>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IF I COULD PICK ONE GUEST TO GET SNOWED IN
WITH, IT WOULD BE THIS GUY.
PLEASE WELCOME THE DIRECTOR OF THE HAYDEN PLANETARIUM AT THE
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪ ♪ ♪
>> HOW ARE YOU, MAN?
IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
>> Stephen: CAN WE GET A SHOT OF THAT, JIM?
>> I LOVE WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE PLACE.
YOU'VE GOT THE MOON OVER THERE, THE PLANETS.
>> Stephen, OF COURSE,, OF COURSE.
ANYTHING FOR NEIL TYSON.
>> HAPPY PI DAY.
THAT IS TODAY!
MARCH 143.14 THERE'S MORE GOING.
>> Stephen: 9.
>> 2.
Q. 6.>> 5, 3.
I DON'T KNOW.
MY SON IS MUCH BETTER AT IT THAN I AM.
>> Stephen: KIDS ARE ALWAYS-- THEY'VE GOT THE MEMORIES.
THEY'VE GOT THE MEMORIES.
>> HE GOT 61 DECIMAL PLACES.
IN THE BIG PICTURE THAT'S NOT EVEN VERY MUCH.
HE'S 16 NOW, BUT HE HAD THAT FROM AGE 11.
>> Stephen: WOW.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: BUT IN THE BIG PICTURE OF PI, EVERYTHING IS
SMALL BECAUSE IT'S INFINITE, RIGHT?
>> IT'S INFINITE.
BUT I THINK THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH HIM, YEAH.
>> Stephen: ANOTHER ALL RIGHT.
>> HE'S GOT PI DIGITS COMING.
>> Stephen: WELL LISTEN, YOU KNOW, I HAVE SAID MANY TIMES
BEFORE THAT YOU'RE MY FAVORITE GUEST.
>> WELL THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: AND YOU HAVE CEMENTED-- YOU HAVE CEMENTED
THAT POSITION TONIGHT BY SHOWING UP IN THIS SNOWSTORM.
>> YEAH, WELL, IT'S JUST SNOW.
I MEAN -- >> Stephen: IT'S JUST SNOW.
>> THAT'S PALM IT'S JUST CRYSTALLIZED WATER.
I MEAN, SO WHAT?
>> Stephen: I KNOW HOW SNOW WORKS.
I'M NOT THE DIRECTOR OF THE HAYDEN PLANETARIUM, BUT I KNOW
HOW SNOW WORKS.
>> PEOPLE JUST FREAK OUT, LIKE, IT'S JUST SNOW.
>> Stephen: IT'S COLD!
IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE!
>> SO WHAT?
( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: WELL, OKAY, NOW, LISTEN, THIS IS OUR WEATHER
TODAY IN NEW YORK CITY.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: DO OTHER PLANETS HAVE SNOW OR IS THAT UNIQUE TO
EARTH?
>> WELL, THERE'S PLENTY OF WEATHER ON OTHER PLANETS BUT NOT
QUITE SNOW.
LIKE ON MARS, MARS HAS POLAR ICE CAPS THAT GROW AND SHRINK.
MARS HAS SEASONS, LIKE EARTH DOES.
IT ROTATES ONCE ABOUT EVERY 24 HOURS.
IT'S TILTED ON ITS AXIS.
IT GOES THROUGH NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, SUMMER AND WINTER.
AND THE CAPS-- THE POLAR WILL GROW AND THEN SHRINK, AND IT'S
MADE OF CARBON DIOXIDE.
IT WILL TRANSFER CARBON DIOXIDE FROM ONE POLE TO THE OTHER.
>> Stephen: IT'S DRY ICE.
>> IT'S SIMPLY DRY ICE.
>> Stephen: ON HALLOWEEN THAT MUST BE SO SPOONGY.
>> YOU GET THAT.
AND THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE.
THERE'S A MOON OF SATURN, CALLED SELENOUS.
>> Stephen: THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVES.
THE PHOT ROSE REALLY FANTASTIC.
>> THERE, THERE IS HEAT DOWN UNDER.
BUT IT'S NOT LIKE VOLCANIC HEAT.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE.
YOU JUST NEED ENOUGH MEET HEATTO MAKE SOMETHING EVAPORATE.
