279
    @larrymunn52792 ай бұрын

    Never in a million years would I have guessed you guys would cover this topic. I appreciate it. Big thanks to the team for your expertise.

  • @terryhollands2794

    @terryhollands2794

    2 ай бұрын

    I agree completely, the topic was covered without political bias. A real treat in today's media.

  • @davidmedlin8562

    @davidmedlin8562

    2 ай бұрын

    Why, PBS often does topics like this check out there other channels and this is right up space times alley it concerns math lol

  • @thebomber7641

    @thebomber7641

    2 ай бұрын

    @@terryhollands2794 i wonder what bias there could be?

  • @TheManinBlack9054

    @TheManinBlack9054

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@terryhollands2794yeah, but this is all just american scaremongering anyway, it's like Havanah syndrome. It's going to be talked about for a few years and then everyone will forget and move to a new thing. Sounds like a psyop to be honest

  • @TheManinBlack9054

    @TheManinBlack9054

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@terryhollands2794to be honest this whole space EMP sounds like another American psyop like Havanah syndrome. The media is going to run wild with it and the forget about it and move to a New thing

  • @randomroughneck1030
    @randomroughneck10302 ай бұрын

    bro really had to pull that spacetime ending off 😂

  • @kiltysalter2966

    @kiltysalter2966

    2 ай бұрын

    Yeah, that was a stretch. But given the subject, I can appreciate the awkwardness.

  • @kindlin

    @kindlin

    2 ай бұрын

    @@kiltysalter2966 I think that was the joke, as he was just saying "60 years of [space] time".

  • @kiltysalter2966

    @kiltysalter2966

    2 ай бұрын

    @@kindlin quite right.

  • @ReiHinoSenshi

    @ReiHinoSenshi

    Ай бұрын

    I always like how I can feel the space time at the end coming this one was like no lead up lol..to me that has become a good part of the end video to look forward 2 hehe

  • @NanoBurger
    @NanoBurger2 ай бұрын

    I was taught in Chemical Officer Basic Course that EMP was like "free electricity" in the air that could be picked up by antennas and long lengths of wire. Digging a little deeper I got into the physics of different EMP spikes caused by different mechanisms. After wading through some complex equations, I could see why they dumbed it down for Second Lieutenants.

  • @Plexippuspetersi92

    @Plexippuspetersi92

    2 ай бұрын

    They made that a separate track from Engineering in your country?

  • @Merennulli

    @Merennulli

    2 ай бұрын

    @@Plexippuspetersi92 "Chemical Officer" is a military specialist trained in responses to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. Why would you make your safety experts limited to just engineers?

  • @justinwalker4475

    @justinwalker4475

    2 ай бұрын

    i figured that out through the internet

  • @justinwalker4475

    @justinwalker4475

    2 ай бұрын

    and more no course necessary

  • @onehitpick9758

    @onehitpick9758

    2 ай бұрын

    Yeah the Earth-space system is like a giant, leaky gas-dielectric capacitor stuck in a magnet. You generally don't want to cause a massive breakdown event, and you don't want to create new high-energy ions where the mean free paths could sustain them for a while.

  • @mikoaj1321
    @mikoaj13212 ай бұрын

    Good thing politicians wielding nuclear arsenals are so well educated in physics and orbital mechanics. Oh, wait...

  • @mrrolandlawrence

    @mrrolandlawrence

    2 ай бұрын

    i know. it boggles the mind when you think about all the dimwits & warhawks in the chain of command.

  • @BOBBOBBOBBOBBOBBOB69

    @BOBBOBBOBBOBBOBBOB69

    2 ай бұрын

    At least they are mostly puppets just in it for the gravy ey@@mrrolandlawrence

  • @gabbyn978

    @gabbyn978

    2 ай бұрын

    Actually, there are two such scientifically educated state leaders, one being ex President Jimmy Carter and the other ex chancellor Angela Merkel. And both had to deal with nuclear breakdowns, one even in his own country (Three Mile Island). Angela Merkel was actually in favour of nuclear energy; but seeing the consequences of the Fukushima incident and the following rejection of nuclear plants by the population, she initiated the shutdown of the (already quite old) german power plants. But this won't help against the hubris of other state leaders. The problem is, you cannot put a whole country beneath a Faraday cage (I assume that this would ameliorate the effect on the objects inside, otoh the grid itself might be hit with energy of such an intensity that it begins to melt... but I am just a layperson, so please correct me if I am in the wrong)

  • @hanrenfighterjet

    @hanrenfighterjet

    2 ай бұрын

    real life is not star trek and I am referring to the policies not the warp drive

  • 2 ай бұрын

    Blame the voters.

  • @frtzkng
    @frtzkng2 ай бұрын

    Principal Skinner was conducting small scale atmospheric nuclear testing in his house when Chalmers visited, which explains the aurora borealis in this part of the world, localized entirely within Skinner's kitchen, and why he wasn't allowed to see it while eating Steamed Hams

  • @alexandertownsend5079

    @alexandertownsend5079

    2 ай бұрын

    Your comment was unexpected, but it is not unwelcome. That's amazing.

