Exploring the mysterious outskirts of our solar system will be the
subject of a free public lecture at Foothill College on Wednesday,
Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. PST. The talk is entitled “The Search for Planet
X: Exploring the Solar System Beyond Neptune.”
Dr. Eugene Chiang, assistant professor of astronomy and Earth and
planetary science at the University of California at Berkeley, will
discuss how new discoveries are revealing an array of interesting new
objects – including several mini-planets – at the far reaches of our
planetary system.
The lecture will be held at Foothill College’s Smithwick Theatre in
Los Altos Hills, Calif.
“NASA Ames is pleased to co-sponsor the popular Silicon Valley
Astronomy Lecture Series, now in its fifth successful year,” said
NASA Ames Research Center Director G. Scott Hubbard. “This series is
an important element in our efforts to inspire the next generation of
space explorers.”
Chiang is well known for his ability to discuss astronomical topics
in non-technical terms. Chiang holds a bachelor’s degree in physics
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate from
the California Institute of Technology. His research includes
extra-solar planetary dynamics, planetary rings, proto-planetary
disks and the Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt.
The Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series is co-sponsored by NASA
Ames, Foothill College’s Division of Physical Science, Mathematics
and Engineering, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the SETI
Institute.
To get to Smithwick Theater from Interstate 280, exit at El Monte
Road and travel west to the campus. Visitors must purchase a one-day
campus-parking permit for $2. Seating is on a first-come,
first-served basis. Young people are welcome. More information is
available by calling the series hotline at 650/949-7888.
