On Tuesday evening I attended the opening of II Lecture Series Carlos Sanchez Magro , that for the second consecutive year is held in memory of the eminent astrophysicist Valladolid and is managed by the Science Museum of Valladolid the Syrma Astronomical Society and the University Group Astronomy . The lectures are held in the auditorium of the Museum of Science and this year has three very interesting intervention that I will comment on here as they are celebrating. By the way, before continuing I would comment that if there is already a professional telescope at the Observatorio del Teide and an asteroid named for Carlos Sanchez, city \u200b\u200bof Valladolid, about a year ago, also wanted to acknowledge this distinguished astrophysicist by naming a street in a newly created district. Not only that, but the streets have names such astronomical development. No doubt a nice initiative. Here's proof: a few months ago I left as the street reporter in question is near my house.
Carlos Sanchez Street in Valladolid.
A new astronomical neighborhood whose Main Street is Carlos Sanchez.
Cycle Poster announcing .
home presentation.
The first lecture was given by Roi Alonso Sobrino, a young astrophysicist also Valladolid, whose career full of successes, is now unstoppable. I already mentioned something about Alonso here a few months ago. Today, still working as a researcher in the mission Corot . In a paper entitled Exoplanets: Chronicle of a discovery announced and many unexpected , showed us all the intricacies of their work, involving the detection and characterization of extrasolar planets in solar-type stars using the transit method.
could say that this is one of the disciplines of fashion in astrophysics. The search for extrasolar Earth-like planets located in the so-called habitable zone (planet-star distance should allow the existence of liquid water) is one of the main objectives pursued today.
A moment of the conference. Roi Alonso was speaking here of Otto Struve, a true visionary who in 1954 predicted the existence of planets outside the solar system and advanced techniques for possible detection.
seems logical to assume that terrestrial planets are in orbit around dwarf stars and relatively cool (as in the case of the Sun), and even dwarfs or M-type K (the latter are most abundant in the galactic census), among other things because the debris after the formation of the parent star will be relatively large and therefore the presumed protoplanetary disks that comply will result in smaller planets. On the other hand, the mass of a planet suitable for life should have a mass of between 1 and 10 times the mass of Earth, be able to hold its own atmosphere and not be so massive as to contain too much hydrogen. Obviously, all these assumptions are based on the pursuit of "life" outside the solar system based on carbon. In the words of Roi Alonso "what we know."
The speaker also said that during research study are other parallel lines and unexpected. Such is the case to draw conclusions about their own spots, "sun" of the host star when a planet passes in front of them during transit.
The conference was enjoyable and was perfectly exposed. Ended, as usual, with a round of questions from the audience nurtured. As for me and given my interest in the topic, the speaker asked about the possibility of the existence of habitable planets in binary systems. All have in mind, thanks to science fiction movies, beautiful sunsets with two stars in the sky. I said was an interesting question and that indeed, given their abundance, many double stars that fall under the detectors. In very tight binaries hypothetical planets in orbit would be subject to extreme conditions with continuous barrage of radiation and stellar wind that would alter their atmospheres, while its dynamics would be very unstable and crashes frequently occur. The planets could be thrown into outer orbits which could perhaps achieve some stability and orbital but outside the habitable zone. In separate binaries orbiting planets could independently to each of the stars of the pair, while they do the same around the center of mass. Perhaps this case, in a very general, may be most favorable to host habitable planets. Simulations have been performed with models of the most varied configurations and the problem is highly complex, although I think the observation, sooner or later, give solutions. Only a matter of time. No one imagined before 1995 that, today, would have counted nearly 500 planets around other stars. Here.
Posing with Roi Alonso.
