Oct. 20, 2018, 6:30 p.m.

In ancient times, it was believed that the Earth was the center of the entire universe. Over the centuries, our view has evolved, as we have discovered that our location in space is not at the center of anything at all. Instead, the Earth is just one of countless planets in the Milky Way galaxy and beyond. Recent discoveries have detected thousands of these “exoplanets” orbiting distant stars throughout the universe. These discoveries are revolutionizing our understanding of the formation of solar systems, and our own history. Astronomer Dr. Henry Throop will discuss the history of exoplanets and give an update on the latest discoveries from ground-based telescopes and NASA missions such as Kepler and TESS.

About Dr. Henry Throop

Dr. Throop is a Senior Scientist with the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona. He has been a member of the science team for NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto since 2003, and was involved in its historic flyby of Pluto in 2015. He has written award-winning software for operations planning, and been involved with the Cassini mission’s imaging team. Dr. Throop has consulted and managed programs for NASA and the NSF, and helped develop the science programs of rural schools in Africa. He has presented more than 100 lectures for science festivals, planetariums, school groups, and public events across the USA, Mexico, and Africa. Dr. Throop’s work has been featured in Science, Nature, Time, The Washington Post, on the History Channel, and on National Geographic TV.

Total Duration: 40 minutes, plus Q&A; Target Audience: Older students and adults.

About the parking...

There is still free parking around the planetarium, but most of the spaces on the north and east side of the building have been fenced off now and will not be available until after construction is finished. Limited parking is available in the lot for the aquatic center, on the side nearest the planetarium. Visitors may also parking the “deck” to the north of the building, and in the Buck Co. lot on the opposite side of Quincy. Street parking is also available along Quincy. This is metered until 8 pm. Please allow a little extra time to find parking for shows at the planetarium, and thanks for your patience!

Our capacity is 58 seats. We set aside 20 seats to accommodate those who arrive without a reservation, so if the show is sold out you can still try to attend by arriving close to 6 p.m. However, although we will do whatever we can to seat all comers, there is no guarantee of admission without a reservation.