Guest Lecture Addresses Search for Habitable PlanetsJames Kasting, a geosciences professor at Penn State, will discuss techniques for planet finding and possible alternative indicators for life during his presentation, “How to Find a Habitable Planet.”
The public lecture will be held March 10 at 7 p.m. in Lind Lecture Hall Room 126 at Weber State University.
In recent years, the search for signs of life in the universe has gained momentum with the discovery of hundreds of planets outside our solar system. Within the next two decades, astronomers hope to identify Earth-like planets around nearby stars and search their atmosphere for signs of life.
The presence of oxygen, which is produced from photosynthesis, or ozone, which is produced photochemically from oxygen, would under most circumstances provide strong evidence for life beyond Earth.
Following the free lecture, Kasting will be available to sign copies of his new book.
The event is sponsored by WSU’s Department of Physics, Honors Program and Ott Planetarium.
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