Since the Nobel prize winning discovery of 51 Peg b in 1995, we have discovered over 5000 exoplanets — planets orbiting other stars — using a bewildering array of techniques, observatories, surveys, and space missions. These strange new worlds are as myriad and diverse as people, each with its own unique personality. Also like people, many of these worlds are both unexpected and difficult to understand. I will provide a guided tour of the search for exoplanets, introducing some of the stranger denizens of the realm, and discuss the prospects for discovering the most exciting of them all - a world capable of supporting life.
Dr. B. Scott Gaudi is the Thomas Jefferson Professor for Discovery and Space Exploration in the Department of Astronomy at The Ohio State University. Dr. Gaudi has been a faculty member in the Department of Astronomy since 2006. His research focuses on the search for and characterization of exoplanets, and he has discovered over 100 exoplanets. He self-identifies as an autistic, gay man and is strongly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Reception location: Ohio Union Great Hall Meeting Room
Science Sundays is a free lecture series open to the public that provides a wide range of current and emerging topics and issues in science that touch our everyday lives. Speakers are experts in their fields from on campus and around the world with experience in making their topics interesting and accessible for audiences of all ages, with or without a science background.
Each lecture is followed by a free, informal reception from 4-5 p.m. at the Ohio Union.
