Art of Science: Exoplanet Atmospheres and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
@ Parlour & Ramp Gallery
2130 W 21st St, Chicago, IL 60608
Opening Thursday, October 24th, from 7 PM - 10 PM
In this science outreach series, scientists present different scientific topics to the general public in a laid-back atmosphere in an art gallery.
Please mark your calendar for the upcoming fall 2024 events:
11/21/24 – Genetics
12/12/24 – Psychology
More information will be given closer to each event.
The October 2024 event:
Exoplanet Atmospheres and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Presented by Dr. Michael Zhang
University of Chicago
(full abstract below)
PRESENTATION BEGINS AT 8 PM.
Exciting science, art and socializing.
Donation bar.
Vegan snacks.
Events are always free and open to all, so feel free to invite others.
Hope to see you there!
Parlour & Ramp Gallery is at 2130 W. 21st St.
Easily accessible by the pink line (Damen stop) and the Damen Ave. (#50) bus. Some street parking available.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100025530925368.
Facebook event page,
https://www.facebook.com/events/1239819500398983
If you are not already a member, you are invited to join the Art of Science group and be invited to future events.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/308458645920283/
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/artofsciencechicago/
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Exoplanet Atmospheres and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Exoplanets orbit distant stars many light years away. Six times bigger than its predecessor, the Hubble Space Telescope, the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has peered into the atmospheres of exoplanets in unprecedented detail. It has shown us what these distant worlds are made of, what exotic chemical reactions are active, how they look like in the infrared, and what clouds they host.
Dr. Zhang will show some of the more intriguing results and address the question of finding life on these exoplanets: where should we look, and how would we know when we find it? JWST has already observed potentially habitable planets, but the results are not the easiest to interpret. Come to the talk to find out why!
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Michael Zhang is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago. He grew up in Toronto and worked at Microsoft as a software engineer before obtaining an astronomy PhD at Caltech. His research focuses on observing exoplanet atmospheres with big telescopes, especially the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the 10 meter Keck telescopes in Hawaii. He is especially interested in whether small, rocky planets can hold on to atmospheres. In his spare time he likes flying remote controlled planes.
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Image credit: AI-generated by Michael Zhang using DALL-E 3
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