StarTalk Podcast: Rocks In Space with Neil deGrasse Tyson

[@blues__N__greys]

I never have missed Chuck more than I do now...this guy.......

[@480pilot]

Natalie, Thanks for answering several of the questions I've had!!

[@praniljadhav357]

Burnt water? Gordan Ramsay: THIS WATER IS BURNT!!!

[@JustinMurray170fin]

"Who da fook is that guy?"

[@MrWeareone777]

Conor McGregor 😂😂😂

[@Solidfreeman01]

Hopefully an exception. Out of desperation.

[@daddydeepdink907]

Mark is so hilarious in interviews! He totally makes things so awkward lol

[@gandhikhan5407]

He's about as funny as chronic arthritis

[@LogicAndReason2025]

Diamonds are actually way overpriced for their actual rarity. The high price comes from diamond mine monopolies that horde supply to keep the price artificially high.

[@narwhal_dust5458]

That’s literally how they explained it

[@231TheNeon]

Narwhal_ Dust 😂😂😂

[@slayerx3197]

Wonder how many jokes Mark Normand had in his head but had to bite his tongue for to keep it PG lol

[@christopherjohnson8044]

That jerk reading the questions shouldn't say that the question is dumb. Bad form, I have heard Dr Tyson say there are no wrong questions and I agree. Natalie is awesome.

[@Schrogs]

Your social skills are not very good are they.

[@andybird3956]

He's not Chuck Nice and also he mentioned putting a rudder on a spaceship

[@EmpyreanLightASMR]

There's a rudder on the "spaceship" in Treasure Planet tho

[@ActionJackson669]

@@EmpyreanLightASMR Yeah in a cartoon, not where you should get your science or theories from. There is no air or resistance or anything for the rudder to do anything with

[@KushClarkKent]

It was a joke...man you guys are brutal

[@jmhuh2259]

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️PLEASE DO NOT HAVE THAT GUY ON THE SHOW..IS HE SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY¿? I Really Could Have Done Without His Commentary Lol💀...

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

He is funny. Check out his comedy special. Neil messed up by hiring him and then making it clear that he disliked him and wouldn’t let him say the things he wanted to say.

[@moeclash238]

He is a funny comedian but I don’t think this is his field, if he had deep knowledge on this subject he would Make jokes based on the topic at hand.

[@steverino6954]

I'm not liking this Mark Normand guy. He just doesn't seem like a good fit for this show to me.

[@terrysullivan1992]

I agree.

[@hondo190]

@Bryan Slankster I think you mean Chuck Nice

[@4of20]

i doesnt seem a good fit for comedy to be honest

[@steverino6954]

@@4of20 ..Chuck Nice and Eugene Merman are a good fit. (Especially Chuck, as he does his research, and actually knows a good deal about the subject matter.)

[@tanepukenga1421]

@@steverino6954 And both Chuck and Eugene think about how to word it so people can understand. That's one of their best features, when Neil or a guest uses terminology most wouldn't know, they remind them to explain it

[@racebiketuner]

I like it when Neil gives the guest a chance to speak.

[@andjusticeforall3u.s564]

Neil's face when Mark says he's on x made me laugh so frickin hard!!!

[@missbee1427]

Missed chuck here! The followup questions he asks because he is genuinely interested in learning about this stuff helps me in grasping the ideas too

[@mopnem]

Mark isn't that bad but his style not the best for the show. Loved when he called a patron's question idiotic to learn that it was a very valid question. Always great to stump people acting cocky.

[@greenbanana311]

He's cancer.

[@Kligan]

Natalie is such a smart and beautiful woman!

[@ealemann8466]

Yeah....great smarts, intellect, eloquence, great hair and very lovely...

[@sergiuq2good4u]

Neil is bringing more joy into this than the "comedian". Thanks for sharing this with us, Startalk! I feel nice to learn so much from you guys..

