Join the search for exoplanets beyond our solar system and discover what they teach us about Earth
Over the past 30 years, we have discovered thousands of exoplanets, which are planets located outside of our solar system. At the same time, we only know of one planet where life definitely exists – Earth. This Exploring Space lecture will be a journey from our own home to worlds that exist trillions of miles away. Leading us on this journey is Knicole Colón, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and deputy project scientist for exoplanet science for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
She will explore what we know about those distant exoplanets and their similarities and differences to Earth, based on information collected from a multitude of telescopes on Earth and in space. While we cannot yet travel to exoplanets, we are able to continue advancing our knowledge of them thanks in great part to the launch of new space telescopes, like JWST. Our studies of exoplanets ultimately help us better understand Earth as a planet.
This program will be presented in-person in the Rasmuson Theater at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and will be streamed live on YouTube with live closed captioning. Registration is required for in person attendance and encouraged for online viewing.
Register to attend in person at the National Museum of the American Indian.
About the Exploring Space Lecture Series
Eyes on Earth
Access to space hasn’t just allowed us to learn more about stars and other planets, it has also given us new tools and a new vantage point from which to learn about our home on Earth and the complex and interacting systems that make it a habitable world. The 2022 Exploring Space Lecture Series will highlight work done in space today to better understand our shared history with our planet, with remote sensing, human observation, and exoplanet science searching for new Earths. Discover all the programs in this year’s series.
The Exploring Space Lecture Series is made possible by the generous support of Aerojet Rocketdyne and United Launch Alliance.
Presented Online and at the National Museum of the American Indian