From Ancient Myths to Modern Discovery: Our Milky Way with Moiya McTier

Is it time to update the constellations? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Matt Kirshen dive into astrophysics, folklore, and our ancient connection to the stars with astrophysicist Moiya McTier, Ph.D.

How do you become an astrophysicist and a folklorist? We dive into the importance of connecting astrophysics to storytelling. What will the galactic collision between our galaxy and the andromeda galaxy feel like? What is the Dark Emu constellation? We dissect how different cultures envisioned the cosmos.

Why haven’t we come up with updated constellations for the modern day? Learn about the difference between an official constellation and an asterism. We talk about the ancient Babylonians, Greeks, and The Inca. What is Orion in different cultures? What about the Pleiades? Or the planets? Are constellations scientifically relevant?

Could dark matter be what is escaping from black holes? Is dark matter just little black holes? How do we map the Milky Way from inside of it? Discover Caroline and William Herschel and their 18th century attempt at mapping the Milky Way. Who was the first culture to believe that stars had influence on us? We explore astrology, redshifting, and even ghosts. Finally, are science and folklore just two different sides of the same coin?

Thanks to our Patrons Viny Adomonis, Thomas Blankenhorn, Weston Daniel L.,
Lauren Scott, and Aaryan Kukar 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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00:00 - Introduction: Astrophysics & Folklore
07:45 - The Point of View of the Milky Way
12:00 - Images in the Darkness: The Dark Emu
15:50 - Do we rename the constellations?
22:05 - Mars, Pleiades, & Orion
30:50 - Is dark matter escaping from black holes?
33:30 - Mapping The Milky Way From Within
37:40 - Modern-Day Folklore: Astrology
41:15 - Life Detection on Mars
42:10 - Photons & Redshifting
44:45 - Ghosts & Physics