The Light of Distant Worlds

Featuring Dr. Zach Berta-Thompson Presented by Astronaut Ice Cream Door time: 7:00 Show time: 7:30 Everything glows. Everything emits light. Stars and light bulbs emit visible light we can see with our eyes; planets and people emit infrared light that can be felt as heat or seen with infrared cameras. In this talk, we will explore how astronomers use all kinds of light to observe planets orbiting other stars. These “exoplanets” are so distant they will never appear as anything more than mere twinkling points of light in the sky. Yet, with careful observations we can find them, measure the color of their sunsets, feel the heat emanating from their surfaces, determine the composition of their atmospheres, and maybe eventually search them for photosynthetic alien life. Join us for a friendly tour of some of the weird planets out there in the Universe, how they help us view our own planet in a new light, and a celebration of the ways modern exoplanet science relies on phenomena most people can experience from Earth: light, color, rainbows, eclipses, and curiosity. Image Credit: NASA ALL TICKET PRICES ARE INCLUSIVE OF SERVICE FEES