Paul Sutter
Paul M. Sutter is an astrophysicist at SUNY Stony Brook and the Flatiron Institute in New York City. Paul received his PhD in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2011, and spent three years at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics, followed by a research fellowship in Trieste, Italy, His research focuses on many diverse topics, from the emptiest regions of the universe to the earliest moments of the Big Bang to the hunt for the first stars. As an "Agent to the Stars," Paul has passionately engaged the public in science outreach for several years. He is the host of the popular "Ask a Spaceman!" podcast, author of "Your Place in the Universe" and "How to Die in Space" and he frequently appears on TV — including on The Weather Channel, for which he serves as Official Space Specialist.
Latest articles by Paul Sutter
![clock icon and blue abstract motion background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zuiehcbTiKDhX4upeTb3t9-320-80.jpg)
Why time-traveling tachyons probably don't exist
By Paul Sutter published
Einstein toyed with the idea of faster-than-light-particles but found that such particles violated a central rule of the universe: causality.
![An artist's depiction of an exoplanet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fuydkvSA3LQ95RsT5mqosm-320-80.jpg)
Newfound kind of supernova can tear apart a planet's atmosphere
By Paul Sutter published
A special type of supernova might be able to destroy a planet's ozone layer years after the initial explosion.
![This illustration shows the three basic steps astronomers use to calculate how fast the universe expands over time, a value called the Hubble constant. All the steps involve building a strong "cosmic distance ladder," by starting with measuring accurate distances to nearby galaxies and then moving to galaxies farther and farther away. This ladder is a series of measurements of different kinds of astronomical objects with an intrinsic brightness that researchers can use to calculate distances.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Fn7echSinkSoRq6U5yH8Z3-320-80.jpg)
How do we know the fundamental constants are constant? We don't.
By Paul Sutter published
Physicists have measured no changes in time or space for any of the fundamental constants of nature.
![Radio telescopes point skyward at sunset.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FqpmAFwRC7XansKv57p2cg-320-80.jpg)
Why haven't aliens contacted Earth? New Fermi Paradox analysis suggests we're not that interesting yet
By Paul Sutter published
![An artist's conception of the Big Bang birthing multiple galaxies.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8troZt8tvaciTeCxYRKd57-320-80.jpg)
How was the universe created?
By Paul Sutter published
We don't really know how the universe was created, though most astrophysicists believe it started with the Big Bang.
![This composite image shows the distribution of dark matter, galaxies, and hot gas in the core of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 520, formed from a violent collision of massive galaxy clusters. The blend of blue and green in the center of the image reveals that a clump of dark matter resides near most of the hot gas, where very few galaxies are found.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C2xHVEoft4ZiiXbpdr2H9E-320-80.jpg)
How much of the universe is dark matter?
By Paul Sutter published
There simply isn't enough normal matter to account for the amount of gravitational force needed to hold the universe together, meaning dark matter must be prevalent.
![An artist's depiction of a star eating its planet.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j4AZvbaWsrqLjMACauSDSN-320-80.jpg)
Planet-killing stars can cover up their crimes. Here's how we could catch them.
By Paul Sutter published
Astronomers have found a way to catch planet-murdering stars red-handed and figured out how long we have until the case grows cold.
![four yellow-orange circles of differing brightnesses](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E9uMEmbmCAGpxBpdhcP9GU-320-80.jpg)
Betelgeuse's mysterious 'Great Dimming' may have been triggered by a wandering black hole
By Paul Sutter published
New research suggests that a wandering companion may have played a role in Betelgeuse's antics of late 2019.
![glowing orange strings](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/krCBEB9b3rsecKk8EwrKiM-320-80.jpg)
Wrinkles left over from the Big Bang may have magnetized the universe
By Paul Sutter published
Researchers have proposed what's perhaps the most exotic explanation to date for the source of the universe's seed magnetic field: cosmic strings.
![purpleish gas clouds against starry background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/o7mWzkqvJ2JXNAoPtdvcS3-320-80.jpg)
'Fuzzy' dark matter might make stars form in giant 'pancakes'
By Paul Sutter published
A model of exotic dark matter suggests that the first stars may have formed not as individuals, but as tiny pockets embedded in gigantic, pancake-like sheets.
