Space

Daniel will be talking about the reasons astronomers always build their telescopes on top of mountains, as space telescopes outside of Earth’s atmosphere or even on airplanes as flying observatories. He will explain how he “is getting high” himself to chase Alien Worlds – planets outside our solar system – and how he measures their atmospheric composition. Finally Dr. Angerhausen will show how our generation is the first in history that has a realistic chance to answer the millennia old question: “Are we alone in the Universe?”

Why are the planets that are distant from the Sun, such as Jupiter and Saturn, largely gaseous? And why are those closest to the Sun, such as the Earth, predominantly made of rock? These differences may be linked with the heliocentric distances at which these planets are found. I examine the evolution of thought as to how the gross structure and composition of the planets we observe today came to pass. I also touch upon the current and future state of planetary research in our Solar System and beyond.