In this episode, Subu and Vikram talk to Dr. Harish Vedantham, a radio astronomer and professor at the University of Groningen, about the exciting world of research in exoplanets - or planets in solar systems other than our own, possibility of alien life, building radio telescopes on the moon, the James Webb space telescope and fast radio bursts from the universe. They discuss what it is like to be in an astronomers shoes, places they go, and what the teaching and research life feels like. While we are but a grain of sand in the vast universe, they ponder the meaning of life, and how it ultimately lies within.
Links
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:07 Importance of Good Teachers
8:33 The workings of Radio Astronomy
14:38 Mysteries of the Universe
20:33 Discovering Exoplanets and Alien Life
30:26 James Webb Space Telescope
36:23 We are all Stardust
41:16 The need for Fundamental Research
47:01 A Telescope on the Moon
56:01 Are we alone in the Universe?
59:46 Cool Tales from a Life in Astronomy
1:08:49 A Day in the Life of a Radio Astronomer
1:14:29 Research styles across continents
1:20:33 Views on the education system
1:26:40 Advice to young people
1:37:18 Prof. Vedantham's Book Recommendations
1:43:58 The Meaning of Life
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Let's Get Social