  • @darthmortus5702

    @darthmortus5702

    2 ай бұрын

    And you call them steamed despite the fact they are obviously grilled?

  • @j.d.6915

    @j.d.6915

    2 ай бұрын

    It's an Albany Expression.

  • @grokeffer6226

    @grokeffer6226

    2 ай бұрын

    I concur. 🍔

  • @Wiiillllson151

    @Wiiillllson151

    2 ай бұрын

    Delightfully devilish Seymour!

  • @jongutierrez9116
    @jongutierrez91162 ай бұрын

    Back in the day, I was an agent for MI6. Armed with my N64 controller, I single handedly saved the UK from an EMP weapon. The weapon was code named GoldenEye.

  • @jongutierrez9116

    @jongutierrez9116

    2 ай бұрын

    @@Inevitability2011 Couldn’t have said it better myself!

  • @nathanmarchant2175

    @nathanmarchant2175

    2 ай бұрын

    Bond James Bond😂

  • @White_Night_Demon

    @White_Night_Demon

    2 ай бұрын

    I never finished that, got stuck on 2nd last level where I had to get to that rocket in time but never did...

  • @jongutierrez9116

    @jongutierrez9116

    2 ай бұрын

    @@White_Night_Demon I think I used the akimbo ARs on that level

  • @White_Night_Demon

    @White_Night_Demon

    2 ай бұрын

    @@jongutierrez9116 I went dual rocket launchers and grenade launchers and still ran out of time.

  • @QuestionMan
    @QuestionMan2 ай бұрын

    They worked real hard in setting up that last joke. Very nice.

  • @LuisSierra42

    @LuisSierra42

    2 ай бұрын

    Bravo

  • @cbsboyer
    @cbsboyer2 ай бұрын

    On kind of a tangent, this is part of the reason why vacuum tubes were used in various militaries for radar and radio communications all the way up into the early 90's even though they are power hungry and sensitive to RF interference. A vacuum tube regularly operates the plates at 100-300 volts, and if you do somehow manage to over-volt the tube with a transient pulse, you will likely just get an arc inside the tube which will burn a small spot on the plates which gives the tube a good chance of still being somewhat operational in the short term. Transistorized circuits operate at relatively much lower voltages, and a large over-voltage event has a much higher probability of destroying some or all of the circuitry, leaving the equipment of the time useless until replaced. Modern technology can be hardened against these events to a much greater degree, but back then it just made more sense to stick with huge stockpiles of tubes. The upside of this is now I can listen to these programs on a vacuum tube headphone amplifier that uses readily available military surplus tubes. Currently I have a computer with a motherboard made in Taiwan feeding a DAC and amplifier made in the US using a Russian 6Н23П tube driving a set of headphones made in China. If only these actual countries could get along this well :(

  • @rfichokeofdestiny

    @rfichokeofdestiny

    2 ай бұрын

    They can actually get along that well. That’s how all of that stuff got made in the first place. Trade brings people together. But those ordinary people with no desire to kill each other are pretty easily talked into it when their politicians, bureaucrats, and industry leaders tell them how much of a threat “those scary foreigners” are.

  • @tumbleddry2887

    @tumbleddry2887

    2 ай бұрын

    Well, at least my guitar amp will survive

  • @moistmike4150

    @moistmike4150

    2 ай бұрын

    But can it play Crysis?

  • @atashgallagher5139

    @atashgallagher5139

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@moistmike4150 yes it absolutely can but I will need several hundred million dollars and multiple warehouses plus an entire nuclear power plant as the power supply.

  • @kiltysalter2966

    @kiltysalter2966

    2 ай бұрын

    @@tumbleddry2887yet you’ll never quite get the same overdriven tone without a space nuke.

  • @francoislacombe9071
    @francoislacombe90712 ай бұрын

    After the 1989 blackout, Québec's power grid was upgraded and hardened against CME events. Not sure if it could withstand a Carrington class event, but it has successfully handled many lessed CMEs since that time.

  • @matthewpowers2735
    @matthewpowers27352 ай бұрын

    I've just figured out what makes your videos so good. You're very adept at "asking" the questions that the viewers at home are thinking, i.e you're very good at spotting gaps in knowledge between yourself and an average viewer in any topics you discuss

  • @sthomas6369
    @sthomas63692 ай бұрын

    1:26 Matt says "Starship Prime" instead of Starfish Prime!

  • @TheFerdi265

    @TheFerdi265

    2 ай бұрын

    I hear it as "Starshif" instead of "Starfish", accidently swapping those two consonant sounds. A classic

  • @lewisheasman

    @lewisheasman

    2 ай бұрын

    Yeah starshif

  • @Derekzparty

    @Derekzparty

    2 ай бұрын

    Operation Patrick!

  • @adamb89

    @adamb89

    2 ай бұрын

    Optiums Prime

  • @isomeme

    @isomeme

    2 ай бұрын

    Oh good, I wondered if I imagined that.