AND YOU HAVE WATER THERE, UNDER THE SURFACE --
>> Stephen: LIQUID WATER.
>> LIQUID WATER THAT BURSTS FORTH, AND YOU HAVE GEYSERS.
BUT THAT'S NOT THE FUN PART.
THE FUN PART IS THE MOMENT THE WATER HITS THE LOW-PRESSURE AIR,
ATMOSPHERE, IT FREEZE INSTANTLY.
IT'S A GEYSER HURLING ICE CHUNKS, BASICALLY.
AND NOT ONLY THAT.
IT SPIEWZ FORTH WITH ENOUGH SPEED TO ESCAPE THE MOON, AND IT
HAS MADE A RING AROUND SATURN WHICH WE CALL THE E-RING.
IT FEEDS THE RING SYSTEM OF SATURN.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
>> Stephen: THAT IS BEAUTIFUL.
THAT IS BEAUTIFUL.
>> OH, YEAH.
( LAUGHTER ) ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: THAT'S ALMOST-- YOU MADE THAT ALMOST SOUND SEX,
NEIL TYSON.
>> AND NOT TO MENTION THE BIG RED SPOT ON JUPITER, WHICH IS AN
ANTICYCLONE HAS BEEN GOING AT LEAST 300 YEARS.
THE CYCLONE ITSELF IS BIGGER THAN EARTH.
SO EARTH WEATHER IS NOTHING COMPARED TORG PLANETS.
I'M JUST SAYING.
>> Stephen: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT.
LET'S TALK ABOUT OTHER PLANETS NOT NONOUR SYSTEM.
PEOPLE, INCLUDING MIERKZ GOT VERY EXCITE BADE MONTH AGO IT
WAS ANNOUNCED THAT THERE ARE SEVEN EARTH-SIZED PLANETS AROUND
A STAR NAMED TRAPPIST ONE, ABOUT 40 LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.
>> ABOUT 40.
>> Stephen: HOW EXCITED SHOULD WE BE?
THERE ARE 70s PLANET, THREE IN THE GOLDILOCKS ZONE, NOT TOO
HOT, NOT TOO COLD, JUST RIGHT.
>> NOT CRYSTAL.
WHAT'S BEAUTIFUL IS WE'VE KNOWN ABOUT EXO PLANETS SINCE 1995,
THE FIRST ONE WAS DISCOVERED.
I'M TRYING TO START A MOVEMENT WHERE ANYONE BORN SINCE 1995, WE
SHALL DEEM GENERATION EXOPLANET BECAUSE THEY'VE ONLY KNOWN LIFE
WITH-- AT A TIME WHEN WE KNOW OF OTHER PLANETS.
SO SINCE THEN, WE NOW HAVE MORE THAN 3,000 IN THE CATALOG.
SO WHY SHOULD A FEW MORE MATTER?
THERE ARE SEVEN ORBITING ONE STAR.
IT'S THE BIGGEST STAR SYSTEM WE'VE FOUND IN THREE-- IT'S
GOLDIE LOCK S.
>> Stephen: AND NOT THAT FAR AWAY FROM US.
>> 40 LIGHT-YEARS.
YOU'RE STILL NOT GOING THERE, BUT IT'S CLOSE.
>> Stephen: THAT'S IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
>> IT'S IN THE 'HOOD, YEAH.
DEFINITELY IN THE 'NEEDHOOD.
IT'S THERE.
THERE'S A PROBLEM.
THESE PLAN RETS WORKING VERY CLOSE TO THEIR HOST STAR.
IT'S NOT A HOT STAR.
SO YOU CAN GET REALLY CLOSE.
THESE STARS ARE SO CLOSE THEY'RE TIEDALLY LOCKED.
WE HAVE TIDEALLY LOCKED OUR MOON, AND OUR MOON ONLY SHOWS
THE SAME FACE TO US.
THEY ARE TIDEALLY LOCKED BY THEIR HOST STAR.
THEY ONLY SHOW ONE FACE TO THE HOST STAR.
THAT SIDE WILL BE TOO HOLT TO LIVE IN AND THE OTHER SIDE WILL
BE TOO COLD.
IF YOU LOOK FOR LIFE IT THERE, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, IT WOULD
HAVE TO BE ALONG THE EDGE.