[@Kingofgrowers]

We are indeed very fortunate ! One People , One Planet , One Cosmos ... RIP Carl Sagan , Student of the Cosmos.

[@TheCloud175]

Idk what everyone is so upset about lol Mark did fine. It was his first time so he’s not as seasoned as someone like Chuck who has done these a thousand times, but he handled it well and was funny.

[@johnmastroligulano7401]

Holy shix this kid where did you find him, send him back.

[@DanielFerreira-qk8bh]

Crowd chants?

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

Ok, racist

[@khushboosurana7842]

XDDDDDDDDDD

[@JoeyGrafta]

@@DanielFerreira-qk8bh Q

[@JoeyGrafta]

@@DanielFerreira-qk8bh Soj they

[@koraihoshiumi3137]

You guys all missing Mark sayin "Nickel please" to Neil. And "size queen" to Natalie. Hilarious

[@fazerlazer8020]

they did no research on mark lol. i laughed just hearing that he was the guest comedian. great comedian, family friendly science podcaster.... not even close

[@gandhikhan5407]

That little dickhead is a comedian? ...wow....hope he's got a 2nd job and back up plan...

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

Gandhi khan well, Jerry Seinfeld stated publicly that Marc Normand is the best up and coming comedian and his new acclaimed comedy special got over 1 million views in a week. I think Jerry amd his over 1 million audience outweigh your pompous, pseudo-intelectual, humourless, half a peanut-brained opinion on what’s funny.

[@spaceman5089]

I don’t why some people hate on Chuck but he’s my favorite.

[@jeffs6090]

I have a cosmic query. What happened to the next season of Cosmos?!? It was to air in the spring after the investigation of Tyson by the networks of Fox and Nat Geo. Star Talk came back to air its episodes when he was cleared but Cosmos never did, and no where are there any articles stating why. The episodes are done, they just need to air.

[@greenbanana311]

It's because we're still under the crushing tyranny of a 3rd-wave feminist junta.

[@twstf8905]

It's coming back the trailer just dropped literally the other day. And, there was a little featurette thing, too. With Seth MacFarlane and Neil deGrasse Tyson interviews that just dropped, as well. Do a Google or KZbin search, you'll find it.

[@jeffs6090]

@@twstf8905 - all I am seeing is stuff from last year and earlier this past spring. Do you have a link you can post showing current the info?

[@heathcliff8624]

41:40 Neil starts thinking about retirement.

[@TeamBoxCutta]

for the first time, Neil is out talked.... lol... awesome Guest!

[@dawnofdott]

This is the best comedy and science crossover ever Mark is the funniest guy in our universe

[@brent4138]

Mark Normand and NDT!? Ultimate mash-up

[@Mash4096]

I think Mark Normand is a great comedian. He doesn't have the wacky teacher vibe, like Chuck does. So maybe not for the standard StarTalk audience. But I would love to see him on one of the StarTalk live shows, together with Eugene Mirman!

[@michaelfarrell4824]

One of the best ones yet... NDT actually let this guest finish one or two sentences

[@JLHunter61]

The way that it is written, I cannot tell if that is a typing error (but what does it mean ?!), an affectionate bit of snark, a real issue coupled with a complaint, or a proposal.

[@nabilhassan8155]

Wow! Got to learn so many things today and so many misconceptions cleared. Loved you, Natalie, Mark you really need to work on your comedian skills.

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

Not really. He is a killer. Comedy isn’t for you.

[@joseimpact]

He is a professional comedian. It was his first time on. Cut him some slack

[@zapfanzapfan]

Natalie is awesome, the "comedian" not so much...

[@leecm]

I haven't watched this video but Mark Normand is very funny. Listen to his podcast with Joe List, Tuesdays with Stories, and you'll see. I'm actually really surprised to see him on Startalk and almost don't want to watch it. It doesn't seem like it would be a good medium for his brand of humor.

