Public Talk on "Hubble Breakthrough: First Image of a Planet Around Another Star"

published Oct 1, 2009 12:00am

Oct 7, 2009 - Oct 7, 2009

"Hubble Breakthrough: The First Photos of a Planet Orbiting Another Star"

A Free Public Lecture by Prof. Paul Kalas, University of California, Berkeley
part of the 11th Annual Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures
in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, El Monte Road and Freeway 280
Los Altos Hills, California. (Parking on campus costs $2.)

Call the series hot-line at 650-949-7888 for more information and driving directions.

Paul Kalas was the leader of the team who managed the long-sought feat of actually taking a photograph of a planet orbiting another star. Before this, all the planets outside our solar system were found by indirect means. He will describe how they achieved the breakthrough using the Hubble Space Telescope and discuss the wide range of planets out there that astronomers are discovering. (The discovery was named one of the top ten science achievements in 2008 by the journals Science and Nature.)

Dr. Kalas is Associate Professors in the Astronomy Department at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an observational astronomer focusing on imaging dusty disks around nearby stars, using some of the world's largest telescopes.

No background in science will be required for this talk. Seating is first come, first served.

One unit of astronomy course credit at Foothill is available to those who attend all six of the
Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures in 2009-2010 (you may watch one on the Web) and write a short paper. Lectures are always on Wednesday evenings, and there are two each quarter, from October through May. To register for the course, Astronomy 36, go to: http://www.foothill.edu/reg or pick up the paperwork on October 7th.

The lectures are co-sponsored by:
* NASA Ames Research Center
* The Foothill College Astronomy Program
* The SETI Institute
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

This talk is part of the local events celebrating the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.

Past Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are now available in MP3 format at:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/podcast/index.html