NASA illustration
The Boise State Department of Physics will host a free lecture titled “Exoplanets: Closer than Ever!” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in Multipurpose Classroom Building Room 101. Weather permitting, the lecture will be followed by star-gazing on top of the Brady Garage from 8:30-11 p.m.
The public astronomy presentation about exoplanets features special guest Elisabeth Adams, associate research scientist at the Planetary Science Institute based in Tucson, Arizona, and Boise State physicist Brian Jackson.
Between planets that orbit so close to their stars that their year is measured in hours to the recently discovered planet around the closest star to Earth, called Proxima Centauri b, exoplanets have never been closer. Adams and Jackson will discuss what it would be like to visit an ultra-short-period planet, as well as a not-entirely-crazy plan to send probes to Proxima Centauri b.
Learn more about astronomy opportunities at Boise State at http://www.astrojack.com/hot-exoplanets.
BY: KATHLEEN TUCK PUBLISHED 11:45 AM / OCTOBER 26, 2016