Are we alone? The universe is vast and includes billions of planets circling billions of stars. Most likely, there is life somewhere out there…but how can we find it? We need to be strategic and narrow the search in order to find life.
Join us in learning more about NASA’s Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), headquartered at the University of Washington. VPL’s mission is to find ways for us to detect life on other planets and determine which types of planets are more likely to support life.
In the exhibit, explore the universe on a giant touch screen. Play with a model of a distant solar system to discover how the Kepler space telescope (“the planet hunter”) provides scientists with subtle, indirect signs of the existence of distant planets. Discover why scientists are specifically looking for planets with liquid water. Could a planet with no oxygen support life? Maybe! Learn why the color purple might be the key.
The exhibit is located in the Portal To Current Research space inside Building 2, which showcases local scientists’ advances in current research through a combination of digital media, graphics, objects and interactive displays and programs. Content and themes change several times throughout the year. Very few opportunities exist for the public to learn about current scientific research and its impacts. This program is one more way Pacific Science Center is working to help people of all ages understand and appreciate some of the current research being done in our own region. Pacific Science Center’s monthly Meet A Scientist program, featuring local scientists who share their work with guests through hands-on activities and conversation, is included within the space when relevant.
Website: https://www.pacificsciencecenter.org/exhibits/portal-to-current-research/