StarTalk Radio Show by Neil deGrasse Tyson

Oct 13, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 62

Exploring Dark Skies

Where are the darkest skies in the US? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice learn about dark sky efforts, light pollution, and cool places to stargaze with guests astrophysicist Matt O’Dowd, photographer Babak Tafreshi, and national park ranger Bradley Mills.

From the 13,000-foot summit of Wheeler Peak, to the sage-covered foothills, Great Basin National Park is a place to sample the stunning diversity of the larger Great Basin region. Come and partake of the solitude of the wilderness, walk among ancient bristlecone pines, bask in the darkest of night skies, and explore mysterious subterranean passages.

Oct 17, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 63

Things You Thought You Knew – The Dark Side of the Moon

A year isn’t what you think it is… Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore things you thought you knew about the length of a year, the dark side of the moon, and the physics of a moving system.

(Nov. 22, 2022) Flight Day 7, Orion’s Optical Navigation camera captured the far side of the Moon, as the spacecraft orbited 81.1 miles above the surface, heading for a Distant Retrograde Orbit . Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew.

Oct 24, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 64

Habitable Worlds, Super-Earths, & Evaporating Planets with Anjali Tripathi

Is Earth going to evaporate? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice learn about exoplanet discovery, planetary evaporation, biosignatures and technosignatures with astrophysicist Anjali Tripathi.

A young planet whirling around a petulant red dwarf star is changing in unpredictable ways orbit-by-orbit. It is so close to its parent star that it experiences a consistent, torrential blast of energy, which evaporates its hydrogen atmosphere — causing it to puff off the planet.Located 32 light-years from Earth, the parent star AU Microscopii (AU Mic) hosts one of the youngest planetary systems ever observed.

Oct 27, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 65

The Paradox of Sleep with Matthew Walker

What happens when we go to sleep? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly break down the mystery of why we sleep, time dilation in dreams, circadian rhythms, and sleeping in space with neuroscientist Matt Walker.

Shown are rat cortical neurons, grown in vitro on a PLL/Lam-coated coverslip, and transfected with a virus to express GFP. This fluorescence picture was taken through a Zeiss Axiovert microscope with the appropriate GFP filter settings.

Oct 31, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 66

Capturing the Cosmos with Babak Tafreshi

How do you take an incredible photo of the cosmos? In this extended conversation, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice learn about how to start taking photos of space with astrophotographer and National Geographic Explorer, Babak Tafreshi.

High on the Chajnantor Plateau, some 5000 metres above sea level it can get extremely cold at the site of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Babak Tafreshi, one of ESO's Photo Ambassadors and part of the ESO Ultra HD Expedition team is shown here capturing the cool cosmos.

Nov 7, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 67

Relativity Round-up: StarTalk Live! With Janna Levin

Is the universe infinite? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Paul Mecurio go to infinity and beyond as we explore the origins of relativity, time travel, and the discovery of expansion with astrophysicist Janna Levin, PhD live from Pioneer Works in Brooklyn.

This image, captured with the VISTA infrared survey telescope, as part of the Variables in the Via Lactea (VVV) ESO public survey, shows the central part of the Milky Way. While normally hidden behind obscuring dust, the infrared capabilities of VISTA allow to study the stars close to the galactic centre.

Nov 10, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 68

Beating Time: Dodging the Number One Killer with Dr. Lipi Roy

Could we eliminate the number one cause of death? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly go to medical school to learn about heart health, the impacts of COVID, and the cardiovascular disease epidemic with physician Dr. Lipi Roy.

High magnification micrograph of rheumatic heart disease.

Nov 14, 2023 – Season 14 Episode 69

How Storytelling Prevented Nuclear War

How did movies change the Cold War? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice learn about how apocalyptic films influenced us and began the first cybersecurity measures with Future of Life Award recipients and filmmakers Lawrence Lasker, Walter Parkes, and Nicholas Meyer.