A Conversation with Dr. Seth Shostak on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Event Description

Join us in the Lohman Planetarium for a talk with Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Dr. Shostak writes frequently on astronomy and other topics, and hosts the SETI Institute's weekly radio show, "Big Picture Science." 

Are we alone in the universe? That seems unlikely given the recent realization that there could be upwards of a trillion planets in our own Galaxy. Nonetheless, the scientific hunt for extraterrestrial life is now into its sixth decade, and we still haven’t discovered any cosmic company. Could all this mean that finding clever beings beyond Earth, even if they exist, is a project for the ages – one that might take centuries or longer? New approaches and new technology for discovering extraterrestrial life suggest that there is reason to expect that we could uncover evidence of sophisticated civilizations – the type of aliens we see in the movies and on TV – within a few decades. If so, what would be “behind the microphone”? What might they be like? 

Free for members or included with paid museum admission. Entry is first-come, first-served.