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Space Artist Brings 'Alien Worlds' To Life

Published April 2, 2014 at 12:20 PM CDT

David Aguilar’s office at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a lot like any office in the building — except it’s full of aliens.

Aguilar is director of public affairs and science information there and in his latest book for young scientists, “Alien Worlds: Your Guide to Extraterrestrial Life,” he takes information about real exo-planets that are in an orbit around stars that might be able sustain life, throws in a little imagination to fill in the spaces and dreams up what kind of plants, animals and other things might live there.

Here & Now’s Robin Young pays him a visit to talk about the worlds he’s created.

Guest

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

On the planet Arclandia, Aguilar has created a cold climate animal called a Thunderbeast, seen here. (David Aguilar)
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On the planet Arclandia, Aguilar has created a cold climate animal called a Thunderbeast, seen here. (David Aguilar)
David Aguilar is pictured in his office, with some of the creatures he's invented. (Robin Young)
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David Aguilar is pictured in his office, with some of the creatures he's invented. (Robin Young)
David Aguilar holds up one of his creations. (Robin Young)
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David Aguilar holds up one of his creations. (Robin Young)
On the world Yelrihs a Windcatcher (left) flies while two Preencatchers (right) dart along the ground. Aguilar imagines that the infrared spectrum of light on this planet has a big impact on life there. (David Aguilar)
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On the world Yelrihs a Windcatcher (left) flies while two Preencatchers (right) dart along the ground. Aguilar imagines that the infrared spectrum of light on this planet has a big impact on life there. (David Aguilar)
On the dying world of Moros, Tripids fish are in the water. Aguilar imagines that life on a dying planet would be hard for creatures who have adapted to a more fertile planet over centuries. (David Aguilar)
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On the dying world of Moros, Tripids fish are in the water. Aguilar imagines that life on a dying planet would be hard for creatures who have adapted to a more fertile planet over centuries. (David Aguilar)
David Aguilar has photoshopped himself into some of his illustrations. (Robin Young)
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David Aguilar has photoshopped himself into some of his illustrations. (Robin Young)

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