Ever-changing astronomy research and discoveries of extrasolar planets will be the focus of a presentation by Kevin France, research associate at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy and University of Colorado Boulder lecturer.
France will present “Extrasolar Planets: First Views of Alien Worlds” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 13 at the Louisville Public Library, 951 Spruce Street. The event is free and open to the public.
The program will detail the explosion of discovery in the field of extrasolar planets, from the first planet discovered orbiting another star in 1995 to the more than 700 extrasolar planets known today. France will begin with a review of our planetary system, from the times of the Greeks when planets had a mythological significance to the present day when we debate over Pluto’s inclusion as a member of the planetary family.
“I will describe how the first extrasolar planets were discovered and the techniques that are used for most planet-searches today,” he said. “The planets that we have found orbiting other stars have shocked astronomers and thrown the traditional picture of solar system formation on its ear.”
France will examine the discovery of a surprising class of “hot Jupiters,” focusing on the use of modern telescopes—particularly the Hubble Space Telescope—to determine planet size, composition, and temperature.
“I will close by outlining active areas of extrasolar planet research and what we can hope to discover in the next decade about Earth-like planets around other stars,” he said.
Part of a series called CU at the Library, the March 13 program is jointly sponsored by the Louisville Public Library and the CU-Boulder Office for University Outreach. It is one of many 2011-2012 programs offered through CU-Boulder partnerships with local libraries. For more information, visit http://conted.colorado.edu/library/
-CU-Boulder Office for University Outreach-