📘 Part 3: Astronomy and space exploration

This episode's vocabulary

Observe (v) – to watch carefully, especially for study → At night, I like to go outside and observe the stars with my telescope.

Spark (v) – to trigger interest or emotion → The documentary really sparked my interest in astronomy.

Curiosity (n) – a strong desire to learn something → Children often have a natural curiosity about space and the planets.

Philosophically (adv) – in a way related to deep or abstract thinking → Philosophically speaking, exploring space helps us understand our place in the universe.

Heavenly bodies (n) – objects in space like stars or planets → The moon and Mars are two of the most well-known heavenly bodies.

Spectrograph (n) – a tool for analyzing the light from stars → Using a spectrograph, scientists determined the composition of the star’s atmosphere.

Emit (v) – to send out (light, heat, etc.) → Stars emit light and heat as a result of nuclear reactions.

Astronomer (n) – a scientist who studies space → Galileo was one of the most famous astronomers in history.

Astrologer (n) – someone who claims to predict events by studying stars → My friend sees an astrologer to find out what her week will be like.

Guidance system (n) – technology that helps control movement, often in satellites → Modern spacecraft use advanced guidance systems to navigate deep space.

Forecast (v) – to predict based on data → Thanks to satellite data, we can forecast weather much more accurately now.

Inhabit (v) – to live in a place → Humans do not yet inhabit any planet other than Earth.

Terraforming (n) – making a planet livable → Terraforming Mars would take decades of technological effort and research.

Colonise (v) – to settle in a new place → Some scientists believe that we might colonise the Moon in the future.

Adapt (v) – to adjust to new environments → Humans have shown a strong ability to adapt to extreme conditions on Earth.

Exoplanet (n) – a planet outside our solar system → NASA has discovered thousands of exoplanets in the past decade.

Orbit (v/n) – to move around another body in space → The Earth orbits the Sun once every 365 days.

Telescope (n) – a tool for seeing distant space objects → He used a powerful telescope to see the rings of Saturn clearly.

Milky Way (n) – the galaxy we live in → The Milky Way contains billions of stars, including our Sun.

Zero gravity (n) – a condition with no gravity → Astronauts train in zero-gravity environments to prepare for space missions.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Why do people like observing the stars?

Rory: Oh, all kinds of reasons. They might find it sparks their imagination or satisfies some kind of curiosity they have. Lots of writers have written about space, for example, and I'm sure a lot of people find themselves wondering what's going on up there and how the stars move around, or at least how they appear to.

Maria: Why is it important to explore space?

Rory: Well, I suppose, philosophically speaking, people might want to know what we might find out there and if we are alone in the universe. That's something many people want to know the answer to. And then, I suppose, from a scientific and industrial perspective, we might find new materials and elements which could be useful for industry back on Earth.

Maria: Should children know more about stars and planets?

Rory: Not sure, really. Surely that depends on how much they know already. That could vary from place to place, since education systems are different. Generally, though, I'm not sure there's much harm in at least ensuring they know the basics, like the names of the planets and other local heavenly bodies, what they are made of, and how they move around. Even just as part of their general knowledge, and to have something interesting to talk about.

Maria: Is high technology helpful for star watching?

Rory: It could be, if we need to know about something beyond what we can see and understand with the naked eye. For example, something like a spectrograph can use the light emitted by stars to work out things about them, like how hot they are. You couldn't do that with just basic observation. At least, probably not. I'm not a scientist.

Maria: What kind of people are interested in stars?

Rory: Other than astronomers? All kinds of people. Astronomers want to know about them for scientific purposes, but there are people like astrologers who use them as part of spiritual and religious rites. And then the general public might just want to find out about what those big bright lights in the sky are made of and what they mean for us in the grander scheme of things.

Maria: How does knowledge about space affect our daily life?

Rory: Well, it's tempting to say it doesn't, but actually, when you think about it, it really does, doesn't it? The guidance systems on satellites we use for GPS every day need a constant stream of data just to stay up there. And that lets us use them to find our way around. And we use similar things to get weather data or a forecast and send messages. So, if we didn't know how space worked in order to keep those things up there, none of that would be possible.

Maria: Is it possible to find life on other planets?

Rory: I imagine so, though it's hard to predict what form it might take, given the huge variety of environments that exist out there. If the universe is limitless, or big enough to pretty much have none, then the possible varieties are also without limit. Of course, it also means the universe is so huge that it might be hard to find, at least at first.

Maria: Will we ever inhabit other planets?

Rory: I don't see why not. Human beings live in just about every environment possible on this planet and show a great capacity to adapt to new circumstances, so I think we could do it if we applied ourselves. Obviously, colonising another planet isn't exactly a walk in the park compared to colonising the one we evolved on, but our technology might help us overcome the really big hurdles, like terraforming alien atmospheres. We're already doing that in places on this planet.