Vermont Astronomical Society April Monthly Meeting

The in-person will be at the Brownell Library on 2A near 5-Corners in Essex Junction.

If you attend via Zoom please get on-line before 7:30.  If you don't have Zoom installed, the application will automatically download and install when you click the meeting link.  This may take a couple minutes.

PRESENTATION:

Exoplanets – Finding Planets Around Other Stars
Presented by Neil Perlin

Just a few decades ago, exoplanets were science fiction. No more. The first exoplanets were found in 1992. Today, that number is nearing 6,000 confirmed, with many more waiting to be reviewed. And the closest exoplanet is only 4.2 light years away. 
But how do we find planets that are even "only" 4.2 light years - 25,300,000,000,000 miles - away? Can non-astronomers help? Come to this presentation to find out. We’ll look at:

●    What types of exoplanets have we found? What do these findings indicate? 
●    How to find exoplanets using techniques like transit, radial velocity, and microlensing. These techniques may sound incomprehensible but their concepts are often straightforward. For example, if you've ever had a moth fly in front of your porch light, you understand the concept behind the transit technique.
●    Two ways for amateurs to investigate exoplanets. 

The more we learn, the stranger and more interesting the universe becomes.

Following the main presentation, our recurring monthly presentations will include Constellation of the Month  by Terri Zittritsch.