Astrophysicist Garik Israelyan, co-founder and director of the STARMUS festival, spoke today at the Hetq pavilion about rock, stars, the universe and cinema, as well as the influence art has had on his life.
He shared memories of his interactions with Brian May, Stephen Hawking, Neil Armstrong and Hans Zimmer, and recounted the warmest stories from the STARMUS festival.
The conversation also touched on his childhood, his love of music and the influence of Tarkovsky's film Solaris. Israelyan spoke about the repository of star sounds and the history of STARMUS's founding.
The astrophysicist also discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on science, the myths prevalent in films about the universe, and the question of whether we are the only civilization in the universe. He answered this question clearly, emphasizing his conviction that other civilizations exist in the universe.
Israelyan's statement is particularly noteworthy in that he speaks not as a dreamy fantasist, but as an astrophysicist who has worked for decades in the study of the universe and the popularization of science. His conviction that we are not alone rests not on one specific piece of evidence, but on the scale of the universe and the discovery of numerous planets.
At the same time, he himself emphasizes that myths prevalent in films often distort scientific understanding. This is a reminder that building a bridge between science and the public remains a difficult task, and initiatives like STARMUS are trying to fill precisely that gap.
How this discussion will develop and whether science will be able to prove what Israelyan believes remains unknown. But the question of whether we are alone continues to be one of the most fascinating.
