Arpita Roy, Space Telescope Science Institute
It has been three decades since astronomers first discovered planets outside our Solar System. This profound scientific moment established the field of exoplanet science and has led us on a whirlwind tour of other worlds, none of which (so far) have been quite like our own. With a few thousand planets under our belt, we are now preparing to hone in on truly Earth-like planets by upgrading some of our oldest planet-hunting tools. Dr. Roy will trace the history of the Nobel Prize-winning “radial velocity” or “Doppler” technique — from the 1970s to current day, from non-precision to extreme precision spectroscopy. We will traverse four orders of magnitude in improvement, and encounter surprisingly dangerous experiments. All of these developments have led to an unprecedented view of the subtle dance being performed by the stars in our sky.
– News from the Universe starts at 3:36
– Main talk starts at 12:55
Host: Frank Summers, Space Telescope Science Institute
Recorded live on Tuesday, February 1, 2022
More information: www.stsci.edu/public-lectures