Neil and Charles Discuss Their Dream Time Travel Destinations

Are black holes places or objects? Neil deGrasse Tyson and cohosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly answer grab-bag questions about distorting spacetime, Olbers’ Paradox, singularities, the shape of the universe, and more with astrophysicist Charles Liu.
Could you create a cloak of black holes to make time cease for you? Learn about configurations of black holes, time dilation, and Einstein’s relativity. Would it take you until the end of time to reach the singularity of a black hole? What would you see if you fell into a black hole? Are we all just prisoners of the present? Plus, Neil divulges how you can hear his voice at a Beyoncé concert.
Can you transfer information using quantum entanglement? We break down how subspace gets used in Star Trek, what it means for gravity to distort spacetime, and how gravity can be used to deflect asteroids. Discover Olbers’ Paradox: why isn’t the entire night sky bright with starlight?
If Neil and Charles could time travel, where would they go? Could The Big Bang be a white hole? We talk about creating a Dyson swarm, using aerogel to insulate a journey into inner Earth, and the shape of the universe. Is the universe really flat?
Thanks to our Patrons Logan Kent, James in 3d, Renee Skrip, Maarten Spruijt, Alan Domonoske, Liam Predergast, sparkman, Cecil J Taylor, abhinav yadav, and Markus Gustafsson for supporting us this week.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.
Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus
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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!
#StarTalk #neildegrassetyson
00:00 - Introduction: Grab Bag
1:46 - Making a Cloak of Black Holes
6:44 - Are Black Holes Just Concentrated Gravity?
9:05 - Falling Towards an Black Hole’s Singularity?
12:27 - Neil’s Beyoncé Cameo
14:24 - Second Channel Announcement: StarTalk Plus
15:08 - Subspace & Transferring Information with Quantum Entanglement
18:53 - Distorting Spacetime with Gravity
22:59 - Olbers’ Paradox: Why is the Sky Dark at Night?
27:12 - StarTalk Patreon
29:42 - Where Would We Time Travel?
30:30 - Physics in Discworld Books
31:34 - Big Bang = White Hole?
32:52 - Can We Create a Dyson Swarm
34:05 - Uses of Aerogel
36:29 - The Universe is Flat
38:06 - Closing: Black Holes Don’t Suck

[@StarTalk]

Who's excited that the band's back together again?

[@lbthingsstuffmore9513]

Meeeeee!❤😊😅

[@lbthingsstuffmore9513]

Btw, Tom Paris went warp 10+ and came back jacked up!😂❤

[@konigtonig]

Such a great comibnation of persons, each and every one. Love to watch and educate me through this medium.

[@LightDiodeNeal]

Best channel I've found, condensed physics fun, what's not to love! 🙂 Especially loving the grab-bag ones. But if time stops for objects falling into a black-hole, how do they merge? I'll ask one day when I've joined! 😀

[@justfasial01]

This episode was shorter than usual 😞 But I'm loving that you guys are doing episodes back in the office again 👍

[@coder001]

Charles Liu in person is always a must watch

[@UnderstandingCode]

singing panama!

[@gregnoll9887]

I mean, all contribute

[@rayagoldendropofsun397]

If you're looking for Entertainment that's cool, but where's his science Facts ?😂

[@DrinkerOfWindex]

True

[@Leftyotism]

Not gonna lie, Charles Liu is my most favorite guest!

[@kenshinpsn3234]

me 2!

[@gregnoll9887]

Chuck is my favorite

[@sharayalynice]

same !!😂❤

[@CarletonTorpin]

I click instantly whenever it's a longform video AND Charles Liu is a guest.

[@humanform5354]

Always a treat when Charles Liu is a guest 😊

[@vids2see4me]

"Oh, that's in the Bible"😂 Chuck, you are pure gold.

[@erikhendrickson59]

Chuck been watchin some RM Brown

[@inwex8350]

Love the way Charles Liu explains.

[@JP-xd6fm]

Right!!!???? it may be even better than Neil, I think Star talk should be Neil, Charles with Chuck and some guest, that's the perfect show to me!

[@ShaulMTN]

Love how Chuck has come a long way, it shows what impact Neil has had on education. It also says a lot about Chuck's comprehension as a "Comedian".

