15th Oct

7pm

"Extrasolar planets: discovering other worlds"

Speaker: Rosemary Mardling (Monash)
Location: C1 lecture theatre, as for previous events
Title: "Extrasolar planets: Discovering other worlds"
Date: Thursday 15th October 2009

Although we have long suspected the Universe is home to trillions upon trillions of planets like our own, the world had to wait until 1992 for the announcement of the discovery of planets outside the Solar System. Seventeen years later over 370 planets are known, most of which are in in systems which look nothing like our own. How and why are they so different? What does this tell us about our own planetary system? Is our Solar System a rare jewel in the vastness of space, or is it simply that we don't have the ability to find other us's yet? The feeble light emitted by planets, most of which is simply reflected starlight, is almost impossible to detect in the fierce light of the parent star. How is this difficulty overcome? What do the world's astronomers have planned for the future?

Dr Rosemary Mardling is a Monash astrophysicist who uses mathematics to understand how systems of stars and planets move under the influence of their own gravity. She will discuss these and other questions in this final lecture of the Monash IYA 2009 series.