Within the lifetime of many people today, exoplanets - planets circling other stars - were science fiction. No more. The first exoplanets were confirmed in 1992. Space probes since then have pushed the number up to about 5,000, with the closest one only 4.2 light years away.

But how do we find planets that are even "only" 4.2 light years - 25,300,000,000,000 miles - away? How can non-astronomers help? Come to this presentation to find out why exoplanets aren't science fiction any more.

What we'll look at:
What are exoplanets?
When did we start finding exoplanets? And who first found them?
What types of exoplanets have been found so far? What do these types indicate?
How to find exoplanets using transit, radial velocity, microlensing, orbital brightness modulation, and radio detection. If you're not an astronomer, these methods sound incomprehensible but if you've ever had a moth fly in front of your porch light you understand the transit technique, for example.
And, finally, two citizen science venues for non-scientists who want to investigate exoplanets.

Presented by the Lamoille County Star Gazers.

Event Info

Dec 27, 2024, 12 to 4:30 PM

Jan 1, 2025

Jan 3, 2025