Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lika Guhathakurta Discuss Our Current Solar Cycle

Could a coronal mass ejection wipe out all electronics? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Matt Kirshen learn about The Carrington Event, eclipses, and how the Parker Solar Probe doesn’t melt with heliophysicist, Lika Guhathakurta.

How does energy get out of the sun? What happens below the sun’s surface? We break down the photosphere, helioseismology, and the sound of the sun. We discuss the 2024 North American solar eclipse and some of Lika’s favorite eclipses. What makes some longer than others?

We explore the category five coronal mass ejection that caused colorful auroras more south than before. What determines the color of the aurora? How much notice do we get before a CME reaches Earth? Can we predict when they happen? We break down the 1859 Carrington Event and what it would look like today. Could a CME wipe out all electronics? How big would the CME have to be?

Learn about the Parker Solar Probe and its mission to get closer to the sun than ever before. Could we touch the surface of the sun? How does the probe not melt? Discover the solar cycle and how AI is helping with solar research. Plus, could we ever control the sun?

Thanks to our Patrons Sharon Zapotocky, Suth Truong, Sarah Perry, Souren Sarkar, Margaret De Foe, Rudy Alleyne, Ralph Velasquez, Adam Anton, Jon, and Chris R. Mish for supporting us this week.

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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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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: The Sun’s Big Year
04:20 - The Inside of The Sun
7:52 - What The Sun Sounds Like
9:31 - Comparing Eclipses
16:50 - Why So Much of the World Saw Aurora?
21:58 - Measuring Coronal Mass Ejections
26:42 - Could We Have Another Carrington Event?
31:43 - The Parker Solar Probe
37:20 - Why Does the Sun Have Cycles?
41:30 - Could We Predict Solar Storms with AI?
50:54 - Collecting Data From The Sun
52:27 - When Will The Sun Die?
53:53 - Thoughts on The Sun
57:28 - A Cosmic Perspective