Quasar Quirks & Sky Surveys with Matt O’Dowd

About This Episode

Did the Milky Way used to be a quasar? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice explore quasars, the high energy universe, and the movie we’re making of the night’s sky with astrophysicist & host of PBS Space Time, Matt O’Dowd.

Why wasn’t the Milky Way massive enough to be a true quasar? The trio breaks down the history of quasars exploring how these pinpricks of light liberate insane amounts of kinetic energy through the raw friction of gas falling into supermassive black holes.

How will big data change how we view the cosmos?  Neil and Matt trace the evolution of X-ray astronomy before shifting gears to the mind-bending role of gravitational lenses. You’ll learn how these galactic funhouse mirrors create cosmic time machines, allowing us to view the exact same quasar at different points in time.

How will big data change how we view the cosmos? With the Vera Rubin Observatory recently achieving first light, how is the frontier being impacted by AI? Can variational autoencoders help us map the inner regions of a quasar, or will pattern-recognition templates cause AI to only see what we expect it to find? Neil freaks out over the varying patterns caused by moving stars. What do we lose when computers replace the grunt work of galaxy classification and spherical trig? Are future generations doomed to just vibecode into a black box?

Finally, we explore how the Rubin Observatory will capture 40 times the Hubble field of view to create a continuous, 10-year movie of the night sky. Plus, Neil reflects on why people are far more likely to become scientists than professional athletes, the viral success of PBS Space Time, and why true science is about mastering tools of thought rather than just memorizing a syllabus.

Thanks to our Patrons Alex Nuche, Christian Payne, Gage Ewing, Ryan Whynot, Temirlan, 2 Lives Left, Chad Keeler, Harli Shae Smith, Brad Smith, Norm Bailey, James Peterson, Ryan Coppens, David Whittenberg, Scott Jarboe, Varun Krishnan, Eric Salinas, Mary Seman, Melissa Davis, Stephen Rockwell, Catrina, Max Wilburn, keith Koenigsberg, LEIII, Vincent Loniello, Simon Toth, DoctorWaterGod, Ruthanne Nava, Martineau Alex, Matthew, Phil, Jaden, Arik Drori, Papersneaker, Steven Peeters, Trey Durango, Julianne, Robbie James, Jason Foreman, Liam, Steven Van Vleet, Marilyn, Zakk Why, Ben Wheeldon, Erik Leazure, KONAL SHARMA, Dušan Živanović, Erik Strandberg, berklie novak-stolz, Kazi Mahin Mahfuz, Tim Van Devender, Andrew Martin, Jason F, Charles Joubert, Youcef Kazwiny, Joy Joslyn, Freeman, Jessica, Pat, Phillip Brooks, Michael Hues, Jacqueline Sinclair, Robert Marsh, Botas, Raza Naqvi (Sid), Jake Colón, Christine Bartholomew & Family, Mr Xoot, Dyonté Houston, Daryl, Rob Weiss, Caleb Holmes, Jeffrey Luce, Kellie Owczarczak, and Brandt Reppond for supporting us this week.

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