When you think of an astronomer the image that most readily comes to mind is probably of someone on a balcony looking up into the abyss through a telescope, like Galileo on the night he first saw those moons around Jupiter.

But if you’ve ever used a telescope you’ll appreciate that although it is an amazing experience, there is very much a limit to what you can learn with your own eyes.

So is the astronomer a dying breed?

Emily Levesque is an Astronomer & Author of The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers - she joined Jonathan to discuss.

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