Calendar Event
Today's Solar Eclipse & The Secrets Eclipses Tell About New Worlds On Our Cosmic Horizon
Today's Solar Eclipse will paint a spectacular picture on the sky, where Earth, the Moon, and the Sun highlight the fascinating dynamics of our Cosmos. But eclipses do not only reveal the movement of a planetary system; they also allow us to explore new worlds, exoplanets circling other stars. The detection of exoplanets orbiting other stars has revolutionized our view of the cosmos. First results suggests that it is teeming with a fascinating diversity of rocky planets, including those in the Habitable Zone. With the launch of NASA's flagship telescope, JWST, and upcoming next generation telescopes, we are for the first time capable to peer into the atmospheres of rocky planets that give us a glimpse into what other worlds are like. Our own planet and its wide range of biota serves as a Rosetta stone for how we could detect habitability and signs of life in the cosmos. For the first time in human history, we have developed the technology to detect potential habitable worlds. With more than 5500 discovered exoplanets, the diversity of these fascinating worlds is breathtaking - and it all started with an eclipse.
Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger is an award-winning astrophysicist and astrobiologist, Founding Director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell, Professor in Astronomy, and a pioneer and world-leading expert in modeling habitable worlds and their light fingerprint. Her research focuses on rocky planets circling other stars, with a focus on potentially Earth-like exoplanets in the Habitable Zone. Lisa Kaltenegger served among others on the National Science Foundation's Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) and on NASA senior review of operating missions. She is a Science Team Member of NASA's TESS Mission, as well as the NIRISS instrument on JWST. She has spent the last decade finding new ways to spot life in the cosmos, working with NASA And ESA from Austria to the Netherlands, Harvard, Germany, and now Cornell.
Lisa Kaltenegger was named one of Americ
For more information, contact Brennan, Ellen at 6561429 or ewixted@uvm.edu.