  • @IIIAnchani
    @IIIAnchani2 ай бұрын

    however bad my day, if I see an upload by PBS Spacetime it becomes a good day.

  • @irifhir
    @irifhir2 ай бұрын

    The delivery on the "space... time" line was the best one ever

  • @NinjaAdorable
    @NinjaAdorable2 ай бұрын

    That was the cheekiest "space time" exit ever 😂😂😂 kudos

  • @KingfisherTalkingPictures
    @KingfisherTalkingPictures2 ай бұрын

    That eyeball was nightmare fuel.

  • @claudeflorentine2223
    @claudeflorentine22232 ай бұрын

    First time ever that a Space Time episode hasn't filled me with joy. Thankfully, Matt's delivery of the ending cheered me up.

  • @nuntana2
    @nuntana22 ай бұрын

    I remember that March 1989 CME well. Was just going to work for 6am early morning shift. It was still dark at that time of the year in the UK and the sky was flashing all over the place. People brushed it off as lightning, but I pointed out it was clear and there was no storm around. Knew what it was straight away and needless to say some of the guys were pretty freaked out that the sun could do that. Awesome display of power!

  • @markgallagher5908

    @markgallagher5908

    2 ай бұрын

    I saw a similar event once, there was bright white flashes in the sky but there was no sound of thunder, this continued for a couple of hours, I couldn't understand what i was seeing. At the time I assumed there was a line of thunderstorms in the distance that stayed off the coast and ran parallel to it. The event went on so long that made it unlikely that it was from far off lightning strikes and we don't get many thunderstorms in Ireland. This wasn't in in '89 so it wasn't the same event you saw.

  • @georgesos
    @georgesos2 ай бұрын

    1 minute in and I m freaked out with "an Era that might or might not persist"..... Peace.

  • @Danboi.

    @Danboi.

    2 ай бұрын

    Same. And I'm watching this just after Putin's latest speech stating he has nukes that can reach any continent.. and will use them.

  • @jkotarsky

    @jkotarsky

    2 ай бұрын

    I can't wait.

  • @leonhardtkristensen4093

    @leonhardtkristensen4093

    2 ай бұрын

    @@jkotarsky I for sure can wait and I hope that I have to wait a long time before any one nukes the world. I won't mind waiting the rest of my life and die before and I want to live for a long time yet.

  • @TeddyRumble

    @TeddyRumble

    2 ай бұрын

    Humans are 20% nice, and 80% evil. Starve a man for 9 days, and that thin veneer of civilization disappears.

  • @Patrick-zr8tv

    @Patrick-zr8tv

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@jkotarsky wtf?

  • @1999fxdx
    @1999fxdx2 ай бұрын

    There was a noise too. We watched it from our house in Kailua .. summer 1962. Our parents were at the Seattle Worlds Fair.

  • @sillyshitt

    @sillyshitt

    2 ай бұрын

    Can you describe the noise?

  • @JFGag

    @JFGag

    Ай бұрын

    @@sillyshitt bzzzzttt

  • @NowinWTF
    @NowinWTF2 ай бұрын

    I like your approach to this topic. Clear that you're not talking about any one particular nation taking this action because any nation who would has to be nuts. Good thing we live in a sane world...

  • @patreekotime4578

    @patreekotime4578

    2 ай бұрын

    It reminded me of the part of Dr Strangelove when they started speculating about how they would have their pick of the most beautiful women to take into their bunker. The whole thing was just an elaborate plot for evil nerds to get laid. 😬

  • @infinitemonkey917

    @infinitemonkey917

    2 ай бұрын

    He did mention that Russia is suspected of working on a space nuc.

  • @anthonyscarfe4853

    @anthonyscarfe4853

    2 ай бұрын

    First basic issue with orbital usage is filling it up to the point where you can’t pass through it. Second issue is having the satellites turn to junk and then crashing into useful satellites, which then makes them useless junk. Third issue is having an EMP turning satellites into junk. Basically we need to keep the orbit clear enough so that it doesn’t get filled with junk otherwise we can’t use it. Having an EMP go off below that orbit just because someone wants to knock out the electrical systems on the ground is just going to cause havoc nowadays. First off what happens about the aviation sector?

  • @DavidBorda-oz9mu

    @DavidBorda-oz9mu

    2 ай бұрын

    Part of Operation Fishbowl….gotta love our military 😮

  • @dotnet97

    @dotnet97

    2 ай бұрын

    Tbf there are at least two different countries which have a habit of threatening to use nukes and a third which is probably going to start doing that soon too.

  • @jimconrads9515
    @jimconrads95152 ай бұрын

    Awesome job on the new logo!!! First time i'm seeing it. my reaction was "Oh, that's f'ing awesome" Perfect fit for the show, it communicates a ton and it looks fantastic!!

  • @CheatOnlyDeath

    @CheatOnlyDeath

    Ай бұрын

    Agree. But ironically it's a depiction on the only place in the universe where space and time don't exist (if anywhere).

  • @viraj__shah
    @viraj__shah2 ай бұрын

    I really appreciate the depth you went to, to explain exactly how an EM pulse is formed.

