Talks take place on Thursday afternoons, starting at 2pm, and usually take place in the Lecture Hall, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA. These are free for Oxford u3a members but you are welcome to attend as a guest for a donation of £5 (£2 for members of all other U3As).
Most talks are recorded on Zoom for the benefit of those Oxford u3a members who are unable to attend Rewley House.
In the event of adverse weather conditions, please telephone Rewley House (01865 270360), to enquire whether the talk has been cancelled.
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Professor Raymond PierreHumbert – Exoplanets: The New Frontier
17th October 2024 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Raymond Pierrehumbert is the Halley Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Royal Society. He has been awarded the title of Chevelier de l’Ordre des Palmes Academiques by the Republic of France, for his work on climate.
This lecture will introduce the audience to the new world of exoplanets — planets orbiting stars other than our own. A mere 30 years ago, it was not really known if the solar system was the only system hosting planets in the galaxy; now we know it is almost impossible for a star to form without also forming planets. This represents a giant step on the way to answering the question of whether we are alone in the universe. This talk will be based on the author’s book Planetary Systems: A Very Short Introduction, with updates to incorporate the latest data from the James Webb space telescope.