ONLINE: Astronomy Talk: Are Red Dwarf Exoplanets Habitable?
Details
*************************** This is an online event *******************************
We don't have the regular access to the clubhouse yet. But the night sky is still there, and there's still lots to learn. So we'll do this online.
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Many of SJAA’s events, like this one, are public and free to attend, but if you’re enjoying what SJAA has to offer, consider becoming a paid member for only $20 per year: https://www.sjaa.net/membership/benefits-of-membership-2/
Come join us for our monthly Astronomy talk!
Topic: Are Red Dwarf Exoplanets Habitable?
Speaker: Dr. Gibor Basri
Abstract:
A lot of exciting recent news about exoplanets has involved the discovery of “Earth-sized” planets in the “habitable zone” of "red dwarf" stars. This is partly due to the fact they are easier to find than “true Earth analogs", and partly because most stars are red dwarfs. I’ll give a background on red dwarfs, and concentrate on the current debate about whether such planets could plausibly harbor life. Strikes against them include tidal locking (so one side of the planet always faces the star) and the effects of stellar magnetic activity on their atmospheres (red dwarf habitable zones are much closer to active stars). I’ll explain these and other issues in more detail and indicate how our understanding is evolving. I will also offer possible solutions to each of the concerns.
Bio:
Gibor Basri received a B.Sc. in Physics from Stanford University and Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. An award of a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship then brought him to the University of California, Berkeley. He joined the faculty of the Berkeley Astronomy Department in 1982, and became a full professor in 1994. A high resolution spectroscopist, he was an early pioneer and expert in the study of brown dwarfs, as well as star formation and stellar magnetic activity. He has extensively used telescopes at the Lick and Keck Observatories, along with space telescopes. Prof. Basri was a Co-Investigator on NASA's Kepler mission, which revolutionized our knowledge about exoplanets. He is still active in research despite being officially retired.