[@xXnucronXx]

He seems ok for me. He does not interrupt Niel or Natalie so they could say what they have to say. That's my take on this. Thanks!

[@hectorc7]

He doesn't interrupt like Chuck, I like him

[@hondo190]

Yepp. I like Chuck Nice much better.

[@Mode-Selektor]

@@leecm Yeah he's pretty funny and actually has some stuff that requires a bit of wit to catch. I think from a knowledge base he was just kind of out of his element for this. Also, I don't know that he was uninterested as others were saying- his delivery on stage is almost exactly like what he's doing here.

[@JB-vb6dh]

44:42 I like how they get philosophical at the end! Great science guest - Natalie Starkey. I agree with everyone else - we need more Chuck Nice.

[@David_F97]

Not a fan of this comedian. He seems to be putting on a fake personality.

[@TheAmethyz]

its matter of observers opinion

[@mulletmann6558]

pretty sure that is his personality....lmao

[@David_F97]

mullet mann - It’s a fake personality that he’s using to be funny, and it doesn’t work. He gives off bad vibes.

[@mulletmann6558]

@@David_F97 it's his show personality. hes always like that from what I've seen. But yeah privately who knows

[@mulletmann6558]

@@David_F97 and I do agree its cringy...lmao but then again look at most of what these kids are doing these days...

[@christopherwright6208]

I've seen green,red and purple meteor coming down. Really cool sight

[@jollojakar8995]

Love this new comic. Doesnt care about being PC.

[@markonikof]

Don't like the spirit of this Marc Normand dude. Bleh

[@pvt.prinny759]

Yeah i bet Neil regret bringing him on, that kind of negative vibe he brought with his ”jokes” doesn’t belong in this show

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

Marc is a great comedian. Neil is not a great scientist.

[@xdoseonex]

@@LeekowalskiWalker One of the worlds leading astrophysicists hurt your feeling so bad that you felt the need to white knight for the bad comedian on every comment . There are way easier ways to tell people you're scientifically illiterate but I guess the downvote/upvote ratio on every video you upload just has you mad.

[@mhk5272]

​@@xdoseonex"science communicatot" . He is not doing any break through research

[@ericwood3709]

What better guest to have on StarTalk than Starkey Stardust? Wonderful episode.

[@xshubhamdey5781]

Missed Chuck in this...

[@sent4dc]

Wow, that lady is fascinating. It would be so fun to hang out with her and delve more into her comet knowledge.

[@Smiley-Coyote]

sent4dc delve into her comet knowledge.. is that a euphemism sir? If so, i salute you. 😅

[@MrWeareone777]

James Lee 😂😂😂

[@ROGUEX96]

She is brilliant and quit lovely too. I never put much thought into asteroids... I have been educated today. Thank you Dr. Starkey! Respect!

[@ruellerz]

One of the best guest speakers thus far! Keep coming back Doc!

[@elladreames6958]

Bring Mark on more!!!

[@IH8YH]

no more of this uninterested "comedian" please...... "i wish i cared....." what are you doing there then?!

[@rezkel7404]

@NovaComputing The political jokes were kind of bad, but alright the molly thing was just weird. But when Neil and Nat are talking about all this interesting stuff and his only response is "i wish i cared" i actually yelled outl oud "THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU THERE!!!" it's clear he is just using this to promote his show and get a paycheck. Heck even his own question made it clear he wasn't paying attention at all to the hosts.

[@gdubb6905]

There for the paycheck. Doubt he gets a second......

[@juliandavidhoffer2022]

Chuck is one of the few who does care about it. But Neil wants comedians there.

[@juliandavidhoffer2022]

ThinIceGroup yeah, but my point is he is interested in the topics and most of the comedians aren’t. I just wasn’t concise with my thought at the time.

[@MrWeareone777]

NovaComputing That's actually a great idea. This guy made me cringe.

[@namrepusprime6793]

28:43 I dont know anything and Im on Molly right now 😂 That guy was a jerk.

