Why Some Circles Are Greater Than Others

What is the shortest distance between two points on a sphere? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice break down Mercator projection maps, what great circles are, and how they trace their origins to ancient religious tradition. Is the greatest circle the one we make along the way? Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Great Circles 01:08 - What is a great circle? 03:01 - Longitude & Latitude 4:22 - The Golden Age of Islam 7:43 - The Weird World of Spherical Trigonometry 9:52 - Mercator Projection Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the NEW StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk 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