How Solar Systems Form: Puzzles and Possibilities

Contemporary Science Issues and Innovations
March 11, 2014 Belmont Media Center, Belmont MA

Joan Najita, PhD, Astronomer, National Optical Astronomy Observatory (Tuscon, Arizona).

How do solar systems get started? Modern astronomers are still working to figure this out, and there is nothing they like better than a big challenge like this one. Dr. Najita, who is a prominent researcher in this field, discusses why planetary system formation is such a big question. She describes how astronomers investigate the formation of stars, their disks and their planetary systems. And she considers what astronomers are certain about today and why there are still many puzzles. This kind of research makes us realize that there is so much about the cosmos to discover.

Dr. Najita's October 2013 presentation at Harvard Center for Astrophysics colloquium

NOAO interview

SdtPublic bio clip: Meet Dr. Najita