In our quest to understand the universe, how can we be sure our conclusions are correct? Human beings have evolved to find meaningful patterns in nature, but sometimes the patterns we see are just figments of our imagination—or perhaps the result of wishful thinking. Join Neil and guest co-host Leighann Lord as they investigate the weird and wacky world of pseudoscience.NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/cosmic-quackery/ Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Neil Armstrong spoke these words after placing his foot down onto lunar soil, and throughout the course of the Apollo program eleven other astronauts also walked on the Moon. In this show, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and many others share their memories of Apollo, and say what they think should be NASA’s next step in space.NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/anniversary-apollo-11/?_sf_s=anniversary+of+apollo+11 Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Brilliant scientific discoveries and cutting edge technology have transformed our world, yet many people are turned off by science. Where has the excitement for science gone, and how can we get it back? Stephen Colbert developed an interest in science at a young age, and now he shares that fascination by inviting scientists to appear on his show The Colbert Report.NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/exciting-times-science/ Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Is time travel possible? Or has it already happened? Get ready to spend some time pondering time, because in this episode of StarTalk, host Neil deGrasse Tyson is joined by co-host J. Richard Gott, author of Time Travel in Einstein's Universe and an expert in exotic astrophysics. Join us as we explore time travel, black holes, and worm holes, and analyze some Hollywood time travel films in terms of their scientific accuracy. Rich enlightens us on the fact that time travel is mathematically possible, citing Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity to explain the phenomenon. In fact, there’s some time travel going on in the recording studio when Rich explains that Neil is seeing him as he was 3 billionths of a second before…maybe solving the secret to looking younger? Next up on the space-time continuum is the question of whether gravity effects time travel. Rich tells us that on a planet like Mercury, whose gravitational pull from the Sun is so strong, time ticks slower. You’ll hear some discussion about the accuracy of the movie The Time Machine, and how building a time machine like they did, as long as it uses the mass of Jupiter, just may give us enough energy to travel forward in time to find out the results of the next election! Another way to travel through time may be to orbit a black hole, but Rich warns us against getting too close to the point of no return unless we want to be spaghettified. You’ll also hear a little about Hollywood’s take on time travel depicted in Back to the Future, as well as in Planet of the Apes, for which Rich suggests that the first clue that time travel had occurred should have been that the apes were speaking English. The episode gets even more interesting when Neil and Rich take phone calls from fans. They answer questions about the expansion of space, seeing back in time through modern telescopes, and how the fabric of space stretches faster than the speed of light. Investigate wormholes, curved spacetime, general relativity, and all that cosmic craziness. Even crazier, though, may be when Neil recalls a strange memory of being confused for Michael Jackson when he was a kid, sparking his curiosity about whether MJ could’ve traveled back in time to get his old nose back? Rich says that even though we can travel into the past, we can’t age in reverse. Ponder the Grandmother Paradox, and whether time travellers have the ability to change the past. Finally, a fan asks how the past, present, and future coincide with the continuum of time. Rich has plenty of answers, but we’ll leave you with his reference to Einstein: “time plays out like a movie.” So, to make the most of your movie, we encourage you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/travels-in-time/?_sf_s=travels+in+time Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue? We have too, and so we’re giving you the long-awaited answer, along with more exploration into the mysterious celestial sphere up above. It’s above our heads every day, conveying its lightest and darkest moments, giving hints about the universe around us, and allowing us to learn by looking up…but are we really looking? In this episode of StarTalk, host Neil deGrasse Tyson is joined by co-host and comedian Lynne Koplitz to ponder the many questions, stories, legends, and phenomena of the sky. But first, we just can’t talk about the sky without “Bill Nye the Sky Guy.” We hear a little from Bill about Jupiter’s opposition to the Sun during summer, and the importance of stargazing, as he encourages us to make some time for the sky in our lives. Next on the horizon, Neil and Lynne dig through ancient legends of the night sky, as they invite us to imagine the sky as “Cave TV” before we had the real thing. Neil educates us on the meaning of the word “Planet” in ancient Greek, and Lynne discovers a mistake that may have been the reason all of her wishes on stars haven’t come true. You’ll also hear why marrying an astronomer means you’ll always know where they are at night…like a bartender. The second half of the show gets even more fascinating when “Astronomer Extraordinaire” and News 12 Meteorologist Joe Rao takes a seat. Joe, the ultimate sky expert, answers questions even Neil can’t answer concerning the sky during eclipses, hurricanes, rainbows, shooting stars, the brightest skies of summer, the white skies of winter, and everything in between. Joe also debunks the assumption that you must look away or even stay inside during a total eclipse, while highlighting that the moment of total eclipse is actually the only point when it is safe to look. He tells us about the Great American Eclipse on August 21st, 2017 (In fact, Joe was also our guest on “Cosmic Queries: The Great American Eclipse” the week before it happened!) And before we end, there’s revelation in the air (and a little precipitation) when we unearth the “Creepy Cloud”, A.K.A the Mammatus Cloud, one that was seen over CitiField (shown above) after a heavy thunderstorm that lit up the sky. Feeling enlightened? There’s more where that came from. Listen now for all of the “SkyTalk” you could ever wish for on a star.NOTE: All-Access subscribers can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/summer-skies/ Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Space is now big business. Technology originally developed for the space program sometimes ends up in products for use on Earth, often in surprising ways. The 40,000 certified “Space Products” range from mattresses to medical devices, and have turned space into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Inspired by our excursions into the Final Frontier, entrepreneurs and inventors are turning stardust into gold. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

The Star Trek TV and movie series imagine a bright future for humans in space, one in which we explore alien worlds with the aid of advanced technology. Because the writers tried to include as much realistic science as possible within the fictional framework, the stories have been an inspiration for students, scientists, inventors; and anyone interested in pondering our destiny on Earth and beyond. In this show, Brandon Fibbs reviews the latest Star Trek movie now in theaters, and Lawrence Krauss talks about how Star Trek uses science to explore what is possible in our universe.NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/science-star-trek/ Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Scientists have been searching for aliens in our solar system and beyond, but have not yet found evidence that life exists beyond Earth. SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, has been scanning the stars for alien radio beacons for 50 years. Radio and TV broadcasts have been leaking from Earth’s atmosphere for over a century, and these traveling time capsules could eventually reach a broader audience than ever imagined. Neil and Lynne review the methods used to locate aliens, and discuss what to do if you’re ever abducted. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Richard Branson has formed Virgin Galactic and is now taking reservations aboard the maiden voyage of SpaceShipOne. Would you spend the estimated $200,000 for a 45-minute trip into space?Neil and Lynne also discuss the mechanics of sex in space.NOTE: All-Access subscribers can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/would-you-be-a-space-tourist/?_sf_s=would+you+be+a+space+tourist Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of the first telescope. On this week’s show, we reflect on how telescopes have shifted our perspective on how small we are in size, space, and time. We also discuss how they help astronomers discover new and interesting aspects of the universe, from Earth-like planets to supernova, from black holes to the Big Bang. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.