The Sky at Night - "Life"

This post is for the astronomy lovers who are in Britain.

The Sky at Night is a monthly programme produced by BBC. It is telecasted in Britain on BBC One & BBC Four. The first episode was aired in 1957 & hosted by Sir Patrick Moore. It is still running with the same ever enthusiastic host. If you have internet, you can watch most of the previous episodes at the above link.

The programme covers a very wide range of astronomy & space related topics. This is a must watch for every one in Britain since it has only one episode per month (no time wastage) & it gives enormous knowledge.

The last episode was titled "Life". A very interesting topic. Half a century ago, scientists didn't know anything about planets outside our solar system & there was only speculation about them. But know more than 400 such extra-solar planets were discovered. The reason for the discovery of so few planets is that detecting a planet is one of the toughest jobs for astronomers because planets are one of the tiniest objects in the universe & they have a very little footprint. So detecting them is a very tidious & painful process. If detecting an extra-solar planet is so tough a process, you can imagine what it is going to be to find what is on such a planet. So is there anything living on them and if so, is it intelligent?

In "Life", Sir Patrick Moore debates the question of life in the universe with some of the noted planet hunters and astrobiologists, while at the Royal Society Dr Chris Lintott searches for evidence of alien life. The programme gives some useful insights into the topic under discussion. A recommended programme.

My personal opinion regarding finding extraterrestrial intelligence is that given the vastness of our universe (which is beyond our common sense) & the thin time line (with respect to the time line of our universe which is again beyond our common sense) on which life operates, we may never find intelligent alien life. Although I love SETI & what it is trying to do, I think it's a waste of resources. But I am optimistic that we will find some form of microbial life in our solar system outside Earth.

People in Britain, check your local listings. The Sky at Night is once a month programme on BBC One & BBC Four.

Feel free to air your views or comments.