AI Summary
5 min read“The number of times Uranus has orbited the sun since its discovery” — Neil DeGrasse Tyson guesses 870. The answer is three. That moment, early in this special game-night episode of StarTalk, sets the tone: the universe is weirder, older, and more surprising than intuition suggests. To celebrate the release of Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts to Navigate the Universe — a new collaboration between StarTalk and National Geographic Books — Tyson and co-author Lindsey N. Walker turn the studio into a chaotic game show. They spin a wheel, play Taboo, draw prompts, sculpt with Play-Doh, and act out charades, all while sneaking in real astrophysics. The throughline is that learning about space doesn’t require a lecture; it can happen through play, argument, and the occasional humiliating guess.
The Wheel of Neil: Higher or Lower
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:52) **Opening and Introducing "Lost in Space" Game Night** - Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-author Lindsey Nicks Walker kick off a special game-show episode of StarTalk to promote their new book, *Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts to Navigate the Universe*.
- 2 (04:19) **Game 1: "Higher or Lower" - Moon Golf & Uranus Winds** - The first game challenges Neil to guess if a space fact number is higher or lower than a given value.
- 3 (06:34) **Game 1 Continues: Uranus Orbits, Jupiter's Size, & Albert the Monkeys** - The "Higher or Lower" game continues with more surprising cosmic facts.
- 4 (09:58) **Game 2: "Taboo It" - Describing Space Concepts** - The hosts play a version of Taboo, where they must describe a space term without using the "taboo" words on a card.
- 5 (15:29) **Book Promotion: Uranus Fact & Compilation Story** - Neil and Lindsey share a standout fact from the book and discuss the process of creating it.
- 6 (18:07) **Favorite Fact: Project Ozma & the Periodic Table** - The hosts share their favorite facts from the book, covering the search for alien life and the creation of a new element.
- 7 (22:45) **Game 3: "Yoda Says" - Reading Facts in Character** - Neil and Lindsey compete to read a fact from the book in the voice of Yoda.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
How far did Alan Shepard hit a golf ball on the moon? How many monkeys named Albert have been to space? Neil deGrasse Tyson, comedian Paul Mecurio, and Senior StarTalk Producer Lindsey Walker find out the answers on this Game Show Edition of Startalk celebrating the release of our new book, Lost in Space: 5,000 Facts for Navigating the Universe.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here:
https://startalkmedia.com/show/lost-in-space-game-night/
Thanks to our Patrons havok, David Leeper, Silver Starsoul, Keith Homan, Alexander, Stacey Aldrich, Aral Kubali, Remi van Compernolle, Heel Our Soles, Kevin, Jack Topping, Andrew Schmelzer, Justin, pavan krishna, Mary Thomas, JohnForrest, DigitalDream, ricky zamudio, Josh MacCallum, Joe Widner, Janice Green, Will, Padrig de Roiste, Kathy Sydor, Max Heppermann, Zen Space Pirate, Patricia Nicely, Rob, Christian van Nimwegen, Johan Tivéus, Jonathan Woody, LONEWARRIOR, Anne Cosnow Awh, Preet Panda, Bill, Fidel Morla, Emily McKnight, Clem Maurer, Howard Hale, Ben Meighan-Carey, Kent Thompson, Ari Zelanko, Darryl Odom, jeff kolander, Jerome McCollom, Juan Bavaresco, and Maria for supporting us this week.
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