2023 Begeman Lecture: Searching for Other Worlds: The James Webb Space Telescope & Beyond

Wednesday, March 29, 2023 - 7:00 pm

Dr. Christopher Stark

Deputy Observatory Project Scientist, James Webb Space Telescope

The last few decades have seen an explosive growth in the number of planets detected around other stars (exoplanets). We have now discovered a multitude of exoplanets entirely unlike anything in our solar system. Yet detecting planets similar to our own around Sun-like stars has, so far, remained out of reach. With the recent successful launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), NASA has new eyes on the universe and a new tool to study exoplanets. In this talk I will review the state of the field in exoplanets and introduce the many different methods for detecting exoplanets and their limitations. I will highlight the launch and commissioning of JWST and explain how the telescope will be used to observe and characterize exoplanets. I will conclude by discussing NASA's upcoming missions and future plans to search for potentially habitable worlds like our own.

Location: 
Lang Hall Auditorium
Contact Information
Name: 
Paul Shand
Phone: 
(319) 273-2425
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