StarTalk Podcast: Cosmic Queries – 'Oumuamua

On this episode of StarTalk Radio, Neil deGrasse Tyson, comic co-host Chuck Nice, and cosmochemist and author Natalie Starkey answer fan-submitted Cosmic Queries about ‘Oumuamua, the first detected interstellar object that passed through the solar system. 

To start, Chuck wonders why we even study space rocks if they’re all the “same.” Natalie tells us how studying space rocks helps us understand our solar system when studying Earth only tells us so much. You’ll learn why asteroids might be the leftover building blocks from planets. We ponder what might be hiding in the Oort Cloud and why ‘Oumuamua is basically an interstellar vagabond. 

You’ll find out more about ‘Oumuamua’s discovery and how it got its name. We also talk about the only other interstellar object we’ve documented (so far). What is the likelihood we will see another interstellar object? Natalie explains the difficult task of looking in the right place at the right time since interstellar objects can, literally, come from anywhere. 

How do we differentiate an interstellar comet from a comet that came from the Oort Cloud? We explore the idea of panspermia. Could life survive such a perilous journey similar to ‘Oumuamua’s? Lastly, Natalie helps us understand why ‘Oumuamua’s shape is so peculiar. All that, plus, we ask the obvious question: was it sent by aliens?

Thanks to our Patrons Christopher Sukhanenya, Dmitry Pugachevich, Eugenio Barrera, Colton Cichocki, Brad Sofka, Atle Beckmann, Alex Prieto, Dorothy Papadakos, Steven Bunevitch, and Johnathan Bynog for supporting us this week.

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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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[MisterSynonym]

Anyone else have Oumuamua in their recommended videos a lot lately? Or just me?
(Not complaining, just an observation)

[rangerfc]

This is one of the best episodes that I have watched so far on this channel, on another note all episodes are insightful and / or humorous as well so :)

[OldBuford]

its fun when Neil and Chuck riff off one another when its just them and theyre joking and having fun with fan questions or topics that have been talked about to death but when theres a guest there to talk seriously about a topic it becomes very frustrating to listen to because the conversation seems to be all over the map, i never know which mode to switch my brain to.

Oumuamua is fascinating and id love to hear a more serious discussion about it without all of the one-upmanship between Neil and Chuck trying to out funny each other, hopefully this didnt come off too negative, theyre a lot of fun together under the right circumstances

[wafflebayrescue]

I love how much these experts love their work. i suppose if they didn't have that passion, they wouldn't have reached this level of expertise.

[hazbaska]

I love listening to geologists on this podcast!! So validating to know that we are so important to discovery, especially in reference to astronomy/cosmology!

[NympoGaming]

This episode was great. It almost felt like a longer explainer video and Natalie certainly contributed to it the best she could.

[Dennis-deji]

We are so lucky this man makes that much content and 2e can learn from him for year to come... A great Man, a great personality and a great scientist!

Thank you neil!

[hobokenbb]

Dr. Starkey's explanations about studying asteroids vs earth are really great. Particularly the example thinking about the differentiation that has happened on earth vs a small asteroid that hasn't to have a better picture of composition like taking apart a layer cake, i'd never thought about it that way before.

[curtiszeitelhack]

Thanks for answering my question. Chuck Nice made a brave attempt to pronounce my last name (BTW it is ZI-Tel-Hock). Thanks too tp Natalie Starsky and Neill DeGrasse Tyson for the the great answer to my question about how often we can expect other visitors from outside our solar system (like Oumuamua). I guess I won't be waiting by the phone for the announcement of our next lightning-fast visitor. Thanks Star Talk, as always!

[RickySTT]

Amazingly, YouTube actually served ads right at your commercial breaks—instead of skipping the breaks and instead interrupting the show at random points mid-sentence, as it usually does.

[Krish-jmve]

Love the series. Dr Natalie was wonderful with her insights. 👍🏻

[jcap]

The name "Oumuamua" looks like the shape of the object.

[StephiSensei]

Three lovely mad geniuses squeezed into one frame. Who could ask for more? Terrific!

[micheladell]

I love chuck and his pop culture references <3 I got lost in the middle of the science talk and it seemed like he was lost as well it's such a relief haha

[NihilistEmier]

Neil has got a great sense of humour .
You can never get bored listening to him

[NickyDiesel]

Yo what, I was just talking about this with a coworker earlier today, this upload is eerie timing, and I like that

[JJs_playground]

Considering that Avi Loeb was on two big podcasts lately, I thought he'd be on this.

[mrsanchaz]

Chuck ! Dang it, you are hilarious. I watch these videos twice. The first time to listen to Chuck, and the next one to learn

[mathiasbrecke]

Chuck is the smartest person in that call, Neil slights and maligns him all the time

[fikretyet]

Chuck is literally a very nice fella and adds a lot to these talks, sometimes by even sacrificing himself.