The Story of Space Imaging with Carolyn “Madam Saturn” Porco

About This Episode

How much has space imaging furthered our understanding of the Universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice learn the story of cameras on space probes like Voyager and Cassini and the exciting science of Saturn with planetary scientist Carolyn Porco.

Discover the saga that led to the taking of Voyager’s image Pale Blue Dot. What is the history of early space probes? We discuss the importance of space imaging and how close we were to not having pictures of the planets. How much funding did it take to get Pale Blue Dot? Find out about Carl Sagan’s appeal to NASA and Carolyns role in it all.

How did the Cassini mission aim to go beyond the abilities of Voyager? Carolyn shares with us her bucket list for the mission and the challenges of trying to recreate Pale Blue Dot. What creates the colors in Cassini’s images? What would Saturn look like with the naked eye? Learn about what Cassini learned about Enceladus and concerns about contaminating the Saturnian Moon. Can we keep commercial space companies abiding by planetary protection practices?

Could we someday livestream a flyby of the planets in real-time? Discover the video already taken by Cassini, available at: https://ciclops.org/th_clips.php.html. Carolyn gives her take on the increasing satellites populating the night’s sky. Learn how the rings of Saturn helped uncover the wave responsible for forming spiral galaxies. Plus, find out the mystery of the hexagon on Saturn’s south pole. 

Thanks to our Patrons Collin Money, Jeffery K Ogren, José Luis Pizano Escalante, Micheal Yablon, Artemis ma, and Paul Scott ifor supporting us this week.

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