  • @dmopz5046
    @dmopz50462 ай бұрын

    It’s time for space time.

  • @samvv

    @samvv

    2 ай бұрын

    In space time.

  • @genghisgalahad8465

    @genghisgalahad8465

    2 ай бұрын

    It's space time!!! 🌌 🕳

  • @rodox_sk8

    @rodox_sk8

    2 ай бұрын

    The space time fabric

  • @utube7930

    @utube7930

    2 ай бұрын

    Peacetime

  • @robertmurphy3014

    @robertmurphy3014

    2 ай бұрын

    Ain't nobody got spacetime for dat.

  • @straunwagner6322
    @straunwagner63222 ай бұрын

    It feels like we’re just pushing closer and closer to the great filter.

  • @rakaydosdraj8405

    @rakaydosdraj8405

    2 ай бұрын

    Which one? We've got like 3 going on. Industrial Revolution-related climate change slowly rendering our planet uninhabitable, atomic weapons giving the option for any sore loser to outright kill all of humanity, and the civilizational collapse that could be created by the combination of increasing distrust for science AND the move to information storage that can only be accessed by, well, science.

  • @jackrice2770

    @jackrice2770

    Ай бұрын

    The Universe protects itself against apes with nukes.

  • @hojowarf6488
    @hojowarf64882 ай бұрын

    I actually understood this one!

  • @UzairW
    @UzairW2 ай бұрын

    Love all your content PBS Space Time, always a pleasure to listen and see even though I don't always get all of the funky maths and dimensions and quantum whatnots you talk about 😋

  • @grumpyed58
    @grumpyed582 ай бұрын

    Nice summary. One of the best I've seen in my 40 yrs (nuclear engineering / plasma physics)

  • @Thundereus
    @Thundereus2 ай бұрын

    It is very depressing to think this will happen sooner or later. If someone has nothing to lose anymore they just pull everyone down with them.

  • @user-pj6bl5md5r

    @user-pj6bl5md5r

    Ай бұрын

    I was thinking same thing. Then I was thinking why are we using the same old playbook of keeping wars going to drain the other side. Let them have Ukraine. It will change as much in outr life as giving Afghanistan back to the taliban. Well we'd save hundreds of billions in much needed at home tax dollars and won't need to spend so much on our military. So actually we would benefit tremendously from letting Ukraine fight their own battle.

  • @KaiHenningsen
    @KaiHenningsen2 ай бұрын

    I'd also like to point out that right now, the vast majority of those 5000 Low-Earth-Orbit satellites are not just Starlink-like satellites, they *are* Starlink satellites. They belong to SpaceX (or whatever subsidiary they may have or will create for this).

  • @ngkatsantonis
    @ngkatsantonis2 ай бұрын

    Another impressive video from an impressive team. Proud to be a Patreon supporter.

  • @xbox70333
    @xbox703332 ай бұрын

    Thank you really needed this information.

  • @crosana01
    @crosana012 ай бұрын

    It's so frustrating growing up at a time of, seemingly, endless promise for prosperity on this world only to have greed, fear, hatred and apathy push us so close to the brink instead of pursuing that prosperity for all.

  • @ShadeAKAhayate

    @ShadeAKAhayate

    2 ай бұрын

    The winner takes it all. Or at least tries to. And if he's not a real winner, this is sure to bring trouble.

  • @agrand743

    @agrand743

    2 ай бұрын

    Weird how our technology and thinking skills are so advanced and yet we suffer from the same issues our primate cousins suffer from

  • @ShadeAKAhayate

    @ShadeAKAhayate

    2 ай бұрын

    @@agrand743 How exactly is this weird? On the contrary, this is to be expected.

  • @agrand743

    @agrand743

    2 ай бұрын

    @@ShadeAKAhayate It's weird because for the longest time, we thought of ourselves as above it all. It's only very recently in history that we figured out our place in the animal kingdom

  • @ShadeAKAhayate

    @ShadeAKAhayate

    2 ай бұрын

    @@agrand743 Well, we are, in a sense, above it. For example, we can understand we're doing something wrong. It's just we are locked into humongous social structures we don't exert control of -- and these structures have their rules. Remember the Paper clip optimizer problem? Well, no one said sapients it will make paper clips from don't understand and can't discuss their sad fate.

  • @klangg
    @klangg2 ай бұрын

    You mentioned that we are lucky that geosynchronous orbit is between the Van Allen belts. Is this a result of the size and composition of Earth or something else? Thanks for the consistently great content!

  • @MetallicReg

    @MetallicReg

    2 ай бұрын

    Yes. Mass and gravity of the earth in combination of the strength of its magnetosphere.

  • @MarsStarcruiser

    @MarsStarcruiser

    Ай бұрын

    Hope you found the answers already, but if you haven’t, he speaks of it in some of his earlier vids, how the convection between the inner mantel and the core generate Earth’s dynamo to generate that field. I think it was called “How magnetism shapes the Universe.”

