Caltech Forward Part 2: Onward & Upward

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Where did the universe come from? Is there life on other planets? For nearly a century, Caltech astronomers and physicists have shaped the way we understand the universe and our place in it. Today, Caltech faculty members Andrew Howard, Dimitri Mawet, Mansi Kasliwal, and Rana Adhikari are searching the cosmos to find habitable earth-like planets, characterize cosmic fireworks, observe gravitational waves, and help answer some of humanity’s biggest questions. Learn more and get involved at https://giving.caltech.edu/. In this video: Professor of Astronomy Andrew W. Howard discusses the search for planets that have the same mass and temperature as Earth. Using telescopes in Hawaii, in California, and in space, he and his team discover and characterize extrasolar planets—planets orbiting stars other than the Sun—to learn how they have formed and evolved. Dimitri Mawet, the David Morrisroe Professor of Astronomy and Jet Propulsion Laboratory Senior Research Scientist, describes his hunt for small, Earth-like planets where life might exist. While most of the thousands of exoplanets in the universe were detected using indirect techniques, Mawet uses direct, high-contrast imaging and spectroscopy that have not only provided striking pictures of other worlds, but also yielded the most detailed measurements to date by remote sensing of exoplanet atmospheres. The prospect for finding life beyond Earth, he says, has never been better, and Caltech is well positioned to lead the w

Published 2024-01-25 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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