Podcast · 192 episodes
StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson
by Neil deGrasse Tyson · English
Science, pop culture, and comedy collide on StarTalk Radio! Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and Director of New York's Hayden Planetarium, and his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities, and scientific experts explore astronomy, physics, and everything else there is to know about life in the universe. New episodes premiere Tuesdays. Keep Looking Up! Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of StarTalk Radio ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Latest episodes
Quantum Anomalies with Lara AndersonString theory and quantum gravity, focusing on (1) what’s known experimentally (Higgs boson; LHC energy reach), and (2) theoretical “anomalies” and extra dimensions (why string theory needs 10…29 Sep 2026 · 54 min
Cosmic Queries – Space Junk! with Moriba JahSpace junk in Earth orbit—how it grows from collisions, why there are few/no “traffic rules,” and what risks it poses to satellites, astronauts, and astronomy (visible and infrared).25 Sep 2026 · 55 min
Lost in Space Game NightStarTalk special episode built around National Geographic Books’ Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts to Navigate the Universe.22 Sep 2026 · 42 min
All episodes
Quantum Anomalies with Lara AndersonString theory and quantum gravity, focusing on (1) what’s known experimentally (Higgs boson; LHC energy reach), and (2) theoretical “anomalies” and extra dimensions (why string theory needs 10…29 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 23 chapters
Cosmic Queries – Space Junk! with Moriba JahSpace junk in Earth orbit—how it grows from collisions, why there are few/no “traffic rules,” and what risks it poses to satellites, astronauts, and astronomy (visible and infrared).25 Sep 2026 · 55 min · 23 chapters
Lost in Space Game NightStarTalk special episode built around National Geographic Books’ Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts to Navigate the Universe.22 Sep 2026 · 42 min · 21 chapters
Cosmic Queries – The Fractal Universe with Charles LiuStarTalk Special Edition: Cosmic Queries – The Fractal Universe with Charles Liu is a rapid-fire Q&A about (1) whether interstellar travel is “just” an energy problem, (2) whether the universe and…18 Sep 2026 · 59 min · 29 chapters
Why Do We Exist with Hakeem OluseyiHakeem Oluseyi’s book “Why Do We Exist?” frames the universe as a connected, multi-scale story of “nine realms” of emergence—from quantum fields and energy flow to stars/planets, life and…15 Sep 2026 · 48 min · 15 chapters
Why Craters Are Round, Size of Life, The Real Length of Day – TYTYKWhy lunar craters are nearly perfect circles (impact physics, “high-speed collisions,” and why meteorites sometimes survive), plus how Earth’s day length varies (sidereal vs solar day) and how…8 Sep 2026 · 46 min · 21 chapters
This Is Your Brain on PsychedelicsStarTalk special edition on how psychedelics may “reopen critical periods” in the brain, restoring synaptic plasticity and enabling therapeutic learning—especially for PTSD—while emphasizing that…4 Sep 2026 · 1 h 14 min · 29 chapters
Rogue Planets & Exomoons with David KippingExoplanets and exomoons, plus how to search for life/technosignatures and how to interpret biosignatures statistically.1 Sep 2026 · 54 min · 23 chapters
The Hunt for Dark Energy with Jason RhodesStarTalk episode on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and how it will study dark energy (and dark matter) plus exoplanets via microlensing and a coronagraph.25 Aug 2026 · 50 min · 22 chapters
Your Inner Cosmos with David EaglemanThe “inner cosmos” of neuroscience—how the brain constructs perception from signals, adapts via neuroplasticity, and generates dreams, hallucinations, synesthesia, and subjective time.21 Aug 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 21 chapters
It’s Bugs’ World and We’re Just Living In It with Jessica WareThe episode explores “what bugs are” (definitions and taxonomy), why insects—especially dragonflies and “true bugs” (Hemiptera)—are so evolutionarily successful, and how humans are driving insect…18 Aug 2026 · 55 min · 25 chapters
Super Solar Storms with Lika GuhathakurtaThe episode explains how the Sun affects the solar system, focusing on heliophysics (heliophysicist Lika Guhathakurta’s specialty), helioseismology, the heliosphere, solar wind/auroras, and…11 Aug 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 28 chapters
Stars Ask Neil To Save The UniverseCelebrities Ask Neil (StarTalk Special Edition) answers pop-culture science questions, spanning atomic structure and faster-than-light ideas, multiverse theory, why pink Himalayan salt is pink, GMO…7 Aug 2026 · 45 min · 19 chapters
Cosmic Queries – Planet 9StarTalk “Cosmic Queries” grab-bag episode answering listener questions about Planet 9/“Planet X,” Pluto’s demotion, galaxy shapes, relativity/quantum/semi-conductors, dark matter ideas, ISS reentry…4 Aug 2026 · 48 min · 17 chapters
Cosmic Queries – Life on Other Planets with Aomawa ShieldsSearch for life beyond Earth, especially how exoplanet habitability depends on host stars and climate; includes a “Terminator Habitable” concept for tidally locked planets, plus astrobiology basics…31 Jul 2026 · 47 min · 28 chapters
Things You Thought You Knew – Your Zodiac is WrongEinsteinian time dilation, evidence from particle decay and photons, spacecraft gravity assists (“cosmic drafting”), and the North Star/Polaris (not the brightest), including how Earth’s precession…28 Jul 2026 · 50 min · 20 chapters
Finally…The Truth with Michael ShermerStarTalk Special Edition episode on “truth” in a post-truth era—how to distinguish objective truth from “my truth,” misinformation, motivated reasoning, and biased trust in institutions; includes…24 Jul 2026 · 51 min · 23 chapters
Running Out of Matter with Michelle ThallerMichelle Thaller (former NASA Goddard scientist) discusses NASA budget cuts and their impact on scientists, then answers audience questions on quantum/photon behavior, whether the universe will “run…21 Jul 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 25 chapters
Getting Entangled with Sean HodgmanQuantum entanglement, explained via Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) and momentum/path entanglement; includes Bell inequality, “spooky action,” limits on faster-than-light communication, and possible…14 Jul 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 22 chapters
The Dreaming Brain with Matt WalkerSleep’s biological purpose and mechanisms, including why we need sleep, what dreaming does, how brain “cleanses” work during deep sleep, and how sleep relates to mental health, cognition, and…10 Jul 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 25 chapters
Cosmic Queries – Pure SpacetimeStarTalk “Cosmic Queries – Pure Spacetime” (Grab Bag) answers Patreon questions on relativity/time dilation (Interstellar), simulation theory, superconductivity near 3 K, tides without the Moon,…7 Jul 2026 · 46 min · 23 chapters
Cosmic Queries – Astro-lore with Moiya McTierHow astrophysics and folklore/modern myth-making connect—especially via constellations, cultural star stories, and science communication.3 Jul 2026 · 50 min · 23 chapters
Bug Splat Galaxies with Mordecai-Mark Mac LowHow simulations explain “bug splat” colliding galaxies, active galactic nuclei (quasars), and planet formation in extreme environments; plus Q&A on star formation, Jupiter/brown dwarfs, dark matter…30 Jun 2026 · 59 min · 27 chapters
Is Reality Really Real? With Donald HoffmanThe episode explores whether “reality” is objectively knowable, arguing from evolutionary game theory and cognitive neuroscience that human perception is a “VR headset” shaped for reproductive…26 Jun 2026 · 1 h 14 min · 32 chapters