[AANC Contacts] For Newsletters: Astronomer Who Took First Picture of a Planet Around Another Star to Speak at Foothill College October 7

[Andrew Fraknoi]

Public Lecture, Open to Everyone
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Wednesday, Oct . 7, at 7 pm:

Hubble Breakthrough: The First Photos of a Planet Orbiting Another Star

Prof. Paul Kalas, University of California, Berkeley

part of the 11th Annual Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures
in the Smithwick Theater, Foothill College,
El Monte Road and Freeway 280,
in Los Altos Hills, California.

Free and open to the public.
Parking on campus costs $2.

Call the series hot-line at 650-949-7888 for
more information and driving directions.
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Paul Kalas was the leader of the team who managed
the long-sought feat of actually taking a photograph
of a planet orbiting another star.  Before this, all the
planets outside our solar system were found by indirect
means.  He will describe how they achieved the
breakthrough using the Hubble Space Telescope
and discuss the wide range of planets out there that
astronomers are discovering. (The discovery was
named one of the top ten science achievements
in 2008 by the journals Science and Nature.)

Dr. Kalas is Associate Professors in the Astronomy
Department at the University of California, Berkeley.
He is an observational astronomer focusing on imaging
dusty disks around nearby stars, using some of the world's
largest telescope.

No background in science will be required for
this talk.  Seating is first come, first served.

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One unit of astronomy course credit at Foothill is
available to those who attend all six of the
Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures in 2009-2010 (you
may watch one on the Web) and write a short paper.
Lectures are always on Wednesday evenings, and there
are two each quarter, from October through May. To
register for the course, Astronomy 36, go to:
http://www.foothill.edu/reg
or pick up the paperwork on October 7th.
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The lectures are co-sponsored by:
* NASA Ames Research Center
* The Foothill College Astronomy Program
* The SETI Institute
* The Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

This talk is part of the local events celebrating the International
Year of Astronomy in 2009.

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Past Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures are now available
in MP3 format at:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education/podcast/index.html



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Andrew Fraknoi, Chair, Astronomy Program
Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Rd.,
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022, USA

Telephone: (650) 949-7288
E-mail: fraknoiandrew at fhda.edu
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