December 5, 2016 7:43 pm

Tuesday, Seth Shostak Explores Exoplanets on StarTalk All-Stars

Who isn’t excited about exoplanets these days? With thousands being discovered over the past two decades, it’s time to take an in-depth look at where they are, how we find them, and what they’re all about.

Seth Shostak, SETI Senior Astronomer and StarTalk veteran, is back as our host, along with co-host Seth Shostak, and their guest, Jason Wright, Associate Professor of Astronomy at Penn State and member of the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds.

And what’s the exoplanet on everyone’s mind? Proxima b, of course: the closest known neighboring exoplanet to Earth. (Of course, “neighboring” meaning a tiny four light years away.) You’ll get details on what makes Proxima b special, how we could use laser beams and light sails to travel there, and why this conversation inspired Chuck’s next album title.

The panel talks about how the Kepler Space Telescope uses the dimming of stars to predict the existence of planets, what coronagraphic telescopes are, the possibilities of alien astro-mega structures, and what percentage of planets in the Milky Way might have liquid water.

Discover what puts a planet in the “Super Earth” category, why we don’t visually “see” exoplanets, and what information aliens would be able to pick up based on the signals we have sent out.

Seth explains the protocol SETI would take if they receive a possible alien transmission (besides the inevitable dancing and hugging), Jason discusses the star KIC8462852, or as Seth nicknamed “Bob,” which has come to the public’s attention due to the various aforementioned “alien megastructure” articles, and we learn how NASA’s study of extremophiles – Earth life that thrived in extreme environments – help us think about what life might be like on other planets.

Chuck has selected his usual intriguing assortment of fan-submitted Cosmic Queries to throw at Seth and Jason, from “What bio-signatures do telescopes look for from exoplanets?”, to “Could non-carbon based life exist?”, to “Why are planets always spherical?”, and even, “Once you go alien, you can ever go back?”

If you want to explore the exoplanets, then join us tomorrow night for Exploring Exoplanets, with Seth Shostak – StarTalk All-Stars, at 7pm EDT right here on our website, as well as on iTunes Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and TuneIn. And remember, StarTalk All-Access subscribers can watch (or listen to) this episode commercial free at the same time.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
–Ian Mullen