[@jaelo2314]

AND he's funny!

[@JP-xd6fm]

@@jaelo2314 It would not be the same without Chuck, is a great co-host. And very funny!

[@fxthe1st]

Morty 😎 from season 1 is not the same as season 7

[@Ilcapoprimo]

He talks too much. I can listen to a fool anywhere. I watch the podcast to listen to scientists.

[@JJs_playground]

I thought the same thing. Chuck's understanding of concepts is impressive, especially considering he's got no education in these subjects.

[@GerodW]

I love these 4 together. It needs to be a regular thing in my opinion.

[@scotteagle3597]

THE question that go me into Astronomy back in 1982, was "Why isn't the whole sky white from starlight?" Today, I finally heard a simple and easy to understand answer. You can. It's the CMB, just stretched out to wavelengths we can't see. Thank you!

[@ilee92]

Currently on a deployment, eating Anthony's Pizza and glued to the screen. Us Vets are watching!

[@Xarpenter]

Thank you all for your service, and keep looking up!

[@AV8R_Surge]

Best outro ever 😃. Glad you kept it in.

[@TheAmethyz]

that was much better outro than what the lady would have wanted.

[@AV8R_Surge]

@@TheAmethyz Maybe because of copyright infringement fears? I think as a parody, it may be considered transformative and possibly falls under fair use. But I'm no expert. I'm sure they did their due diligence and discovered it's OK to keep it in. And I'm glad they did. It was fun.

[@LSA30]

The Great Startalk Council has finally convened!🎉

[@HisameArtwork]

ikr, so awesome! loved it!

[@Razzie.]

Charles Liu is definitely my top #3 favourite people on this show. Neil and Chuck are the other part of that, of course ;)

[@thefallengallery6459]

Charles Liu is awesome, love the crew on this episode

[@SomeRandomBlackWoman]

Yay! BEYONCÉ! Thank you Chuck for making Neil speak about his contribution to her tour 🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@chefjosephkowles575]

Neil is a blessing to humanity ❤

[@holy42cosmos]

He is over rated

[@holy42cosmos]

He thinks he is Carl Sagan but he is just a wanna be Carl Sagan

[@shelly_lee]

that he is, truely a blessing

[@jimbojimbo6873]

You on the other hand…

[@heresthethingyouguys]

Mostly to his bank account

[@jaquelinez2991]

Neil being throughly impressed with Chuck was so heart warming 🥹😩🤍

[@abstractcullinairycreation7108]

Hi guys, ive been watching fairly regularly lately, but i wanted to say i really enjoyed the feel and flow of this show, i was excited to see it was a new upload. this group in this format is probably among the best of your content presentation and flow-wise

[@lisacooke5928]

Love when Gary is on, he always has the best follow up questions

[@JP-xd6fm]

I'll pay for StarTalk permanent crew be this one + some new guests every time

[@sergeybrin6701]

Charles Liu is a rocker

[@frankwestphal8532]

Charles Liu is a staple of StarTalk at this point. Just like Lord Nice, and Neil himself. Anything with Charles Liu, I'm watching.

[@xtins]

Charles Liu is always great to see him with you guys 😎

[@TheGiggleMasterP]

Thank goodness for all the brains involved in the making of this video!

[@xtanpx]

Charles, Jenna, Brian are three of my most favourite people to watch and listen to. Amazing episode as always!!

[@tommyjinjin]

Need lots more Liu

[@MrMackxl65]

I haven't heard anything more rnotivating than, "Get with the Century".

[@cewkins721]

The whole crew together in a full episode! This one was amazing with wonderful questions, keep it coming!

[@gabriellopez5637]

Always appreciate all the recommendations of places to visit and places to dine/have a drink. I always take copious notes from your videos.

[@whit1722_playz]

Hi, neil you are one of the best people on this planet.

