“Raindrop Galaxy” by Harpagornis~
“Raindrop Galaxy” by Harpagornis~

Cosmic Queries – Expanding Bubble Universes

Harpagornis~, CC BY-ND 2.0
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About This Episode

Is time dilation just the data loading in a cosmic simulation? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice answer grab bag questions about saving the Sun, generation spaceships, black hole slingshots, and more!

We explore what it would be like to get extremely close to our Sun. When the core of the Sun runs out of hydrogen, is there anything we could do? If we send a generational ship to a habitable planet today, will it eventually be passed by a faster ship launched decades later? How would you factor advancements in technology into launch times?

What does Neil picture when he pictures the Big Bang? How do you explain the Big Bang to a seven-year-old? Does traveling at near-light speed make you smaller? Neil even shares how his PhD data in Chile gave purpose to ancient photons. Plus, can you use a supermassive black hole to slingshot your way past the speed of light?

Could a black hole be a graviton in a higher dimension? Does living in an expanding universe contradict the idea that we live inside a black hole? We discuss whether gravity could simply be the cosmic engine slowing down its frame rate to process complex information. From merging antimatter bubble universes to intercepting tachyons traveling backward through time, no stone is left unturned in this wide-ranging episode.

Thanks to our Patrons Colbi Rohr, Designer Chrome, David Crawford, Faber Gabriel, Don, DJ, Ashur Isho, Steve, Logan Doherty, daveb, Alyssa, Dave Rossi, WILLIAM DEANGELLO DAVIS, Kurtis Tucker, BoatsG, Brian Kemmet, Linn Eaton, Benson Albert, Alan Corey, John Mehew, Merrill, Hamad Alhadyan, Brian Langford, eSpectator, Craig Muller, Betty Ford, Rizwaan Khan, Eric L Brown, Kevin James, 84chamelio, Dave Hildebrandt, Joseph Torre, Ryan Martin, Mike Coffield, Patrick Mercado, Alvaro Mendoza, Justin M, David Spiro, Jerry Cornett, Len B Smith, Alex Roe-Million, Ken Nelson, 80HD, Tom N., yna, Nanette Westhof, Benjamin William Blair, Andres de la Torre, Bridget Yacker, Mac Crollman, Byron Gregg, Jaquenta Jackie, Kevin Williams, Mettavore, Nathan Randall, TheNative Artificer, Mihir Daté, Keith, Thomas Bunner, Jack carter, Andrew, Jonathan Venancio, Dwayne Moquett, Krishna Vasudevan, Lexee, David M, KC Jones, Andrea P, Vincent Y., Juan Hernandez, Gremlin, Brian Masney, GillesS, Brett, Moises Zorrilla, Tek Adept, Rick Stacey, Angela Hayes, Kent, Smitty West, and You Mesh for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.