Searching for Alien Worlds with Anjali Tripathi

About This Episode

Could a new telescope one day spot city lights on exoplanets? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Matt Kirshen answer questions about the frontiers of exoplanet science with astrophysicist and NASA Exoplanet Science Ambassador, Anjali Tripathi.

Anjali explains how we went from knowing zero to thousands of exoplanets and how NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will blow that number into the tens of thousands. Learn how this flagship mission will use microlensing and coronagraph technology to directly image planets and analyze their atmospheres for biosignatures and maybe even signs of alien pollution.

We dive into how exoplanets form, what early planetary disks look like, and how Earth-like conditions have changed across time. Can life exist under ice? What about on moons? Could we one day spot alien city lights? Why are gas giants easier to find? How do biosignatures evolve over billions of years? And what happens to habitability when our own Sun balloons out?

Can planets form in donut shapes? How accurate are our measurements? And what if simulations predict strange things, like bug planets? We answer questions about binary star systems, moons as homes for life, and whether every solar system is truly a snowflake. You’ll also learn about planet detection methods, the possibility of seeing city lights from distant planets, and the philosophical limits of what science can tell us.

Thanks to our Patrons William Dusenberry, Renee Lehmann, Angelina Vaquera-Linke, Mokonabarb, Sean Legnini, Adam Dylan, Zack Goss, Hannah Jarrells, Adith Dev Reddy, Christopher Bolin, Smarty Pants Cafe, Berhtrahmn Gregor, Alexander Hopkins, Duane, Dominik Heinrich, Anton Hansen, Peter J Fitzpatrick, Jedi – the i is silent, Balaji Narayanaswami, Jim Liggett, Tarek Hijaz, Josie Hall, JoshoohAhh, Sami Elderazi, James Grayson, J Brett Cunningham, GryphonDS, Russell r, Jason Moet, Kristina Gizzo, Travis Dodson, Larry Lee, John Pilger, Andy Fry, Micheal Johnson, Dylan Nazzal, Daniel Norton, AJ Stavely, Erik D. Aranda-Wikman, tsuribachi, WIlliam Lubak, Brennen, and Jo-el Armstrong for supporting us this week.

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