[@TeaGarrison]

@@HopDavid As a non-scientist, I’m genuinely curious if you mean there are specific nit-picky things he gets wrong in the details of his explanations or if his concepts are completely out of whack? Cuz if it’s the former, then I don’t think that’s a big deal. He’s communicating science to the general public, not a scientific panel or grad class. I feel like as long as we get the general idea, he’s done his job of opening ours eyes, minds and horizons. Plus any curiosity he ignites can inspire our own pursuits to fill in any blanks. Regardless, I think we’re much better off having communicators like Neil than if we didn’t have anyone like him at all.

[@KraigFang]

I like how they can explain stuff and joke around, making intricate explanations at the same time! It’s science for everyday people! I’m grateful it’s rocking science with humor 🤟😝

[@rmoore850]

Bring him back. The four of you work well with one another with the perfect balance of knowledge in many similar, yet disparate fields and have fun while discussing high level science. I love it.

[@LucidBhaskar]

man! This brings back so many memories.. feeling cozy with this conversation even in the middle of this hot summer here in Bengaluru.

[@beastboy1712]

I love how 30s in and Chuck already zoned out, and Neil said his name shook him back to reality lmao

[@humanform5354]

Yeah, noticed that as well. He had mentioned, a show or two back, that he suffers from depression. He said he takes meds to deal with it, could be a side effect...

[@NeverDoneEver]

I was thinking about the pilot episode of Andromeda right before Charles mentioned it. I'm sometimes embarrassed about how much I know about science fiction and how much it must displace useful knowledge, so it's gratifying to see that Charles knows even more about science fiction than I do and is more successful than I am.

[@ZorellUnderhood]

Dream team, you guys are the best. Could listen to you every day.

[@jovelnom]

Chuck has come a long way. Even Neil was impressed 3:29.

[@MichaelDembinski]

Learning and laughs perfectly blended. Thanks guys! I have roared with laughter and learnt much.

[@marcusbrown307]

Man this episode was great. Charles Liu is definitely one of my favorites.

[@EmpyreanLightASMR]

These videos and new titles and set-up are so slick now. I personally think it was a bit rough in the beginning but looks and sounds incredible now. Also, I waited nearly 4 years for you guys to reconvene with in-person episodes, but I want to extend my thanks for all the episodes you've released iin the hectic years. As someone who started the podcast from episode 1 many years ago while hiking on a windy wooded hill, I continue to this day to the best of my abilities, and it's been fun switching between the video and audio versions depending on where I am at the time.

[@stephenhammond6962]

We need more like this! Face to face is so much better ! 💥

[@alro11]

what a great crew to discuss the mysteries of our lives and universe and beyond ! thx fellers❤❤❤❤

[@barbaralachance5836]

I love how thru the years Chuck has become so knowledgeable ❤😊 amazing to see!

[@Wooooahhh6272]

I love this format

[@_luis_rojas_]

Great show!!!!! Amazing watching you together..... It felt like a 5 minute show....

[@softshells]

This show has come long way to a wonderful spot. 👏👏

[@serg10xm.69]

So nice seing all of you in the same room, the interactions are priceless

[@eduverse1948]

What a thoroughly fascinating and entertaining episode! ❤

[@stve5523]

damn!! Chuck Nice. -Kudo’s brother u really not only co host but taking your time to educated yourself- I been watchin your boyz since ya’ll started.. blessings 🙏🏽

[@JP-xd6fm]

Chuck Nice is a very smart guy no doubt!, to be a funny comedian you need brain but to be doing comedy beside Neil and co. that's premier leage category

[@markblaise6256]

Great Episode

[@jtkachlmeier]

Chuck, I support you. It can't be easy doing what you do. But you can make it easy. Just be easy. Take care!

[@tomas2665]

One of my favorite episodes ever.

[@AnalogX64]

Super excited that the band's back together again 💖💖💖

[@soupbonep]

That was a great episode and it went by so fast!!!! Chuck Liu should be a regular!

[@Leftyotism]

"Are black holes places or objects?" is what keeps me awake at night!

[@jameswillis5431]

Great show (as always), and fantastic to see the whole crew together again - especially with Dr Liu, whose handy physics answer book I’m reading at the moment. Btw, is it just me or did Lord Nice look a little sleepy at the start of the show? 😂

[@jackparker2470]

THIS is the master lineup! Get these four together often! Bring in Janna Levin! Add Kate the Chemist too from time to time!

