StarTalk Trips Through Time and Space with Christopher Nolan
On this week’s StarTalk, the leap is from the final frontier to the outer limits of man’s perception. StarTalk host Neil deGrasse Tyson and guests take a look at the depths of space and time via a conversation with Interstellar director Christopher Nolan.
Tyson’s guests this week included comedian Eugene Millman and cosmologist Janna Levin.
The episode tracks closely with the format of last week’s premiere. Dr. Tyson’s got a lot to say, but the guests eventually manage to get their moments in. Here are some highlights from this week’s episode:
Math is not Christopher Nolan’s bag: Asked why he has played with time and space in his movies, Nolan explains that the original Cosmos TV show spurred an interest in science and curiosity about the universe. Math, however, got in the way of Nolan’s scientific pursuits, a sentiment I can completely relate to. Back at the hall in the Hayden Planetarium, Tyson adds, “One doesn’t need to be mathematically fluent to bask in the majesty of the cosmos.”
Dr. Levin explains that what makes math great is that you get to “follow the chalk” because one idea on a chalkboard follows another.
Man, if someone had put it to me that way when I was a kid, I might not have turned out to be a mathematical nitwit.
Science to the stars: The discussion turned to the idea that science could take us to other planets. Millman asks if we can go to Jupiter. Tyson puts that idea on ice, saying it would be great except for the “radiation fields that would cook your gonads.” Yep, count me out of that Jupiter mission.
Next up with Nolan is a discussion of why his films so frequently mess with space and time. He explains that the concept of a beginning, middle and an end isn’t necessarily true to how we tell stories or even how they happen. Being able to use science to change how stories are told is something that appeals to the director.
Black holes will screw up your iTunes: Due to its gravitational pull, time slows so much near a black hole that if you manage not to get sucked in and go back home, Levin says everyone you knew would be much older than when you left. Millman points out that in that case “all of your favorite bands are gone.” Sorry One Direction fans, but I’m sure Stephen Hawking can help you fix this.
Time travel might not be the death of you: The discussion of time leads to a lengthy discussion of whether someone could go back in time and interrupt his or her own birth. Levin says Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity could make this possible though unspecified forces might prevent you from killing your parents and ending your own existence. This is all sounding pretty familiar when Mirman breaks up the Tyson-Levin geek out, saying, “We can pretend that you’re not, but you’ve just described Back to the Future.” Millman, FTW.
Hollywood has a wormhole advisor: Back to the interview, Tyson asks Nolan about a fellow scientist who advised on and helped refine the plot of Interstellar. Tyson quips, “He’s a wormhole guy. He’s mister wormhole. He put the wormhole in Contact.
Wormholes aren’t nearly as neat as warp drives: Wormholes aren’t holes, explains Levin, but spheres that can be entered from any direction. Whoa. It apparently takes forms of matter and energy we don’t yet have access to create and open a wormhole. It takes lots of that stuff, she adds. Warp drives, however, are more efficient and, Levin says, would make crossing space and time to get to other planets much simpler.
Black holes suck, but not as bad as you think: Levin explains that while black holes do slow down time due to their immense gravitational pull, they wouldn’t eat everything. Even replacing the sun with a black hole (Soundgarden anyone?) would just create a cold, unpleasant world, not a vacuum of destruction. Levin adds that this just a “false reputation.” Tyson jokingly refers to Levin as the “PR agent for black holes”. Levin follows up by adding that all stars have strong gravitational fields, even our favorite. “The sun is sucking us up, just incredibly slowly,” she says. The good news, Tyson says is that we’re much more likely to make ourselves extinct before getting sucked up by the sun.
Love the one you’re with: Bill Nye’s video segment this week points out the flaw with all science fiction that focuses on travel to other planets, such as Interstellar, which looks at efforts to find a new home for humanity. Waiting on a solitary NYC subway platform, he reminds us that other planets aren’t going to be a better earth than the one we’ve got. If we were ever so technically advanced, he suggests we might be better off just making a better earth, something we might want to work on now. Oh, and it hasn’t rained on Mars on 3 billion years.
All in all, this was a good episode. Clearly the transition from radio is still being made. Tyson’s less antsy coming out of the commercial breaks, but they still might need a seatbelt to keep him on that stool. Still, it’s an entertaining and enlightening hour.
