In the past decade astronomers have identified over one hundred planets orbiting stars other than the sun. What are those worlds like and is it likely that they host living organisms? Astronomers have also observed organic molecules in interstellar space, many of them orbiting young stars that are probably just now forming planetary systems. How do these systems compare to our own solar system as it was forming? Are distant planetary systems anything like our own? If intelligent life has evolved elsewhere in the galaxy, could extra-terrestrials travel between stars? Might they have tried to communicate with us or visit us? We can explore these questions by applying some very simple principles of physics, biology, and chemistry. Come join the discussion!
Ithaca College has joined up with the Ithaca Visitors Bureau to feature a presentation on ET life by Professor Luke Keller from the Physics Department at Ithaca College, scheduled for Tuesday, February 19, 2008. The Visitors Bureau is highlighting the event in its annual Winter Recess teachers festival, February 18-22. Details are online at http://www.ithacalovesteachers.com/.
Luke Keller, Assistant Professor of Physics, has been teaching at Ithaca College for five years. Dr. Keller is a member of a team of scientists using the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope to study the formation and evolution of extra-solar planetary systems. He currently supports imaging and spectroscopic instrumentation under a NASA contract for a new airborne infrared observatory. He is co-investigator on an NSF-funded program of research on performance-based methods for teaching introductory physics and astronomy.
Searching for Extra-terrestrial Life: Molecules, UFOs, and Little Green Men
