In this episode, we learn about one of the most important -- and the most emotionally charged -- scientific tools at our disposal: the telescope. We speak with planet hunter Geoff Marcy of NASA's Kepler Mission about how scientists are using a telescope in space to search for Earth-like planets -- and maybe life -- around stars, and we meet a group of skywatchers who are building their own telescopes by hand.
In this episode, we learn about one of the most important — and the most emotionally charged — scientific tools at our disposal: the telescope. Telescopes have helped us learn about our place in the universe, shown us our first glimpse of what else is out there, and given us a few clues about what the ultimate fate of the universe might be.
So for today’s show, first we head to Chabot Space and Science Center in the hills of Oakland, California, to meet a group of telescope makers who are spending months — even years — grinding the mirrors for their own telescopes in order to make them completely by hand. Then we speak with planet hunter Geoff Marcy of NASA’s Kepler Mission and UC Berkeley’s astronomy department about how scientists are using a telescope in space to search for Earth-like planets that orbit other stars. What they find may tell us whether life exists elsewhere in the universe, or whether our life-friendly planet is one-of-a-kind.
You can stream the podcast, or click to download, on the player below. Run time: 24:38.
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A new adventure will be coming your way next Monday!