From: LARRY KLAES (ljk4_at_msn.com)
Date: Thu Nov 18 2004 - 08:07:01 PST
Astronomy
Gold Lecture: "Planets, Yellowstone and Prospects for Life in the Universe," Geoff Marcy, University of California-Berkeley, Dec. 2, 4:45 p.m., Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall.
http://www.astro.cornell.edu/events/gold/fall2003/index.php "The Properties of Planetary Systems," Geoff Marcy, University of California-Berkeley, Nov. 29, 4:30 p.m., Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall.
About 6% of nearby stars harbor Jupiter and Saturn-sized planets with orbits smaller than that of Mars. The planet mass distribution rises rapidly toward smaller masses, with the lowest detectable masses being near that of Neptune. Multiple planets are common, and many reside in dynamical resonances which, together with high orbital eccentricities, suggest that gravitational interactions between planet-planet and planet-disk shape the final architectures of planetary systems. The occurrence of planets correlates with the abundance of heavy elements in the host star.
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: Thu Nov 18 2004 - 08:19:36 PST
We have now discovered over 140 planetary systems to compare with our own Solar System. The comparisons are revealing whether habitable planets are common or rare in our Milky Way Galaxy. Meanwhile on Earth, life thrives in extraordinariliy harsh environments, suggesting that life elsewhere in the Galaxy must be abundant. Searches for extraterrestrial life, both microbial and intelligent, are being pursued vigorously. However, there is a nagging absence of evidence of other advanced civilizations.
Astronomy & Spaces Sciences
"Transiting Extrasolar Planets," Drake Demming, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Nov. 18, 4:30 p.m., 105 Space Sciences Building.