>> 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.