  • @klangg

    @klangg

    Ай бұрын

    @@MarsStarcruiserI was less looking for "how does the earth have a magnetic field?" and more for why is geosynchronous orbit between the Van Allen belts, is that unusual for planets with a magnetosphere, and if yes then why? Thank you for the info though!

  • @jackrice2770

    @jackrice2770

    Ай бұрын

    @@klangg All celestial bodies have a geosynchronous zone, determined by their mass. Not all would have a magnetic field (I.e. Mars' is very weak, which is why it lost its atmosphere). To be more direct, the fact that the ideal height for geosynchronous orbit is outside (or inside) the Van Allen belts is pure coincidence...dumb luck, if you will.

  • @klangg

    @klangg

    Ай бұрын

    @@jackrice2770 Thanks! That was exactly what I was looking for

  • @Fittiboy
    @Fittiboy2 ай бұрын

    Creative use of "space time" at the end there. I like it!

  • @gregorysagegreene
    @gregorysagegreene2 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the fundamental physics term underpinning a lot of our technology: The 'Jiggle'. First time ever I understood 'Waving Hands' man.

  • @egyeneskifli7808
    @egyeneskifli78082 ай бұрын

    Just imagine the consequences of a total blackout of communications networks. People must talk to eachother, in real life, eye-to-eye! And the horrors of reading books and newspaper! That would be the end of civilization. Oh, and Mark Zuckerberg must find a real job.

  • @heartofdawn2341
    @heartofdawn23412 ай бұрын

    While you can harden your satellites against radiation from an EMP, you'd still have to deal with all the debris created by everything that is destroyed- debris that are still traveling at orbital velocities. Good luck with that.

  • @PulseCodeMusic
    @PulseCodeMusic2 ай бұрын

    Ahh you got me! As a faithful viewer I always feel the sign off coming but this one got me by surprise. Excellent work haha.

  • @ChowdongsFameCrew
    @ChowdongsFameCrew2 ай бұрын

    1:05 nice you made a video of it, there are not much videos about Starfish prime ✌️

  • @altelephono3373
    @altelephono3373Ай бұрын

    My EM waves don't jiggle jiggle, they fold.

  • @CaedenV
    @CaedenV2 ай бұрын

    In another episode of "hey guys, we tried this and it was a terrible idea... Can everyone sign a document saying you won't also try this?" lol

  • @DamienPalmer

    @DamienPalmer

    2 ай бұрын

    Many such cases.

  • @georgeburdell517
    @georgeburdell5172 ай бұрын

    As usual -- totally awesome vid -- will watch over and over until the next!

  • @travisdonotsuscribegototjs9323
    @travisdonotsuscribegototjs93232 ай бұрын

    I mean they teach you about this in school but you really ever go into much detail

  • @LiamRappaport
    @LiamRappaport2 ай бұрын

    My vote is for continued peace.

  • @CheatOnlyDeath

    @CheatOnlyDeath

    Ай бұрын

    If only majority meant anything. Peace would prevail. But for what it's worth, peace has my vote as well.

  • @RhumpleOriginal
    @RhumpleOriginal2 ай бұрын

    Putin: 📝🤔

  • @valoisa
    @valoisa2 ай бұрын

    This was a great episode on serious matter. Thank you.

  • @georgegarcia566
    @georgegarcia5662 ай бұрын

    Super unexpected. Much appreciated!

  • @philiphumphrey1548
    @philiphumphrey15482 ай бұрын

    It's not a good military weapon because while it will hurt the enemy, it won't take away his ability to retaliate. You can be pretty sure that his military electronics have been protected. So all that happens is he returns the favour. It would make a good terrorist weapon but most terrorists don't have the resources needed.

  • @garethdean6382

    @garethdean6382

    2 ай бұрын

    It might make a good weapon in tandem with a first strike, if you think you can't take out all of your opponent's infrastructure. Hurting civilian targets could be an advantage if it stymies a more long term retaliation.

  • @jackrice2770

    @jackrice2770

    Ай бұрын

    Uh...North Korea?

  • @Mr71paul71

    @Mr71paul71

    12 күн бұрын

    Do any serious research or the Russian super emo weapons and you see they are designed to produce a emp burst that's 3 times greater than it's possible to hardened electronics against!!!! And that includes your nukes and their command and control systems.

  • @TeddyRumble
    @TeddyRumble2 ай бұрын

    I trust...no one.

  • @Sluckie13

    @Sluckie13

    22 күн бұрын

    That is wise…

  • @denniscrane9753

    @denniscrane9753

    16 күн бұрын

    Trust me you have the right idea!

  • @ProgRockDan1
    @ProgRockDan12 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the knowledge

  • @bgtyhnmju7
    @bgtyhnmju72 ай бұрын

    Good episode - I learned things. I'm glad you were aware of that slightly awkward ending - lolz. Well done.

  • @OpenMicRejects
    @OpenMicRejects2 ай бұрын

    JFC...vote blue.

  • @mathijsharmsen5385
    @mathijsharmsen53852 ай бұрын

    Loving the creative use of space time at the end : )

  • @Thomas-gk42
    @Thomas-gk422 ай бұрын

    Wow, great report, thank you!

