Astrophysics: Exoplanets – Discovering and Characterising New Worlds with Will Dunn from University College London

We live in the Golden Age of Exoplanet discovery. Twenty-two years ago, scientists debated whether planets orbiting other stars existed at all. In 1995, the first of these ‘exoplanets’ was discovered and, in the last 6 years, the field has expanded dramatically, leading to the discovery of thousands of new worlds.

Astronomers have found planets that are giant diamonds, water-worlds and even a planet less dense than polystyrene. The more we find, the more diverse and exotic we realise the Universe is and the more privileged and unique Earth appears to be.

Are we incredibly fortunate in our home or have we just been looking in the wrong places?

In this session Will Dunn, a PhD student at UCL, will utilise common curriculum science such as the Doppler effect and spectroscopy, to demonstrate how we discover and characterise these new worlds. He will then apply some of the mathematics from this exciting new field to probe the properties of these planets and to understand whether they might be able to support life.

During the session Will will also be able to talk to students about studying at UCL and, more generally, in London if students wish to explore this.

Suitable for: Year 12 Most Able students. This lecture is of particular relevance to students studying Sciences and Maths.

Preparation/Pre-reading: There is no pre-reading or preparation required for this session. Students may like to consider questions surrounding the subject matter and studying this at university.

The IT Setup: The setup is similar to Skype, using a pc and webcam, although students take part as a group with the image projected on a whiteboard rather than as individuals in front of lots of pcs. Dedicated videoconferencing equipment is also compatible if available to the school. We will work with your IT department to ensure everything is set up and working prior to the event. The sessions are generally limited to 3 or 4 schools to maintain the interactive nature of the experience.

Booking a Place: If you have a group that you would like to take part in this event, please contact us via email or by using the contact form on the right of this page. We will book your place subject to availability.