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

You laughed = the joke worked

[@scumbum80]

Star Talk Is Life!!

[@adlerfg]

It was great having Natalie on the show. Thank you!

[@LilEminemer]

"watch comedian get owned by 2 Astrophysists"

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

I’d like to watch a video like that. Do you have a link to one?

[@carlmccartney1025]

Just watch steve hofstetter, hes got what you're looking for

[@zachsutton8687]

You should have Norm MacDonald on your show. Super smart and super funny.

[@jackmcdaniel1548]

Rudder for steering in space? Why is this guy on the show?

[@chrismofer]

Just Neil and his guest or Neil and a STEM involved co-host would be better options than Neil and a comic who has to try and inject humor. They just need to find a person that's scientifically literate AND witty.

[@ItZWaffleS420]

Bring back Eugene Mirman!

[@mikestevens8012]

On a boat ,no rudder no hope , he's kinda right , it's a first order problem

[@mikestevens8012]

The medium is sparce , but snot empty , solar sails are a thing ,Google it , some day after school . Gold foil is used alot , to block the energy s : and once you have motion you need to be able to aim " steerage it's called" , to replace rudders nasa uses tiny rockets , in spurts ; if a craft cannot attain steerage it is ripe for salvage .

[@jackmcdaniel1548]

@@mikestevens8012 All of what you say is common knowledge. But none of it connects with my comment about rudder steering in vacuum.

[@gammalight1312]

She's wonderful!

[@maartendas1358]

Shoutout to Jan Oort! Also love Natalie's answers, really insightful and entertaining at the same time.

[@gguttr]

I loved Marc Norman

[@andrewpayette621]

The comedian admitted to being high on ecstasy @ 28:38. It explains why he was acting the way he was.

[@nathanvalley7995]

Did this guy just call her a size queen?.... dear god

[@askarkalykov]

"I wish i cared" 🤣 now we have a movie about that 🤣

[@azathothwakesup]

So Confused to see Mark Norman here, Definitely one of the funniest, yet most bizarre comedians out there

[@n4n1damn]

First and last time on the show for this "comedian" I hope.

[@camrsr5463]

LMAO! No mic stand for you!

[@toyfreaks]

A couple years ago, I saw a brilliant green meteor above me, coming relatively straight down. It was so bright I thought it was an out-of-season firework. It terminated in a bright flash like an exploding electrical transformer! Unfortunately, I was driving and could not hear if it made any sound.

[@greenhelix6117]

nice episode thank you. I love you Neil

[@timcarder2170]

the hollowed out asteroid was a tool/plot device in a Star Trek episode (and in a few other sci-fi stories) if i remember correctly.

[@lasma.a]

Where is Chuck? :/ But thank you for all the knowledge :)

[@tomchomiak8048]

41:40 Neil finally gets a migraine from the "comedian" on molly.

[@Jay-om8gr]

😂😂😂😂

[@Killspec]

This dude just say he’s on molly?

[@chemicalreagent120]

Ye wtf right?

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

He’s a comedian. It was a joke. You have low iq.

[@Killspec]

Lee kowalski Walker Me big brain.

[@xandypunk7350]

Nice tô hear your voice again Neil, i feel like you'r kind of a hero tô me

[@StraightShooter01]

Dumb question but the topic of detecting objects approaching earth - do we have the capability of watching the ENTIRE sky with some sort of radar to give us enough warning to do something about an impending cataclysmic collision? If so - do we have statistics like what we CAN detect vs what is too small or what is moving too fast? The conversation about asteroids colliding with the moon and our planet is bone chilling to think about and I am concerned if we are doing enough if anything about the possibility detecting and potentially thwarting life-ending impact.

[@planetpeterson2824]

I did a video on comets and asteroids on my channel recently... I’ll probably learn something here that I’ll wish I had included. Damn

[@AndyKnudsen]

1st question is from an original Star Trek series episode.