  • @Pinefenario
    @Pinefenario2 ай бұрын

    Finally a good explanation what EMP is.

  • @user-np2gr7zr4l
    @user-np2gr7zr4l2 ай бұрын

    Solidarity with Matt. Peaceful time in peaceful space!

  • @Sentinel3D
    @Sentinel3D2 ай бұрын

    I'm glad you covered this. I remember the old series, Dark Angel, with Jessica Alba. The whole premise was the US was rocked by an EMP. And pretty much the whole world went dark, probably because of the EMP retaliation on the other side of the world. I remember thinking that the attack, which wasn't shown was very nondescript. Now that you described it, it seems much more plausible. I didn't know that it would be that effective. I never heard of the starfish prime experiment.

  • @lostwizard

    @lostwizard

    2 ай бұрын

    Same here. I had originally thought they took things a bit far with the effects and fallout. I had assumed some new-fangled fictional device was used, but now that dystopia feels all the more plausible, especially given current geopolitics.

  • @genghisgalahad8465

    @genghisgalahad8465

    Ай бұрын

    I almost didn't read the rest of the articulate comment when you mentioned the critically important detail of Jessica Alba! 😂

  • @rms7999
    @rms79992 ай бұрын

    Brilliant explanation!

  • @Malt449
    @Malt4492 ай бұрын

    Great ! I'm glad the intensification of the signal as it approaches earth was mentioned ! Matt, I've been trying to educate myself in regards to to what is often called Scalar Waves. I have seen different opinions and references, some very interesting but the subject seems to be controversial for some reasons. Would you consider touching on that subject eventually ?

  • @themostselfishman
    @themostselfishman2 ай бұрын

    Hahaha, that slight pause at the end, bravo.

  • @nathanmarchant2175
    @nathanmarchant21752 ай бұрын

    Great info. Thanks for sharing. Im all for sticking with the space peace treaty😊

  • @expred
    @expred2 ай бұрын

    Excellent content, as always. Your channel is so meaningful to me on a personal level. For years now, I've had some regrets about not paying attention to topics like physics, chemistry, and space back when I could have studied that stuff at my studies. Only later I realized that these topics are a passion of mine. Right now I'm studying to be a chef, which is also meaningful to me, but it's hardly the best place to learn about distant galaxies. These days it is possible to learn about almost anything simply with the Internet. However, I found it very difficult to teach myself about astrophysical topics this way. The content I came across suffers from two main issues (to me, at least): Either the language and concepts assumed to be self-explanatory would not be explained, making me feel like a dumb student at a boring lecture. The polar opposite problem was click-baity content, where everything would be repeated and dumbed down, possibly even being untrue to begin with. Entertaining, perhaps, yet not insightful nor wise. All of this to say, when I came across PBS Space Time randomly a few months back, I finally found what I was looking for. In this show, concepts are introduced clearly, without almost ever assuming you already know something (and in those cases it happens, you're referenced to another video covering that, lol). Then when the topic starts to get more complex, the stunning animations and subtle humor thrown in keep me engaged. I have great respect for the quality, clarity and aesthetic shown while explaining difficult concepts. I've had so many "A-ha, so THAT is how it works!" types of moments thanks to these animations. Matt and the team: I thank you all for consistently great content, which not only helps me study the things I love, but also keeps me entertained. I even find watching this channel helpful for my anxiety and depression. It is mind-blowing that getting to watch this level of content is free!!! And even though I have financial issues, getting some merch (or sweet swag, as Matt called it) is the first thing I'll do as soon as I can afford it. Thank you so much!!! Please keep making this stuff until the very end of ... space-time.

  • @buddypvaz124
    @buddypvaz1242 ай бұрын

    Always over my head but irresistible, must watch every new Space Time. I have a question. Where do you come down on this one; is there more than one electron?

  • @andrewadius142
    @andrewadius1422 ай бұрын

    " There is a Silver Lining on the Mushroom Cloud "

  • @MCsCreations
    @MCsCreations2 ай бұрын

    Brilliant stuff!

  • @gregknipe8772
    @gregknipe87729 күн бұрын

    I am amazed that I understood this presentation. thank you for this production.

  • @GS-el8ll
    @GS-el8ll2 ай бұрын

    starfish prime is both fascinating and terrifying, a beautiful and deadly aurora

  • @robbabcock_
    @robbabcock_2 ай бұрын

    A great and sobering video!

  • @threeMetreJim
    @threeMetreJim2 ай бұрын

    My favourite emp generator is a low impedance coaxial line, charged to several thousand volts and discharged at one end quickly. The other end goes to an isolating capacitor and then an antenna. Peak power is around 250kW but decays quickly (over a few cycles of rf). It is actually an old military method that was abandoned and de-classified, but it works against modern electronics at a few metres distance (around 5m for unshielded stuff). I dismantled the test version, never to be build one again, after losing 2 laptops to it. Basically, a vhf spark gap transmitter running from 2xAA batteries.

