Window to the Universe

Description

The Diversity of Alien Worlds Prof. Stephen Kane, SF State University Taylor Observatory

And please check out the TAYLOR OBSERVATORY FLOAT at Pear Festival Parade -  Saturday, Sept 24, 2016 9:30 AM

7:15 PM PLANETARIUM: Short Subjects and the Sept. Night Sky (E. Alatorre)
8:00 LECTURE: Prof. Kane
9:00 PLANETARIUM: Short Subjects and the Sept Night Sky (E. Alatorre)
9:00-10:30 TELESCOPE VIEWING, highlighting the moon. (Tom Schleif, Bill Haddon)
Over the past few decades, hundreds of new planetary systems have been discovered. Many of these show remarkable diversity compared with our own Solar System. A key step towards characterizing these planets is the determination of which planets occupy the Habitable Zone (HZ) of their host stars. In this talk I will describe the properties of the HZ, the dependence on the stellar properties, and the current state of exoplanet detections in the HZ. Along the way I will attempt to dispel some common misconceptions regarding the Habitable Zone. Finally, I will present several case studies of HZ Kepler planets, including new results from Kepler and the planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. Prof. Kane, an internationally recognized expert in exoplanet discovery, has personally discovered several hundred exoplanets using novel techniques. He heads a group of 14 scientists searching for HZ planets using the Kepler Space Probe (http://kepler.nasa.gov/ ) . Prof Kane’s hobbies include playing the saxophone and – no surprise -- astronomy.