WSU Planetarium heads out on exoplanet exploration

Guy Worthey and Michael Allen, WSU Planetarium co-directors, stand below the planetarium projector.

Guy Worthey and Michael Allen, WSU Planetarium co-directors, stand below the planetarium projector.

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The WSU Planetarium will present “Other Earths,” a talk about recent outer space discoveries and the search for new planets this weekend.

“I’ll be talking about the major [discoveries] and what it might be like to stand on the surface of these worlds, and give people an idea of how different it would be,” Jessica Jones, who will present at the event, said.

Jones said she wanted to do a show about exoplanets, planets beyond our solar system, from an angle that would be interesting to the public.

“[Astronomy has] always been a hobby,” Jones said. “I was really into it as a child and I never really pursued it because of my math skills, unfortunately. So, ironically, I went into art instead. My life with science and art collided, and my art involves painting other worlds. It’s very sci-fi.”

Jones also dabbles in astrophotography, a type of photography that captures astronomical objects.

The presentation will also include a segment about the recent announcement of seven new Earth-size planets found orbiting around a single star, known as TRAPPIST-1, Jones said. Three of the planets are believed to be habitable.

Guy Worthey, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is a member of the Palouse Astronomical Society alongside Jones.

“It was newsworthy … when it was discovered,” Worthey said. “It was exciting then and it became way more exciting now that there are seven, which is a lot.”

The presentation will discuss exoplanets in depth, and because the night sky will be projected in the planetarium, audience members will be able to see stars that are known to have their own planets, Worthey said.

“You always think you might fall asleep because the seats [in the planetarium] lean back, but no, I never fall asleep. It’s very interesting, it’s food for the brain,” Worthey said. “[Jones] does her research so well that I always learn things, and I’m a professor.”

“Other Earths” will be presented at 7 p.m. tonight and at 5 p.m. on Sunday at the WSU Planetarium. Tickets cost $5 at the door.