PHYS 165 Search for Life in the Universe Exoplanets
In the past decade or so, tremendous progress has been made in the search for other worlds or extra-solar planets (planets orbiting stars other than the Sun). Thousands of these exoplanets have been detected using a variety of methods and their location, sizes, temperature and atmospheres are being studied in an attempt to determine if one of these could possibly support some for of life. This course will cover these recent discoveries, the discovery techniques, and involve a study of the conditions necessary for life itself to evolve. The student will be introduced to several of the methods astronomers use to find exoplanets, characterize them and efforts made to evaluate if some of these planets might host living organisms. The course will require competency in basic high school level mathematics. Prerequisite: None