IS THERE life out there?
It's a question Professor Brad Carter is frequently asked in his work as an astronomer at the University of Southern Queensland.
Prof Carter will share his passion - and some answers - at an Astronomy at Twilight presentation at the USQ Arts Theatre tomorrow night (Wednesday).
He said he will do his best to take some of the latest research about our galaxy and what lies beyond it to the public.
Prof Carter's day to day work focuses around the search for planets around stars other than the sun.
'I guess I'm fascinated as many people are by the question of if there are habitable, Earth-like planets out there,' Prof Carter said.
'Many people want to know what are the chances of life elsewhere in the universe, and we can say that the chance is good.
'Intelligent life - the honest answer is that nobody knows.'
Prof Carter said his talk will be focussing on the ongoing search for new planets and how the activity of a star can affect the planets around it.
'The big problem for astronomers is the stars are so far away, we have to use clever, subtle techniques and technology to explore it.
'We use all sorts of indirect techniques to understand what's there.
'The hard part is being able to observe planets around stars.
'Trying to detect the light from a planet around a distant star is like trying to detect a firefly around the lights at the cricket grounds around the Gabba.'
Tickets to Astronomy at Twilight are available by contacting the USQ Artsworx box office.
Astronomy at Twilight
6pm tomorrow (Wednesday).
USQ Arts Theatre.
For tickets, contact box office on 4631 1111.
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