2019 Annual Duncan Memorial Lecture - Water in Our Solar System
Thursday, April 18, 2019, 5 p.m., Sciences Center Auditorium
Annual Duncan Memorial Lecture
Dr. Dennis Bodewits, Auburn University, Department of Physics
Ekaterina Smirnova, artist
The famous “Pale Blue Dot” photo taken of Earth as just a single pixel from almost four billion miles away by the Voyager spacecraft signifes the importance of water and how it covers more than 70 percent of our planet. This water is essential for life on our planet. We now know that there is or was water on many places in the solar system – including, Mars, moons, asteroids, and comets.
Hear directly from Auburn University’s Dr. Dennis Bodewits, an astrophysicist who recently spent two days using the Hubble Space Telescope and other leading facilities around the world to conduct research on Comet 46P/Wirtanen. He will share the study of the origins and the fascinating history of water in our solar system.
This year’s lecture will also feature artwork based on photos taken from the Rosetta spacecraft painted in 30 - 40 layers to achieve a specifc, unique texture to represent water. Ekaterina Smirnova, a Seattle-based artist, will share her insight about how science inspires her artwork. Until April 19, her artwork will be on display in the Grand Gallery at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.
The Duncan Memorial Lecture, established in 2012 by Dora Duncan '48 in chemistry, commemorates her husband, M.M. “Dunc” Duncan, ‘49, a physics alumnus. It is a free, annual astronomy lecture open to the entire community.
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