  • @cristopherblunt1
    @cristopherblunt12 ай бұрын

    Thankyou for covering this subject. I'm just starting the video but extremely excited. Its long overdue.

  • @fameus4423
    @fameus44232 ай бұрын

    I love this channel so much

  • @StopChangingUsernamesYouTube
    @StopChangingUsernamesYouTube2 ай бұрын

    For the moment it's a bit fun to think of it as, "that time we nuked space," but really it's just one of the other ways we could severely set civilization back by opening that bottle ever again.

  • @subliminalvibes
    @subliminalvibes2 ай бұрын

    This reminds me of the 'snap' of magnetic fields around (and 'snapping' through) superconductors as they flux. I wonder if mini-EMPs are occurring all the time around superconducting materials when they cool... 🤔

  • @umeng2002
    @umeng20022 ай бұрын

    The aurora borealis? At this time of day? In this part of the planet? Localized entirely in the Marshall Islands?

  • @larrymunn5279

    @larrymunn5279

    2 ай бұрын

    Sure, why not. Beer?

  • @mgancarzjr

    @mgancarzjr

    2 ай бұрын

    ...May I see it?

  • @JohnDoe-jh5yr

    @JohnDoe-jh5yr

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@larrymunn5279I brought my nuka-cola

  • @larrymunn5279

    @larrymunn5279

    2 ай бұрын

    @@JohnDoe-jh5yr Cheers! lol Nice arm-laptop you got there.

  • @dentatusdentatus1592

    @dentatusdentatus1592

    2 ай бұрын

    Please! Those ain't nothing but Krusty burgers.

  • @KuruGDI
    @KuruGDI2 ай бұрын

    5:30 "* not to scale" Good to known 😂

  • @cholten99
    @cholten992 ай бұрын

    The early Jessica Alba TV series Dark Angel is set in a United States still trying to recover a few years after a continental scale nuclear atmospheric EMP burst wrecked most of the electronic infrastructure. It's a great depiction.

  • @fensoxx

    @fensoxx

    2 ай бұрын

    That Pontiac Aztec looked so futuristic

  • @mvmlego1212

    @mvmlego1212

    2 ай бұрын

    Huh. I just looked it up on IMDB, and the description makes it sound like a TV adaptation of the Maximum Ride series. After researching more, I can see that it definitely isn't, but I was pretty confused for a few minutes.

  • @JeeVeeHaych

    @JeeVeeHaych

    2 ай бұрын

    I almost forgot about that show, blast from the past.

  • @robmorgan1214
    @robmorgan12142 ай бұрын

    Lol. This wasn't a surprise. We literally did it in operation Argus much earlier using small atomic bombs (not h-bombs) to measure the electron current bouncing back and forth from pole to pole. Starfish prime was an accident in terms of the target altitude, not a surprise.

  • @shanebiddles5594
    @shanebiddles55942 ай бұрын

    Wow, I was Literally thinking this last week and how.your episode would go

  • @DH-bf9xb
    @DH-bf9xb2 ай бұрын

    Great video. I miss the answering questions at the end.

  • @Alex-js5lg
    @Alex-js5lg2 ай бұрын

    Thank you for clarifying that your eye/computer/antenna/phone graphic wasn't to scale. I was worried for a moment.

  • @Mattttlantis
    @Mattttlantis2 ай бұрын

    Can we get a follow-up episode detailing the different ways to defend against EMPs and their associated costs and downsides?

  • @Howtheheckarehandleswit

    @Howtheheckarehandleswit

    2 ай бұрын

    It's probably too simple for a whole episode of Space Time. There are two parts to the damage an orbital EMP can do: it damages electrical machines on the surface (computers, grids, etc), and it creates a radiation belt that damages satellites in a specific region. The way to protect against the damage to surface electrical machines is simple, easy, and cheap: just put proper fuses on things. The only reason not to do it is because it is ever so slightly more expensive (as in, 1 or 2 cents per device) to do so. There is simply no way to defend against the radiation belt other than to prevent the EMP from going off in the first place. Once it has, the belt is inevitable and there's no practical way to speed up it's decay.

  • @vkobevk

    @vkobevk

    2 ай бұрын

    shut down pc and smartphone if you know when emp going happen put semi conductor in underground or faraday cage emp seem to not be so bad against vacum tube electronic if you have your personal generator you can repair it easly

  • @ashtiboy

    @ashtiboy

    2 ай бұрын

    faraday cages i think would work if grounded properly.

  • @ashtiboy

    @ashtiboy

    2 ай бұрын

    well for the servace damage not so much the radation blet in orbit however.

  • @ashtiboy

    @ashtiboy

    2 ай бұрын

    well not unless you send a huge faraday cage in a roocket into the belt that can aborb the extra ionziting radaion radation and then discharge it down as elcical curent in a form of microwaves from a mcirowave trasmetr to a reciver back down somewher else into teh gronud into a battrey areay somewhere on the gronud that is but it would help speed it up a bit until it gets to ahrd to clean up the ahrd to get aeras you can't get at.

