AoT Leiden: Observing Exoplanets!

For our next event, we will be back at Grandcafé De Burcht (Burgsteeg 14, 2312 JS Leiden) on Monday 25 October at 20:00 CEST. It’s a free event, but registration is required due to COVID-19 regulations! Please read the important information below (coronavirus pass required to enter).

There is limited space so save your seat at https://aotleiden.eventbrite.nl and join us for an evening of informal astronomy, fun games, and great beer! Dora Klindžić and Willeke Mulder will tell us about astronomical instrumentation and observing exoplanets.

Dora Klindžić: “Observing the Earth as an exoplanet”

Dora will talk about the question how a planet with life looks like, and how could we recognize it from afar? In order to answer these questions, we should first observe the only planet we know to harbour life — the Earth! From the Moon, we can observe the Earth the way an observer from outside of the Solar System might see it, and develop methods for detecting liquid water, clouds, vegetation and life from nothing but a pale (blue) dot. Using this “cosmic selfie”, we can apply the same techniques to characterizing other Earth-like exoplanets orbiting nearby stars, so that we may someday detect life across astronomical distances. In this talk, we will introduce an Earth-observing instrument for the Moon named LOUPE: the Lunar Observatory for Unresolved Polarimetry of the Earth. Uniquely to this design, both the spectrum and the polarization of light are measured, yielding a new and promising approach in the quest for extraterrestrial life.

Willeke Mulder: “How to use 3D glasses to search for life on Earth (and other planets)”

Willeke’s talk will address homochirality, or one-handedness, which is one unambiguous sign of life on Earth. Sunlight that reflects on the surface of plants leaves a fingerprint on the light that is hitting the detectors of our cameras. By looking at this one-handedness fingerprint we are able to see whether plants are living or not. Willeke will introduce the concept of an instrument that is able to measure this one-handedness and illustrate how a simple concept as a 3D glass can be used to detect this unambiguous sign of life on Earth and hopefully on exoplanets.

Important information:

According to the latest government restrictions, the 1.5 metre distancing rule is lifted but everyone aged 13 and over will have to show a valid coronavirus entry pass to gain admission. Everyone aged 14 and over will also have to show their ID along with their coronavirus entry pass. You can get a coronavirus entry pass if you are fully vaccinated, have valid proof of recovery, or a negative result from a coronavirus test taken less than 24 hours before entry. For people without proof of vaccination or recovery, getting tested is free of charge. You can generate a coronavirus entry pass using the CoronaCheck app on your mobile phone (see https://coronacheck.nl/ for more information).

We will be checking your coronavirus entry passes at the entrance to Grandcafé De Burcht and the event will begin at 8 PM sharp, so please arrive earlier to enter the bar, save a seat, and grab a drink. Due to the limited space, if you have registered but can no longer attend, please cancel your registration on the event page or get in contact with us (via e-mail or social media) to allow other interested persons to attend.

We hope to make the event accessible to all by also streaming it live on our YouTube page. All ages and backgrounds welcome!

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