Irish Astronomers Find Planets!
The Future of Planet-Hunting - Lecture Report and DVD
The search for exoplanets is one of the most exciting fields in astronomy and will perhaps one day answer the question of whether we are alone in the Universe. Although searching for alien worlds dates back to ancient times the techniques needed to detect them have only recently been developed with the first exoplanet being discovered in 1992. The possibility of finding life on another planet is a thrilling one not only for astronomers but also for a huge proportion of the general public, and this was clearly evident at Astronomy Ireland’s August lecture in Trinity College on Monday night, August 8th. The Schroedinger theatre was packed full of people eager to hear Professor Don Pollacco from Queen's University, Belfast, speak about the next generation of exoplanet surveys and get a clue as to where in our galaxy we may find our alien neighbours.
Prof Pollacco is a research astronomer in the Astrophysics Research Centre at QUB, and he is part of a team who uses and operates SuperWASP instruments. SuperWASP is a leading extra-solar planet detection programme. It consists of two robotic observatories that operate all year round allowing astronomers to cover both hemispheres of the sky. The observatories each consist of eight wide-angle cameras that simultaneously monitor the sky for planetary transit events. Prof Pollacco explained that a transit occurs when a planet passes in front of its parent star temporarily blocking some of the light from it. The SuperWASP instruments look for these tiny dips in the brightness of the parent star. The eight wide-angle cameras allow them to monitor millions of stars simultaneously enabling the detection of rare transit events.
Prof Pollacco examined the possibilities of finding life in the Milky Way and, indeed, intelligent civilisations who wish to make contact. For a long time the numbers in the famous Drake Equation (which determines the number of civilisations) were simply down to guesswork: numbers such as how many stars will have planets around them, how many are capable of supporting life, and so on. However, in recent years, thanks to the work of Prof Pollacco and other astronomers, we can now make educated estimates of these numbers. At the lecture, Prof Pollacco showed that the number of intelligent, contactable civilisations in our galaxy may be as high as 20,000!
Following the lecture, attendees went to The Lombard Inn for complimentary food and a chat with Prof Pollacco and other attendees.
A full report and photos of the event are available HERE.
If you were unable to make it to the lecture, or would like a souvenir, you can order a copy of the lecture on DVD, for only €7 plus P&P. Remember you can order as many DVDs of our previous lectures as you like for the same postage cost of €5.
Order your DVD HERE.
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