[@leroyhunter8666]

Neil was sooooo polite to Mr. Space-rudder.

[@frankiecuellar]

I live in Kissimmee FL I seen 2 green ones. Ones in 2017, an then 2019 I feel very lucky to see those man I couldnt believe it wen seen it! 👍🙂🙏🌙

[@captnodge]

Same here I've seen two .both in the same area a couple of years apart .green fireballs .absolutely stunning

[@sns8420]

surprised Neil didn't understand the intent of the first question: "The interstellar object ‘Oumuamua could be a “light-sail” created by an alien civilization. That is the highly speculative conclusion of Shmuel Bialy and Avi Loeb of Harvard University, who say that the unexplained trajectory of the object as it travelled through the solar system could be the result of it being accelerated by sunlight."

[@gambart2002]

She uses so many words, my head is spinning. Neil's explanation is simple, succinct and to the point.

[@gandhikhan5407]

In England we use our words....but i understand in US it's better to keep things simple...maybe add a few pics too lol

[@alexandergalliano1460]

what did you do to chuck nice???

[@joseimpact]

Mark is awesome

[@wilhelmbloodworth1057]

One of my most favorite astronomers and scientists 😎 keep up the good work Neil.

[@ActionJackson669]

7:15 lol @ them naming an asteroid Rosetta likely because it's a large stone lololol And I will now be accepting my trophy for joke of the year, thank you thank you just one autograph at a time please

[@fernandopena1274]

One human to another: you're the best of us. Thank you for being such an intelligent and inspiring individual.

[@mrg2920]

Space & time 🧡

[@ImmortalBurdensOfficialSite]

I have been sky watching for almost 3 years every day. And there is alot of things that I know that is up there. Asteroids and comets are our least worries.

[@Vatsyayana87]

lol sky watching doesnt give you the slightest knowlege to declare that... first of all unless it has a tail you will not and have not seen a single one even if it flew right through your vision. An asteroid is literally one of the biggest threats that have ever existed to mankind, it is one of the very few (but imminent) realities that will one day kill every large animal on this planet, again, including all of us... that is an astronomical guarantee. Oh wait are you sitting here suggesting aliens!? Because i guarantee you havent seen any of those either, if you think so then your just not smart enough to know what your looking at, just because its a UFO to you doesnt make it aliens..

[@DanielFerreira-qk8bh]

What should we be worrying about besides inflation and killer asteroids

[@Vatsyayana87]

@@DanielFerreira-qk8bh well inflation is just part of the entirely made up thing we call currency and hopefully we will eventually get away from it (though i doubt it for the foreseeable future) and hes just being silly, cause asteroids are one of the biggest threats ever! But to answer you (for him :), super volcanoes would have the same macro organism extinction level results, and like asteroids are absolutely inevitable. Im guessing hes talking about aliens... Even though our star cant even be seen from more then like 30 of our closest stars (dont remember the actual number but Vsauce will tell you) so its astronomical to think another intelligent species is close enough to even know we exist at all.

[@DanielFerreira-qk8bh]

@@Vatsyayana87 there's no volcanos in the sky and humans can release pressure from such babies before they shit their pants but that's beside the point what i believe he is referring to is interstellar objects that blind side us or objects orbiting the sun that we can't see

[@Vatsyayana87]

@@DanielFerreira-qk8bh right about we are talking about from the sky, so I'm not sure what else there is other then asteroids, but on the side, we absolutely cannot release pressure from those volcanos to any effect, it hasn't even been attempted and I'm certain its a pipe dream that they even think they have a chance to make the slightest difference, Yellowstone alone is what 20 miles wide? Double check that guess if you care to. Ive heard them say they want to pump water into it which is the dumbest thing I've ever heard, water touching underground magma is one of the main causes of major eruptions to go over the hill and release it all. The reason all of major human power, nuclear, coal and oil still uses water to steam, because its insanely powerful when changing to steam.

