Dr. Kaspar von Braun, a staff scientist at NASA’s Exoplanet Institute at Caltech, will be the speaker at the Mt. Wilson Observatory Assn. lecture series on Sat., Sept. 25 at the Altadena Library.  Refreshments start at 2 PM., lecture at 2:30.

Transiting extrasolar planets provide a wealth of information on the physics and atmospheric properties of these planets, and arguably represent the currently most dynamic field in all of astronomy.  Dr. von Braun wil give some background on what information can be learned from studying transiting exoplanetary systems, how astronomers have managed to find almost 100 of them to date, and where else and how else one may look for them.

Illustration by NASA/Ames Research Center/JPL.