Lowell Observatory: Worlds Revealed Speaker Series – Exploring the Solar System with JWST with Dr. Cristina Thomas
August 28 @ 7:00 pm - 7:45 pm
Free with Admission
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is best known for studying distant galaxies and planets around other stars, but it is also a powerful tool for exploring worlds much closer to home. This talk will explore how JWST is being used to study planets and small bodies in our Solar System. It will highlight recent observations of 3I/ATLAS, only the third known object seen passing through our Solar System from another star system, and explore what this remarkable telescope is revealing about the worlds in our own cosmic backyard.
Dr. Cristina Thomas is a professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science at Northern Arizona University. Her research focuses on asteroids, including near-Earth objects and targets of spacecraft missions. She uses telescopic observations to study their compositions and physical properties. Her work has a focus on planetary defense and she led the Observations Working Group for NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission.
This program is included with General Admission.
Ages 13+