Caleb Scharf, senior scientist for astrobiology at the NASA Ames Research Center in California, is the featured speaker for a May 21 lecture sponsored by the Westport Astronomical Society. / Contributed photo

WESTPORT — How goes the search for signs of life in elsewhere the universe?

The Westport Astronomical Society on May 21 will host someone with knowledgeable insights into the question that has captivated Earthlings for millenniums.

Caleb Scharf, NASA’s senior scientist for astrobiology at the Ames Research Center in California, will explore the topic, “The Search for Life in the Universe: 2024 and Beyond,” in a free online lecture hosted at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, by the astronomical society.

The lecture, part of the Westport Astronomical Society’s monthly science lecture series, can be viewed live via Zoom or the group’s YouTube channel.

Scharf will discuss the latest evidence from exploration for life elsewhere in the universe and areas of future research. His presentation will touch on upcoming plans for Mars, Titan and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which is NASA’s future space telescope.

Prior to joining NASA, Scharf was the director of astrobiology at Columbia University in New York. He has also served as a global science coordinator for the Earth-Life Science Institute’s Origins Network at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. 

In 2022, Scharf received the Carl Sagan Medal for excellence in public communication in planetary science from the American Astronomical Society.

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