Cosmic Queries – Intergalactic Impacts

About This Episode

What happens when three black holes collide? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore even more cosmic collisions in space, in the quantum realm, and more!

Do photons experience time? We think about all the unseen photons and the science of lightsabers. Photons can cross but not hit each other? Can you make light interact with itself? We discuss: Could there be a time particle? What’s the smallest unit of space? Learn about the quantum field: Could dropping the temperature slow a radioactive element’s half-life? Could you keep food in the freezer forever?

Could the moons of outer planets have been born from inner rocky planets that are ejected? What should qualify as a moon? We know what the collision of two black holes is like, what about three? Find out the history of Albert Einstein, gravitational waves, and lasers. How frequently do black holes collide? 

Could you join two bodies of ice together in a collision? Do any of these space collisions show light when they happen? Discover the electromagnetic spectrum, sonic booms, and the science behind why diamonds sparkle. All that, plus, are atoms actually just tiny solar systems? 

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

About the prints that flank Neil in this video:
“Black Swan” & “White Swan” limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver.