How to Find a Habitable Planet
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
4:00 p.m. Discovery Station (in front of Welcome Center)
5:15 p.m. Lecture in the Albert Einstein Planetarium
6:30 p.m. Telescope observing at Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory, weather permitting
Astronomers have recently discovered exoplanets that might be suitable for life. Learn about the tools and techniques used to search for other worlds and detect signs of life.
Smithsonian's Stars lectures are suitable for ages 13 and up.
The Smithsonian’s Stars Lecture Series is made possible by a grant from NASA.-
Astronomers using data from NASA’s Kepler mission have discovered the three smallest planets yet detected orbiting a star beyond our sun. The planets orbit a single star, called KOI-961, and are 0.78, 0.73 and 0.57 times the radius of Earth. The smallest is about the size of Mars. All three planets are thought to be rocky like Earth, but orbit close to their star. That makes them too hot to be in the habitable zone, which is the region where liquid water could exist.
How to attend
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
6th St. and Independence Ave SW. Washington, DC 20560
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