![3D illustration of an atom and quarks.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Xo2rGyeH2aU8EdL49W4osY-320-80.jpg)
Why Physicists Are Interested in the Mysterious Quirks of the Heftiest Quark
By Paul Sutter last updated
The top quark is about 100 trillion times heavier than the up quark. But why?
![a mess of circles and lightning strikes](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WLCMmy2MRJKVBHEUVcvNMX-320-80.jpg)
Strange quark star may have formed from a lucky cosmic merger
By Paul Sutter last updated
A team of physicists has found that the remnant of a neutron star merger observed in 2019 has just the right mass to be a strange hypothetical quark star.
![Atoms consist of a nucleus made of protons and neutrons orbited by electrons.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kMpyfse3bHMYJxhQVNLfGk-320-80.jpg)
Where do electrons get energy to spin around an atom's nucleus?
By Paul Sutter last updated
Electrons were once thought to orbit a nucleus much as planets orbit the sun. That picture has since been obliterated by modern quantum mechanics.
![The strict ratios of elements that combined into other elements gave scientists a clue that matter might have distinct component parts, now called atoms.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RTjmWoQA8pJ79xXgfoqTiW-320-80.jpg)
How did we figure out atoms exist?
By Paul Sutter last updated
The concept of atoms had been floating around off and on for a few millennia, but it took some clever experimentation to pinpoint their existence.
![A computer illustration of the creation of separate parallel universes as fluctuations in a quantum foam](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/F4vT5eFooifbsNPaec57Gj-320-80.jpg)
'Spooky action at a distance' can lead to a multiverse. Here's how.
By Paul Sutter published
Some interpretations of quantum mechanics propose that our entire universe is described by a single universal wave function that constantly splits and multiplies.
![spacecraft against dark background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2LtFhcaQXV7cBaUx7Nra4A-320-80.jpg)
If aliens have visited the solar system, here's how to find clues they left
By Paul Sutter published
In a new paper, scientists outline how we can look for clues any alien visitors to our solar system may have left behind.
![white textured circle against black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8hGJjtmNVBW3ozmq3wWBUS-320-80.jpg)
How to use the James Webb Space Telescope to hunt for life around white dwarfs
By Paul Sutter published
Many white dwarfs host planets that may lie within the habitable zones of those stars and may even support life. Now, scientists have outlined how to hunt for that possible life.
![blue planet with purple splotch and a nearly vertical ring around it](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bDVNBHEDNnvuK3QxugD8jM-320-80.jpg)
Uranus' weird tilt may be the work of a long-lost moon
By Paul Sutter published
Uranus is just plain weird, and one of the weirdest things about it is its tilt.
![strings swirl out in web](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7FkCoJdLvPBuWQyz2m8X3W-320-80.jpg)
Can stringy physics rescue the universe from a catastrophic transformation?
By Paul Sutter published
A new understanding inspired by string theory shows that our universe may be more stable than we previously thought.
![artist's depiction of rock with starry background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rMdeWz2hshrVV8SK2vmXLb-320-80.jpg)
Help find weird comet-like asteroids that could reveal solar system secrets
By Paul Sutter published
Astronomers know of only a few dozen examples of these active asteroids, but they suspect more are out there — and you can join the hunt.
![bright colorful bubble against starry background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CbXDTxMTHr9enwCKiLxF8E-320-80.jpg)
Supernova alert! Astronomers just found a way to predict explosive star deaths
By Paul Sutter published
If you see a giant red star surrounded by a thick shroud of material, watch out — the star will likely explode within a few years.
![The laws of physics define the orbits of planets.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MZba5HbXRHAG8Swt2pDmJG-320-80.jpg)
What makes Newton's laws work? Here's the simple trick.
By Paul Sutter published
Lagrange found that the difference between an object's kinetic energy and potential energy unlocked something deeply profound about the universe.
![An artist's conception of dark matter scattered throughout the universe](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3w6D2peLD8P6fe8FBwapT-320-80.jpg)
Dark matter could finally reveal itself through self-interactions
By Paul Sutter published
One hypothesis for the nature of dark matter is that some of it could be self-interacting, meaning the individual particles interact slightly with one another.
![black circle surrounded by swirling material](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/L5XU4YbK783EJraX6hwEKe-320-80.jpg)
Black hole 'superradiance' phenomenon may aid quest for dark matter
By Paul Sutter published
Scientists think that when dark photons collect around black holes, they can get trapped and boosted to high energies, where they might transform into other particles (or even just normal photons).