[@FabricatorFactory]

Cool. Great show. Enjoyed Good job.

[@LightMusicK]

Loved this episode for Natalie

[@thelight6496]

nice!!

[@harrislam]

it's only when Chuck is away that you finally realize the show simply can't go without Chuck. This comedian might not be horrible, he's just obviously not natural with the program and Neil and the guest, and it shows completely. Maybe he could blend himself better into the show with time, but I'd rather have Chuck back. I think most people do.

[@nilborne1]

Normand was boring, seemed like he wished he was somewhere else.

[@GlassDeviant]

If I were him, I'd wish I was someONE else.

[@andrewpayette621]

28:38 he admits he was high

[@StrobeFireStudios]

@@andrewpayette621 What even is Moly

[@dalebewan]

@@StrobeFireStudios "Molly" is one of the many street names for 3,4-methylenedioxymethylamphetamine, perhaps better known by older generations (such as myself) as "ecstasy" or simply MDMA. This guy was however either lying/joking to seem funny (and failing) or having an atypical experience, since his actions were nothing like what you'd expect for someone on MDMA.

[@Galactis1]

Dude was on was on X the whole time. Sad.

[@laithzubaidi2143]

Can Neil deGrasse Tyson debate Eric Dubay? That'd be great. Wouldnt hurt if it happened! would it?

[@4of20]

No Chuck Nice??? hard pass

[@theduder2617]

Potentially miss out on information all because Chuck needed a day off? Your call. I just wouldn't say it's a good call. Shouldn't pass up any chance at information.

[@Hafflwolf]

The hollow asteroid as a space ship is based on the Star Trek OS episode, "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky." Great 3rd season episode actually. In the episode, the crew of the Enterprise rush to stop an asteroid from colliding with a Federation world, but discover the asteroid is actually an inhabited ship.

[@darwinlaluna3677]

Need to get my stuff ready

[@donjaeger2149]

The poster behind her is for NAS Lemoore. That's where I live! I thought she looked familiar ; )

[@tristramshorter]

This was such an interesting episode! Natalie Starkey is amazing! I really envy her students. Having a teacher like that really is a mind blowing way to incentivate science. That comedian was a dud, however. What happened to Chuck Nice?

[@JohnFleshman]

I count myself lucky to have seen a persistent green trail from a meteor. It lasted close to half a minute. Great episode.

[@tanepukenga1421]

Oumuamua, Great Traveller.

[@ifuckingh8you195]

‘Nickel Please’ PAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

[@1981messiking]

I'm here revisiting this episode after watching the movie Don't Look Up. Always interested to hear expert opinions on the matter. Keep looking up as Dr. Tyson would say.

[@GlassDeviant]

So what if the asteroid from outside our star system actually IS a scout from an alien civilization, disguised as an asteroid, gathering reconnaissance on us?

[@michaelkrenciprock6145]

Looks like comedian is just extremely nervous around Neil, as I would be as well while attempting to 'work'.

[@rezkel7404]

been nervous before, can't recall ever yelling out that im on illegal drugs, or that i didn't care about what a person was talking about, do to it though.

[@michaelkrenciprock6145]

@@rezkel7404 at first I thought it was Shia LaBeouf ... and perhaps your examination is correct but that only allows negative connotations. I do a similar exercise to what Neil expresses ... "adults should keep their childish curiosity" ... We are taught as children, usually, that we should NOT judge a book by its cover ( first impression ). - BUT - As adults we do the opposite, usually, in that "Perception is Reality" ( make judgements on immediate data ). I believe another bad misconception is the phrase, "Respect is Earned" ( which implies you had no respect for the person until they have performed X amount of qualifiers ) I live by giving everyone respect FIRST and it is their responsibility to KEEP that respect or lose it through their verbal/physical actions.

