Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. or Join now .

Lisa Kaltenegger can take you there. That’s the feeling you get after a couple of hours of conversation with the exoplanet researcher: Whether it’s to distant water-worlds or to an undergraduate classroom, her enthusiasm, patience, and humor transport you. After taking us on a tour of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Kaltenegger sat down with us to talk about the latest in the hunt for planets—and life—among the stars, and how she got involved. Movies too. We’re sure you’ll enjoy meeting her as much as we did. Our interview is divided into two sections, the professional (above) and the more personal. And check out her Nautilus essay, “Worlds Without End.”

The Professional

Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .

What might it be like on the surface of an interesting exoplanet? 0:08

Would this be the ultimate surfing destination? 2:25

Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .

Can we search for life by looking for alien technologies? 3:47

What effect do you think finding extraterrestrial life would have? 6:17

We haven’t found life yet. Are other species out there destroying themselves? 8:07

If we find extraterrestrial life, will it be carbon-based? 10:41

Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .

If extraterrestrial life isn’t carbon-based, are we looking for the wrong signatures? 12:38

Do you compare different geographies found here on Earth to potential exoplanets? 16:17

What’s the hardest exoplanet geography for you to detect? 18:06

Are we going to start traveling to other planets soon? 19:49

Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .

As an exoplanet researcher, are you drawing the map for tomorrow’s explorers? 22:10

The Person

Why is Carl Sagan a hero of yours? 0:08

Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .

Do you like science fiction? 1:23

Do you want to go to Mars? 5:58

Is it important to have prominent female scientists? 7:25

Did your gender impede your career? 12:09

Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .

How did you become interested in astronomy? 15:29

What would you be if you weren’t a scientist? 19:36

How does your work change how you look at the night sky? 21:02

close-icon Enjoy unlimited Nautilus articles, ad-free, for as little as $4.92/month. Join now

! There is not an active subscription associated with that email address.

Join to continue reading.

Access unlimited ad-free articles, including this one, by becoming a Nautilus member. Enjoy bonus content, exclusive products and events, and more — all while supporting independent journalism.