CMA Presents "New Neighbor in the Sky: Discovery of the 10th Planet"

The Caltech Management Association and Caltech Business and Finance present "New Neighbor in the Sky: Discovery of the 10th Planet," with Mike Brown, professor of planetary astronomy, Caltech. Professor Brown will address a question that astronomers have avoided for years: what is a planet? A box lunch will be handed out to those who have attended as they leave the auditorium.

For the past seven years, astronomers around the world have been exploring the sky for planets beyond the orbit of Pluto. After a search of about half of the sky and the discovery of dozens of objects almost the size of Pluto, Mike Brown and his team finally detected the first object larger than this much-debated member of our solar system, one that they are willing to call a new planet.

Besides prompting an avalanche of other scientific queries, this discovery drives home the need to answer a question that astronomers have avoided for years: what is a planet? Join us as Dr. Brown discusses the discovery of the 10th planet in our solar system and provides a perspective on why the question of planethood is so difficult.

Dr. Brown is a Professor of Planetary Astronomy at Caltech. He received an A.B. degree in physics from Princeton University in 1987 and a Ph.D. in the same discipline from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1994.

This event is free. All members of the campus and JPL communities and retirees are welcome.