Humans have been fascinated by space and astronomy for thousands of years, and this curiosity has been re-ignited with the recent pictures taken by the James Webb Telescope. Over the past 200 years, human’s understanding of space exploration and astronomy has improved exponentially.

Ted Talks are an excellent way for regular people to understand more complex issues directly through the perspectives of people who are at the top of their respective fields. These Ted Talks give the audience a unique and different perspective of what the experts are working on and how it will impact our understanding of the universe.

Juna Kollmeier

Juna Kollmeier is an astrophysicist working with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Her team’s mission is to map every star, black hole, and galaxy in the observable universe with unprecedented detail. She says that if the current pace can be sustained, by 2060, they will be able to map every large galaxy in the universe.

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She starts off her talk by going through humanity’s history of creating maps of different star systems and the moon. There are apps available right now for finding stars and planets in the night sky, which could see a massive overhaul as our understanding of the night sky improves. Moreover, theoretical physicists can verify theories and hypotheses about the larger universe more quickly and accurately if there is a detailed map of the universe.

Jennifer Heldmann

Ever since private parties started showing interest in space exploration, the rate of innovation and development has also skyrocketed. Planetary scientist Jennifer Heldmann talks about how reusable and supersized rockets from the likes of SpaceX can change the way humanity travels around the solar system.

The talk starts off by comparing the historic and existing costs of space exploration and how new technology will make it possible for humanity to become interstellar. The invention of reusable rockets would have revolutionized the space race but no doubt will change everything going forward. As space travel becomes closer to commercial air travel, and the possibilities for exploration within the solar system are rapidly increasing, it is a necessity if humans want to become interplanetary.

Chris Hadfield

Every person, at some point in their life, has imagined what going to space would be like. Retired colonel and astronaut Chris Hadfield gives the audience a short talk about what going to space feels like and how astronauts deal with the constant threat to their lives.

He famously says in the talk, “There is no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse,” and also gives a short glimpse into how mesmerizing Earth and the Sun look from within the space shuttle. These first-hand talks from astronauts are not only fascinating but also inspirational for the younger generation who have an ambition of going into space, which is becoming more achievable, day by day.

Brian Greene

The multiverse is not a new concept for most people, especially because of its presence in pop culture. Brian Greene is a theoretical physicist and through his talk, he illustrates the concept of multiple universes as presented in his Noble Prize-winning studies related to the speed of the expanding universe.

Although the multiverse theory has not been proven yet, the scientific reasoning behind its possible existence is quite fascinating. The average person is only aware of these concepts as being parts of comic books or sci-fi movies, but a real-world scientific insight into such possibilities is not only fascinating but also is sure to generate interest in the younger audience who wishes to pursue science as a career.

Stephen Webb

Where are all the aliens? This is a question that has puzzled both experts and common people at the same time. Stephen Webb, in his Ted Talk, explains that even though our universe is billions of years old and has trillions of planets, how difficult it is for a planet to clear the remarkable barriers to host life.

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He also points out the poetic beauty of our potential cosmic loneliness, saying, “We are the creatures who got lucky.” Viewers not only get an understanding of the building blocks of life and why humans believe it is rare, but the talk also discusses ideas about the different ways that life can form and the various routes it can take through evolution.

Ryan Weed

Interstellar travel has been the focal point of almost every science fiction movie out there. But with current technology, it would take humanity years and decades to even reach the nearest star. Co-founder and CEO of Positron Dynamics, Ryan Weed talks about how antimatter can be used to achieve much faster interstellar travel.

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Out of all the possible solutions, including solar sails, potential wormholes, and bigger rockets, Ryan brings forward the idea that antimatter might be the most realistic answer for efficient space travel. The speed of travel is one of the biggest hurdles for interstellar travel and one of the best things about this talk is the short recap of the different technology humanity is working on and what other routes could be used.

Karen J. Meech

NASA and other space programs all over the world are constantly searching the skies for any potential threats and any signs of life. Astrobiologist Karen J Meech talks about a discovery made in 2017 about an interstellar comet which was named Oumuamua.

This discovery raised some interesting questions, which were largely due to the unique shape and movement patterns of the object. While some people claimed that it was just another piece of space debris, some argued that it might be evidence of alien technology. The talk also gives the viewers a glimpse into the working of the scientific community and the processes involved in analyzing any new data.

Tabetha Boyajian

Astronomer Tabetha Boyajian talks about a recent observation about an object about 1,000 times larger than Earth that is blocking light from a star. She talks about the different theories that scientists had about possible explanations, including that of an alien megastructure.

Tabetha goes through the process that scientists follow in testing out hypotheses and the evidence that is required to prove or conclusively say anything one way or the other. Another point that makes this talk unique is the detailed look into the scientific process and discussions involved in finding out the truth about a new discovery, something that regular people don't normally get insight into. The content of this talk could easily be the plot of a classic sci-fi movie.

Jim Holt

It is hard not to have an existential crisis when thinking about the scale, size, and reasons behind the universe’s existence. Philosopher and writer Jim Holt attempts to answer these and similar questions in his Ted Talk.

While this talk might be a bit more philosophical compared to some of the others presented here, Jim establishes that these questions are at the core of every scientific discovery that humanity has made. The unique point of this talk is the mixture of scientific discoveries with philosophical questions which can be used as a spark for igniting curiosity in physics and science, in general.

Emily Levesque

Humans have been looking up at the stars and trying to figure them out for thousands of years. Emily Levesque, through her Ted Talk, takes the audience on a historical journey of photographing the universe and how modern technology is making things possible that could never be dreamed of before.

While discussing modern astronomy history, Emily also mentions the common thread which has led to where we are today: human curiosity. It is this curiosity that has led to the launch of the James Webb telescope, which is vastly different from the pre-existing Hubble telescope. For most viewers, the photos from Hubble or James Webb might just be something beautiful to look at, but getting to know the science behind them adds a whole other layer and depth to its importance.

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