A planet formation and dynamics expert will discuss how solar systems are formed and more during a presentation from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Honokaa People’s Theatre.
A planet formation and dynamics expert will discuss how solar systems are formed and more during a presentation from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Honokaa People’s Theatre.
The discovery of thousands of extrasolar planets has spearheaded a revolution in astronomy, and Keck Observatory is playing a major role.
In this talk, professor Greg Laughlin, an expert on planet formation and dynamics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, will give an up-to-the-minute picture of the current galactic planetary census. He will also explain how the new discoveries help us understand how our own solar system formed, and whether Earth-like planets might be common in the galaxy. In addition to showing how Keck Observatory finds exoplanets, Laughlin will give an overview of how Keck Observatory can be used to search for new objects in the dim outer realms of our own solar system.