  • @BenBeckford
    @BenBeckford2 ай бұрын

    Most contrived "space-time" ending yet and I loved it 😂

  • @Mateus01234
    @Mateus012342 ай бұрын

    I was just searching about this a few days ago. Nice coincidence.

  • @aearnest
    @aearnest2 ай бұрын

    that was amazing.

  • @carlstanland5333
    @carlstanland53332 ай бұрын

    I’m just here to see how you weave “space time” into the presentation at the end.

  • @deepak_nigwal

    @deepak_nigwal

    2 ай бұрын

    and they've been doing it for years

  • @ossgo92
    @ossgo922 ай бұрын

    Words of wisdom.. all in this episode!

  • @Cybernatural
    @Cybernatural2 ай бұрын

    Considering the government already uses Starlink, and owns the defense sector portion called Starshield, AI wonder if they have started subsidising the cost of adding the EMP protection instead of having to launch their own.

  • @robo5013

    @robo5013

    2 ай бұрын

    It's much more than just shielding needed to protect from the EMP. Several of those satellites destroyed by Starfish wasn't the result of the EMP but the radiation degraded their solar panels taking out their power source.

  • @steelgreyed
    @steelgreyed2 ай бұрын

    You blended physics and politics perfectly well. Bravo.

  • @frankharr9466
    @frankharr94662 ай бұрын

    Neat. Thank you.

  • @BrianSu
    @BrianSu2 ай бұрын

    great animation on how the magnetic pulse is generated by electrons spiralling downwards!

  • @KatjaTgirl
    @KatjaTgirl2 ай бұрын

    Thank you for another great episode! How do the knocked free electrons that spiral along the earth's magnetic field keep up with the gamma rays that caused them, seeing the electrons travel a much greater distance in spiralling compared to the gamma rays that travel in a straight line?

  • @inochifumetsu

    @inochifumetsu

    2 ай бұрын

    They don't. The electrons aren't massless so they could effectively never keep up with the gamma rays (at least, if they do for even a short period of time, it's not very long -- see cerenkov radiation). It's not really about path length. The thing that keeps up with the gamma rays is the EMP *generated* by the spiralling electrons. The fact that they're spiralling is important because it results in a changing electric / magnetic field (they're constantly accelerating because they're travelling in a circle) -- that's the definition of light, which is what an EMP *is* -- so the EMP (which is light) is what's keeping up with the gamma rays (which are light) -- they're just different frequencies of light. The EMP can make it through the atmosphere and is a frequency (probably in the GHz range? Though I'm not sure honestly) which will impact electronics, the gamma rays can't make it through the atmosphere and.. well they *can* affect electronics but not the same way (nothing at all like an EMP).

  • @dayngerus
    @dayngerus2 ай бұрын

    Let's get our learning on! 🤓

  • @dinkul903
    @dinkul9032 ай бұрын

    One of the satellites that fell victim to that test was the famous Telstar, the first of its kind.

  • @Antimonious
    @Antimonious2 ай бұрын

    This should be interesting!

  • @edurm999
    @edurm9992 ай бұрын

    Great video

  • @kingcoletrain6844
    @kingcoletrain68442 ай бұрын

    Learned something new in the first 2 minutes

  • @Dooblecaine
    @Dooblecaine2 ай бұрын

    There have been studies and commissions formed in the United States to study the effects of a skyburst nuke over the central US from the 1950s to today. Lots of documentation online if you're interested, some fascinating but also quite alarming. It doesn't seem like it would take much to cause big problems. Some of the larger parts of the electrical grid could take a year or more to replace as the only manufacturers are in Europe and they can only produce so many. Can you imagine going without electricity for a year or more? Effectively camping for a year? Life would come to a halt. Food would be scarce. And people would likely become predatory.

  • @greg-op2jh
    @greg-op2jh2 ай бұрын

    I really needed something else to worry about. Thank you! Hugs and kisses 😘

  • @alansnyder8448
    @alansnyder84482 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this video. Need a followup video talking about faraday cages that people can build.

  • @myrlyn1250

    @myrlyn1250

    2 ай бұрын

    Microwave oven will work in a pinch. Just don't turn it on...

  • @elliotgillum

    @elliotgillum

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@@myrlyn1250So what you're saying is I should build a giant microwave and live in it?

  • @m_chupon5131

    @m_chupon5131

    2 ай бұрын

    Protecting your own personal electronics with a faraday cage wouldn't do much good if there's no power to run them afterwards.

  • @myrlyn1250

    @myrlyn1250

    2 ай бұрын

    ​@elliotgillum The EMP shouldn't be dangerous to humans unless they have electronic medical devices. Or if your cell phone explodes in your pocket. 🎉

  • @CaedenV

    @CaedenV

    2 ай бұрын

    I live in a 1950s plaster wall house with chicken mesh behind the plaster (common at the time), and I added a radient barrier in the attic... I have accidently put myself in a farriday cage and without wifi calling there is no service inside, and I need outdoor APs because otherwise wifi won't work outside... It's actually kind of a pain 😅