Astrobiology: Life in the Universe

NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI)


  1. Seminar Detail

    Star and Planet Formation

    Star and Planet Formation

    Presenter: John Bally ()

    May 19, 2003 12:00 AM Pacific

    How common are habitable planets in the Universe? We can seek an answer by
    searching for planets around other stars, or by probing the conditions in
    which planets form. I will review the second approach. Planets are a
    direct by-product of the star-formation process. The majority (~90%) of
    stars in the sky form in giant molecular clouds along with luminous,
    short-lived, but highly destructive massive stars. In these environments,
    proto-planetary disks are subjected to collisions, harsh radiation fields,
    powerful winds, and explosions. Thus, potential planet forming disks may be
    short lived. The Hubble Space Telescope has provided direct evidence for
    rapid disk destruction in the Orion Nebula. These observations imply that
    either planets form very rapidly, or that planetary systems will be
    relatively rare. I will review our understanding of star and planet
    formation with an emphasis on recent observational results.

    Participation Instructions

    http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/seminars/instructions.cfm

Team Overview Seminars: Each of the NAI teams will be giving one hour overview seminars that describe the work they will be performing as members of the NAI. These seminars, which will be broadcast via videoconference and web, will provide an opportunity to find out more about the science, EPO and other activities being performed by the NAI teams.

The Director’s Seminar series features talks from scientists who are invited by the NAI Director to present their research results to the community. A primary goal of the seminars is to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration across NAI teams and within the astrobiology community at large. These seminars are open to all, including the general public; however, the target audience is researchers and students who are engaged in astrobiology. While the seminars are technical in nature, speakers are encouraged to develop presentations that can be understood by colleagues from a variety of disciplines across the field. The talks are typically 50 minutes long, with time at the end for questions and discussion.

The Forum for Astrobiology Research (FAR) seminar provides an opportunity for graduate students to present their research results, and to meet as a student community for mutual encouragement and support. FAR science presentations are typically 20-30 minutes each, with several students presenting during one virtual event. On occasion, the FAR seminar will be devoted to group discussion and planning activities.

The University of Washington seminar series is hosted by the NAI VPL team from their campus in Seattle. NAI provides technical support for the seminar series and produces podcasts of the presentations. The talks are typically 50 minutes long, with time at the end for questions and discussion.

Other virtual seminars, such as workshops and summer student presentations, are hosted by NAI. These are typically scheduled as needed and vary in length, content, and target audience.