Things You Thought You Knew – Your Zodiac is Wrong

About This Episode

Does time always move at the same rate? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down things you thought you knew about time dilation, gravity assists, the north star, and your zodiac sign.

Is time relative? We explore facts about Einstein’s theory of relativity that keep them up at night. Discover fascinating properties of the fabric of space and time. Is it true that the faster you move, the slower time ticks for you? What other variables affect the passage of time? Find out about the passage of time on objects orbiting Earth and how we compensate for that here on the surface. Does time dilation affect satellites? What is time like for an object traveling at the speed of light?

How does a gravity assist work? We explain the slingshot effect and misconceptions on how it actually works for launching ships deep into outer space. What is the North Star? Where is it in the night sky? Are stars in Hollywood burning thermonuclear fuel in their core? We discuss how culturally entrenched wishing on a star is and why the North Star– Polaris– has significance, and why so many people can’t seem to spot it. We break down long exposure photos of the night sky and the constellations on the southern hemisphere. Is there a “south star”? Plus, hear Chuck’s impersonation of Venus getting mistaken for Polaris and more!

Why is your zodiac sign probably wrong? We explain the difference between astronomy and astrology. There’s a 13th zodiac sign? Learn about Earth’s wobble on its axis and what “precession” is. Was the north star always the north star? We talk about the north star of ancient times and what the night sky will look like in the future. How does precession affect your zodiac sign? We explore how the current zodiac differs from when it was first invented. What is Ophiuchus? And is Cancer the lamest constellation?

Thanks to our Patrons Dan Kelly, Richard Dickinson, Wendy Gaspard, Adam Diaz, Dylan Baun, Chuck Cosmo, Antal Turóczi, Cassie Mayberry, Chris L, Kiela Peoples, Bruce Lessey, Mark Marcello, E. S., David Sanders, Lottiedon, Paweł Opala, Troglodite89, Ezekiel Finch, Scout, David Mekertichyan, Craig Young, Nokomiska (No-Ko-Mee-Ska) 🪶, Ross Graves, Claire Richardson Pence, J Patrick Kinney, Diego Sanchez, Darren, Micah Letts, Elliot Reza, Daniel Zolberg, Nicholas Cooper, ANTHONY SHAMRAY, Justin, William Zuhlke, Wendy Armstrong, Sarah Gould, Aaron Morris, Jemma Theivendran, Jallison, Joshua Bramhall, Seth Cox, Adam, RalfAL, Ron Pirkle, Mark Filetti, Marilyn Seuss, upul premawardhana, Andy Junkins, Albert, Lesio Milton Dillard, Owen Poehner, Rune Sahruvaak, Alysha Rucker, Jason Hissong, Laureen DeMello, James, Thomas Przybylski, Jesse, Blake Wickam, Orville Johnson, Dennis Grimes, Kaos Sorenson, shrimpandwhitewine, Edouard-Jean Blineau, Philip May, Michael Burleson, Jo Guido, Sceptkl 1, Bryan Ramirez, Danijel Durovic, Gerald Ringgold, Annie, TKW73, David Barlow, Emily Johnson, Jaykay, Marc Roussel, Andrew Stamarski, and languid_spider for supporting us this week.

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