Forum: Extrasolar Planets

Historically the subject of alien worlds has been mainly the stuff of wild speculation by science fiction authors and artists. However this all changed dramatically in October 1995 when Geneva Observatory detected a planet circling the star 51 Pegasi. Since that time several other planets have been found circling other stars, and now the race to find new alien worlds is an extremely hot (and competitive) area of scientific exploration. It now appears likely that planetary systems around stars is fairly common, and a small percentage of these foreign planets are undoubtedly capable of supporting life in some form. The profound historical importance of finding alien worlds should not be under estimated.

On a mountain top outside of Safford, Arizona at Mt. Graham Observatory, a major international scientific collaboration is responsible for the current construction of a highly sophisticated Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). The goal of the project is to construct a powerful binocular telescope consisting of two large (nearly 28 feet) light gathering mirrors spaced apart on a common mount. Thanks to the latest in sensor technology and fast computer adaptive optics, blurring due to atmospheric conditions will largely be eliminated. For optical and infrared observations, the LBT is expected to allow much more detailed analysis of fainter more distant sources (such as distant planetary systems) than other telescopes; including the Hubble Space Telescope.

Our speaker for the April Forum is Peter Wehinger Ph.D., Research Professor in Physics/Astronomy at ASU. Professor Wehinger plays a significant role in ASU’s involvement in the international LBT collaborative effort. The topics to be covered in Professor Wehinger’s presentation include:

1. Plans for the Large Binocular Telescope.

2. The exciting search for alien planets.

3. The possibility of intelligent life on these alien planets.

It should prove to be a very thought provoking and interesting Forum. Please plan to attend.

To get to AutoNation, take the Ray Road exit off I-10 East, turn left over the freeway on Ray, then turn left at the first road (54^th Street), go one block and turn left on Orchard. The Post-Forum discussion will be at Keegans only a few blocks away.

Questions?: Call Jerry Corbin at 438-0958

Note: The artistic visualization for the foreign planet is ©Lynette Cook, www.spaceart.org/lcook/

The LBT visualization is at http://medusa.as.arizona.edu/lbtwww/telescop.html