>> Stephen: A RING OF SHADOWS?
>> AND YOU NEED LIKE ROTISSERIE HOMES SO YOU CAN AVERAGE OUT THE
COLD AND THE HOT TO BE THE TEMPERATURE YOU NEED.
>> Stephen: SURE.
JUST GET A HOME WHERE YOU JUST SET IT AND FORGET IT.
>> IT WILL BE INTERESTING SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL TO EXPLORE
THAT-- THAT FRONTIER.
>> Stephen: ANOTHER SET ME STRAIGHT ON THIS.
IT WAS-- THIS WAS ABOUT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, IT WAS ANNOUNCED
THAT THERE WAS LIKELY AN EXOPLANET AROUND POX MUSCENAARY.
>> WE'VE ALL HEARD OF ALPHA CENTAURI.
THAT'S A STAR SYSTEM -- >> Stephen: HAVE WE ALL HEARD
OF THAT?
>> ALPHA CENTAURI.
OF COURSE, OF COURSE.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> SO YOU'VE GOT IN THAT STAR SYSTEM, THE STAR THAT IS CLOSEST
AMONG THEM TO OUR SUN IS CALLED PROXIMA.
AND THATTA HAN EARTH-LIKE PLANET ORBITING IN ITS HABITABLE ZONE,
ITS GOLDIE LOCK ZONE.
THE FASTEST SPACESHIPS WE'VE EVER MADE, IF YOU STRADDLE THEM
AND WE AIMED YOU IN THAT DIRECTION, IT WOULD STILL TAKE
YOU 70,000 YEARS TO GET THERE.
SO THE CLOSEST STAR SYSTEM IS FAR BEYOND ANYTHING OUR HUMAN
PHYSIOLOGY -- >> Stephen: I'VE HEARD ABOUT
THE IDEA OF SENDING UP LIKE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SMALL
PROBES-- >> PROJECT --
>> Stephen: LIKE THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMB WITH HUGE LIGHT SAILS
THAT GET ACCELERAT ACCELERATED W AT A THIRD OF THE SPEED OF LIGHT
AND THEY'RE THERE IN 30 YEARS.
WHY AREN'T WE DOING IT RIGHT NOW, NEIL?
>> THEY'RE WORKING ON IT RIGHT NOW.
>> Stephen: WHO?
THIS IS URI MILLENER, THE RUSSIAN BILLIONAIRE.
>> Stephen: YEAH, SURE.
>> WHO IS ONE OF THE SET OF BILLIONAIRES WHO LIKES SPACE
SPACEAND IS PUTTING THEIR MONEY WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS.
HE WANTS TO SET UP LIKE THOUSANDS OF THESE-- THEY'RE
CALLED NANOSATELLITES.
THEY'RE THUMBNAILED SIZE, ATTACHED TO A HUGE SAIL, AND YOU
LIGHT UP THESE GIGAWATT LASERS HERE ON EARTH.
AND YOU BEAM THEMUE DON'T WANT PLANES FLYING THROUGH THIS.
THAT WOULD BE BAD.
FROM THE EARTH'S SURFACE, YOU BEAM THEM UP AT THESE SATELLITES
AND YOU CAN ACCELERATE THEM BASICALLY 20% OF THE SPEED OF
LIGHT.
THEY WOULD GET THERE IN 20 YEARS.
THEY WOULD CONTAIN CAMERAS AND TELEMETRY --
>> Stephen: AND DO THEY ACT AS SOLAR COLLECTORS TO PROVIDE
POWER TO SEND BACK INFORMATION.
>> YOU ARE BEAMING WITH 20 GIGAWATTS-- THAT'S A LOT OF
POWER.
THEY'LL HAVE POWER.
THEY'LL BE FINE.
THEY'LL BE FINE PUP GET THERE CLOSE, AND IT BEAMS A SIGNAL
BACK.
THAT ONLY TAKES FOUR YEARS.
IT'S A 25-YEAR -- >> Stephen: I COULD BE ALIVE
FOR INFORMATION COME BACK FROM ANOTHER STAR SYSTEM.
>> IF YOU WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT, YES.
>> Stephen: WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE NEIL DEGRASSE
TYSON, STICK AROUND.