Virtual Event: Emerging Pictures of Distant Worlds (11:00 am PST)

In the past twenty five years, more than four thousand planets have been discovered orbiting other stars. Professor Macintosh will discuss these discoveries and the vast diversity of systems they have revealed, with a particular focus on imaging – using advanced telescopes and instruments to block the light from the bright star and see the faint planet directly, like looking for a firefly next to a lighthouse. He will also look toward the future where space-based telescopes with similar technology or giant light-blocking star shades may someday measure the atmosphere of an Earth twin.