ASTR 16
An Infinity of Worlds: Planets and the Search for Life Winter 2019

This is not the current course catalog

Less than a generation ago, we wondered, as we had for millions of years before, whether there were any other planets at all. Now, we are privileged to be in the first generation of humans to know that many of the points of light dusting our night sky are host to orbiting worlds, some of which may be like our Earth. In this course, we will explore the techniques that are being used to discover these new worlds. We will make our own contributions to this great age of discovery, by using remotely-operated telescopes in Australia to gather data on new planets. This course, meant for non-majors, will deal with the science of planet hunting, the astounding diversity of planets known to exist, the emerging science of astrobiology, and the enduring question of “are we alone?” through works of science fiction and cutting-edge research. Adjunct Instructor Bio: Rob Wittenmyer ’98 is Associate Professor of astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia. He is a veteran planet hunter with nearly 20 published planet discoveries.