Extended Classic: Tour of the Solar System

About This Episode

Now extended with an update on Pluto from Neil deGrasse Tyson and 10 extra minutes of new Cosmic Queries with Bill Nye and Chuck Nice!

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice wander around our solar system with the help of planetary scientist Dr. Heidi Hammel and Dr. Steve Squyres, the Principal Investigator for the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Steve talks about what it was like living on “Mars time” and why he would still rather explore space with people than with robots. Heidi reveals her love for the ice giants Uranus and Neptune. Listen in as Neil, Heidi and Steve discuss the importance of water in the search for life in our solar system, from Mars, to Europa, to Enceladus. You’ll also hear why the Kepler space telescope is so important, and how astronomers are discovering exoplanets orbiting stars other than the Sun. You’ll find out why Percival Lowell thought there were canals on Mars, why Neil wants to go to Saturn’s moon Titan, why professional astronomers rely on amateurs to keep them up to speed, and what happened when Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 had a close encounter with Jupiter. Plus, Bill Nye ponders our place in space.

NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: Extended Classic: Tour of the Solar System.