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Past Events
Probing the Unknown Fringes of the Solar System
| Speaker: | Ms. Malena Rice |
| Affiliation: | Yale University |
| Date: | August 6, 2019 (Tuesday) |
| Time: | 2:30 p.m. |
| Venue: | Room 522, 5/F, Chong Yuet Ming Physics Building, HKU |
Abstract
Ongoing discoveries in the solar system continue to pose intriguing and unexpected challenges to current models of our home stellar environment. Over the past several years, the observed geometry of outer solar system minor planets has provided tantalizing evidence for the existence of an as-yet undiscovered “Planet Nine.” Even more recently, the first interstellar interloper, ‘Oumuamua, was observed hurtling through the solar system, exhibiting several unanticipated attributes that have ignited ongoing debates about its true nature and origins -- all while detailed observations of various small body populations continue to reveal new mysteries about the origins of the solar system. I will discuss recent advancements in our understanding of the solar system, and, looking towards the future, present a novel method to study the solar system with unprecedented precision.
Anyone interested is welcome to attend.