[@thesheef3068]

Beautiful conversation, With great minds of our time

[@Dad_Woof]

So nice to see you guys in the same room

[@fuckel98]

Charles Liu never fails to surprise me with his playfulness, it’s so casually interspersed throughout his speech that it catches you off guard in the best of ways. He’s got that off-beat timing with his jokes and references and I love it

[@DannyJoh]

That was magic! So fun to watch you guys!

[@testypresidentgaming]

the jacket in the first ad... I NEED THAT!!!!

[@markg.3426]

Truly one the best episodes!

[@no-relic]

What an excellent group of people and an excellent conversation

[@_KaiTheGamer_]

It was so nice of Dallas Featuring Worth to ask a question on StarTalk

[@nickyjones7486]

Yay a new recording!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@loganmiller4919]

0:31 when Neil says “Chuck” it looked like Chuck was a robot just activating at that point 😭💀💀

[@JP-xd6fm]

🤣💯 At the beginning I though to myself, Chuck isn't ok

[@carguybikeguy]

Absolutely wonderful. Enjoyable, always.

[@FrazzledPup]

Maybe my favorite one of recent videos

[@bearr4693]

That was one of the cleanest outros from these guys yet!

[@randycook4364]

I love star talk. And that Outtro is perfection.

[@Idellphany]

Great episode as always!!

[@dlintorishi]

Great Episode!

[@blhageman]

Thanks Charles

[@Momma766]

Love Love Love. Please keep up the wonderful work. Love everyone, this was another episode for the hall of fame.

[@dmytrospikin748]

It's just getting better and better every time ❤

[@orangetee5]

in this world where education is already almost inaccessible due to high fee, its almost ridiculous that a Patreon membership is being pushed here. You both are in a good fortunate position financially in life, you dont need the $5 from gen public, whom you're trying to educate. this is a good cause, its a great podcast - please maintain the sanctity and nobility of making education accessible.

[@marianagyorgyfalvi3659]

I am always delighted to see you together!😃❤

[@antoniologan7648]

Yaaaaaay Love this show! When will Star Talk come to Chicago?

[@randomkindness1470]

I feel like we got a backstage vip access with this episode

[@skeptickhan4239]

Listening StarTalk is my kind of Meditation & Yoga 🙏

[@Mehrunzebub]

Man, I love all of this so much.

[@k.sullivan6303]

I would love to see you on Family Guy again... I would hope that you insist on humor of coarse, but also some kind of huge scientific teaching scene that would blow viewers' minds as well. Years later you could talk about the scenes on Future StarTalk episodes. I love what you guys do! I like your whole basic life approach Neil, and Chuck's humor and his relatable shock when you blow his mind. Your other guests are awesome as well.

[@terrydavis5223]

Love you Neil!!❤🎉

[@barobaro1]

Amazing episode. The only problem I had is how many times they interrupted poor charles, looks like Neil has thought his students well😅

[@GuilleVQ]

A fun fact about the Olbers' paradox is that one of the first people to solve the paradox with a scientifically correct answer was no other than the great Edgar Allan Poe.

[@tyrone4u559]

Excellent episode

[@rlivermont]

Charles is sure eclectic in his music! Love it

[@ryansoos4903]

Love the intro. Charles is so cool.

[@robertwhitemoto]

I have to say... Charles Liu and I are companions in music :) This was awesome guys !!

[@savetheplantet5799]

Awesome group of guys

[@jamesturner2013]

Awesome view from here chaps!

[@eha11oran]

Loved the outro!

[@Frontporchscience]

Huge fan! Love the show

[@albertobarrios6276]

Hearing Charles say "press x to doubt" was not something I was expecting

[@irrefudiate]

This format could not exist without Chuck Nice. The speed of light is quick, but Chuck mocks light's effort, "Oh, how cute."

[@techfixr2012]

It is interesting to listen to y'all discuss smart stuff. I thoroughly enjoy it. Thank you. I am a Geeky Professional Mechanic .

[@thekraken4265]

39:55 I loved the outro wtf is the producer talking about lol

[@raduen2]

Goosebumps!!!

[@dosesandmimoses]

Love this one!