Mittelman Astronomy Lecture Series: What the Outer Edges of Our Solar System Tell Us About Its Beginnings

The far extent of our solar system — the Kuiper Belt and beyond — is a largely unaltered relic, frozen shortly after the formation of the planets. Exploring the small bodies that inhabit this region leads to a better understanding of the composition of our proto-planetary nebula, motions within the solar system before the planets acquired their current locations, and allows us to compare our solar system to those found around other stars.

Undergraduate students have been involved in this research, from observations at telescopes around the world, to data analysis, to theoretical modeling. I will discuss my research and how it dovetails with other areas of research at Lowell Observatory.

Amanda Bosh, Observatory Operations Manager, Lowell Observatory

Dr. Amanda Bosh is the Observatory Operations Manager at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. Her research involves studies of icy bodies in the outer solar system, with the aim of understanding transient atmospheres and ring systems. As an observational astronomer, her work takes her to high, dry mountains around the globe. She was a member of the team that made the first direct detection of Pluto’s atmosphere in 1988, and has studied the rings of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Centaurs. Dr. Bosh received her S.B. degrees from MIT in 1987 (Planetary Science and Materials Science) and her Ph.D. from MIT in 1994.

Please register for this free webinar at http://go.middlebury.edu/astrotalk/