Speaker Series – 'Exoplanets: The Search for Life Beyond Our Solar System'

When: April 12, 2018 6:00pm

To launch Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium's new planetarium show "Undiscovered Worlds," which reveals the wonders of exoplanets (planets that orbit other stars, not our Sun), Flandrau will host a speaker series called "Exoplanets: The Search For Life Beyond Our Solar System" featuring UA scientists who study exoplanets with once-a-month presentations in March, April, and May. Speakers and dates are listed below.

In the past decade, thousands of exoplanets have been discovered. Dozens of astronomers and planetary scientists here at the University of Arizona study exoplanets, so we've organized this three-part series to highlight exoplanet research that is happening right here at UA. All the presentations will take place in the Eos Foundation Planetarium Theater at Flandrau. In recent years, scientists have honed the methods they use to find planets orbiting other stars in our Milky Way galaxy, and many of the telescopes around Tucson have participated in this rush of discovery. Now these telescopes, and researchers, are searching for planets that may have the right conditions to host life as we know it – liquid water and an atmosphere.

Come and see UA scientists talking about their research in this groundbreaking field of astronomy and planetary science.

Doors for each lecture open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at the Flandrau front desk. Ticket price includes showing of our newest fulldome planetarium show "Undiscovered Worlds." First come, first served. Seating is limited. 

Click here to learn more.

Lecture dates and times:

Thursday, March 15, 6 p.m.

  • Speaker: Betul Kacar, assistant professor of astronomy, Steward Observatory and assistant professor, molecular and cellular biology
  • Title: "What Is Astrobiology?"
  • Speaker: Josh Lothringer, Ph.D. candidate in planetary science, UA Lunar and Planetary Lab
  • Title: "What Can We Learn From Exoplanet Atmospheres?"

Thursday, April 12, 6 p.m.

  • Speaker: Tommi Koskinen, assistant professor, UA Lunar and Planetary Lab
  • Title: "What Are Extreme Hot Jupiters?"
  • Speaker: Serena Kim, associate astronomer, Steward Observatory
  • Title: "The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems"

Thursday, May 17, 6 p.m.

  • Speaker: Peter Behroozi, assistant professor, Steward Observatory
  • Title: "Studying Galaxies to Calculate Rates of Planet Formation"
  • Speaker: Lauren Schatz, Ph.D. candidate, UA College of Optical Sciences
  • Title: "Optical Engineering in the Search for Exoplanets"

Audience: All
Audience size: Large (101-500)
Price: $10

Where

Campus: Main Campus

Address

Contact info & links

Contacts

Shipherd Reed Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium

Requests for disability-related accommodations should be directed to the event's primary contact: Shipherd Reed