logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
38m 2s

Dark Comets with Darryl Seligman

NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
About this episode

Why did Oumuamua, the first discovered interstellar object, accelerate faster than it should? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice explore the mysteries of the newest objects in the solar system: “dark comets” and interstellar objects with astrophysicist Darryl Seligman. 

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: 
https://startalkmedia.com/show/dark-comets-with-darryl-seligman/

Thanks to our Patrons デーモン, Howard Chang, Kelly Houle, John Herron, Justin Hanson, Melshore Walker, Andrei L, JENNY JONES, Rebecca Fishow, Alin Simionoiu, Steve C, Johnathan Gregory, Jake Evans, Jim Shorts, Jessica Hudzik, William Komanetsky, and Thierry Querette for supporting us this week.

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Up next
Today
Things You Thought You Knew – Oatmeal Sun
Why don’t rockets fly straight up? What’s really happening when you make toast? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice break down the science of making toast, boiling water, and the Brachristochrone problem. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode comm ... Show More
30m 48s
Aug 22
Mindreading with Jean-Rémi King
What would it take to actually read someone’s mind? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore the science and ethics of decoding thoughts with Jean-Rémi King, a neuroscience researcher at Meta’s Paris lab. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this ent ... Show More
57m 4s
Aug 19
Are We Alone? with Jill Tarter
Are we alone in the universe? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Matt Kirshen sit down with one of the founders of the SETI Institute, Jill Tarter, to explore the search for intelligent life beyond Earth, technosignatures, The Drake Equation, and more.NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons c ... Show More
53m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Saying Farewell to the Spacecraft That Mapped the Milky Way
The Gaia spacecraft stopped collecting data this January after about 11 years and more than three trillion observations. Senior space and physics editor Lee Billings joins host Rachel Feltman to review Gaia’s Milky Way–mapping mission and the tidal streams, black holes and astero ... Show More
17m 20s
Oct 2024
Ask A Spaceman Ep. 234: How Could We Turn the Sun Into a Telescope?
How do gravitational lenses work? Where would a spacecraft need to be to use the Sun’s gravity as a telescope? What could we learn about exoplanets with this on weird trick? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman!   This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. G ... Show More
35m 39s
Jul 21
Time Travel to Tide Pool 101 from Our July 1925 Issue
Time travel to an introduction to tide pools, the start of commercial air travel and an intercontinental aviation museum dispute. Host Rachel Feltman is taking a look at a 1925 issue of Scientific American for this archival episode. If you don’t find the past to be a blast, don’t ... Show More
8m 57s
Feb 2025
Exploring the Hidden Life in the Air around Us with Carl Zimmer
Scientists now agree that COVID spreads via airborne transmission. But during the early days of the disease, public health officials suggested that it mainly did so via close contact. The subsequent back-and-forth over how COVID spread brought science journalist Carl Zimmer into ... Show More
16m 47s
Jan 2019
AaS! 96: Hey, who took all the antimatter?
Why are matter and antimatter symmetric? What happened in the early universe to make matter win? Do we have any clue as to why? What do puppies have to do with it? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! Support the show: http://www.patreon.com/pmsutter All ... Show More
23m 5s
Jul 28
Summer Meteor Showers, Short Summer Days and Ancient Arthropods
If last Tuesday seemed to fly by, you can blame the rotation of Earth. Try to look up this week to see the Southern Delta Aquariids and the Alpha Capricornids meteor showers. Plus, we discuss FEMA cuts and ancient arthropods. Recommended reading: Texas Failed to Spend Millions in ... Show More
8m 49s
Sep 2024
AaS! 231: What Made the Local Bubble?
Where do we live within the galaxy? What shapes the local bubble? How long will we be inside it? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/spaceman and get on your way to bein ... Show More
30m 43s
Apr 2025
"RE-RELEASE: Neil deGrasse Tyson"
The guys are surprised by renowned astrophysicist, planetary scientist and author, Neil deGrasse Tyson. Neil teaches the guys about the wonders of the universe, the concept of infinity, the power of mind-blowing inspiration, and even his own potential parallel universe. Gravity a ... Show More
46m 22s
Dec 2024
Health, Astronomy, And Climate Experts On 2024’s Coolest Science
It’s been an exciting and hectic year in science discovery and innovation. We’ve reported on stories from across many fields of science—from city climate plans and panda conservation to AI energy consumption and the spread of bird flu.Earlier this month, Ira sat down in front of ... Show More
48m 47s
Aug 11
Cosmic Discoveries Soar as Earthly Health Decisions Stir Alarm
Rogue planets drifting through space might be forming their own planetary systems. NASA’s Europa Clipper mission has completed a key radar test ahead of its journey to study Jupiter’s icy moon. Plus, a major shift in U.S. health research funding occurs as Secretary of Health and ... Show More
9m 20s