138 - Konstantin Batygin: Planet Nine, Oumuamua, and the Death of Pluto

Konstantin Batygin is Professor of Planetary Science in the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology, where he works on a wide variety of problems related to the formation and evolution of the solar system, the dynamical evolution of exoplanets, and physical processes that occur in planetary interiors and atmospheres. In this episode, Robinson and Konstantin discuss interstellar interlopers in our solar system, planet and satellite formation, the death of Pluto, Planet Nine, and the newest music from his band, The Seventh Season. Konstantin’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kbatygin Konstantin’s Website: https://www.konstantinbatygin.com/ The Seventh Season: https://theseventhseason.band/ OUTLINE 00:00 In This Episode… 00:37 Introduction 03:56 Konstantin’s Background 07:53 Was Oumuamua an Alien Spacecraft? 16:17 Planetesimals, Planet Formation, and the Size of the Solar System 25:15 Are there Extrasolar Objects in our Solar System? 35:06 How do Planets Form? 48:54 Is Our Solar System Falling Apart? 54:46 How Do Moons Form? 01:04:20 The Complexity of the Outer Solar System 01:07:12 The Death of Pluto 01:17:21 What and Where Is Planet Nine? 01:41:59 The Seventh Season Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.