[@rezkel7404]

I tend to just take people for how they present themselves. Saying that Russia deserves meteorite strikes because they are bad people, calling a person who asked a question an idiot on a show watched by children., talking about taking molly on a learning channel that kids will be a part of. and simply saying after two people explain to you various scientific facts that you don't care. seems rather disrespectful to me.

[@michaelkrenciprock6145]

@@rezkel7404 Perhaps, but us debating those items you pointed out is pointless unless he ( the comedian ) tunes in to check our comments. Take care, my friend.

[@LeekowalskiWalker]

He’s always like that.

[@DanielVideoAnvil]

The part of this StarTalk podcast where the question was, could we hollow out an asteroid or mine them, the general consensus was no. That got me thinking, could we possibly attach a spacecraft to a metal asteroid, by welding it or somehow attaching a spacecraft to the surface? Giving us a free ride out into the universe. Mind you that would be a one-way trip. Communication back with earth becomes the problem. At this point in time at least, there is no real purpose for attempting this. I'll leave this idea here as an interesting science fiction future.

[@Comrade.Question]

What would you use the asteroid for on the journey?

[@JuanTabares]

Great episode about an interesting topic, I wished there was more time about the subject of asteroids and comets. Natalie totally rocks with the answers to the questions. The only downside was the comedian, he actually made me cringe a lot. I can see NDT was regretting bringing him over the show.

[@briseboy]

In an amazingly fortuitous time, I was in high country (well only 5 to 9000 feet) for the month of March 96. Saw a star out of place. (you have to actually go outside when & where it gets dark for your mind to automatically memorize the stars, and the traveling planets that the Greeks and Arabic peoples noticed in clean dry air before light pollution. Then your mind, like that of birds & many mammals will alert and pay attention, seeing anomalies without searching). Over time, it grew, (it was late night entertainment, beating anything humans have ever put together, magical) and took nearly 1/3 of the mountain skies , and then faded as it passed approached the twilight and passed toward the sun. Returning I asked, finding that it was unnamed, having not dropped by our neighborhood for something like 10,000 years. It was far brighter than Kohoutek or Halley's or any other comets I'd seen We had watched Halley's near the just-set sun for a while, kids skating a high country lake in 1986. It was romantic for kids skating, but the unnamed comet was the most romantic and magnificently strange thing I'd ever seen in the night sky - except the old familiar desert moon brightening the sky before it rose in a wild far-away place. THAT beautiful rock is available to all of us most of the time, and before light pollution everything and everyone who ever lived, could live half the month in bright light able to do just about anything you can do in the day. Have seen fierce big green meteors ripping the evening and night, and sunset sky. The Chelyabinsk meteor: LOADS of Russian Dashcams caught it - there, they have used dashcams for insurance purposes for a long time, for insurance and traffic law purposes) You can find a bunch on youtube. It looks pretty apocalyptic. But amino acids - maybe 600 (due to the variable being a transition metal able to bond, a few of which, like sulfur, are among the handy 22 or so (i'm not studying Biochem) that are proteinergic - combine into useful proteins. Most possibilities would use toxic elements. and temps too high along with other constraints prevent their utility for life. Some of the elements are rare, some toxic. Since our DNA is ALL related to everyone else's, including all bacteria, we here on earth are ALL relatives, now for almost all 4 billion years , and relatively shortly after earth's capacity to be cool enough to allow amino acids, unlikely that they actually carried "life" from elsewhere. They're made up of almost entirely CHO, and N, all the most common elements that can form bonds. So we have really good odds to bet that we are natives here, as the window for "alien" aminos is small in time. Even if they formed before earth, they were moast likely formed locally, in the time of accretion and cooling. Amino acids, then, are NOT life, but because of electrophysical dynamics, just happen to be able to form the right strengths of bondage to humiliate those who want to pretend to be exotic.

[@YoungLakesMischa]

Who else's favorite moment was when Dr. Starkey described ending "in a fiery death".

[@jakerodney8539]

i saw a green comet once! absolutely beautiful!