HAC Speakers: Dr. Matthew Kenworthy

Huachuca Astronomy Club—Speakers

Dr. Matthew Kenworthy, Nov. 21, 2008. Huachuca Astronomy Club, Sierra Vista, Arizona. [Click image for larger version.]

Dr. Matthew Kenworthy

Dr. Matthew Kenworthy grew up in the suburbs of London and received his doctorate from Cambridge University in 1999 before moving out to Arizona. He now works at the Steward Observatory, looking for extrasolar planets around nearby stars using different optical tricks to find that distinct spot of light.

[Click image for larger version.]

On Friday, Nov. 21, 2008, Dr. Matthew Kenworthy gave a riveting presentation entitled, "Hunting for Extrasolar Planets using the MMT."

PDF of PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint Presentation

Dr. Kenworthy writes, "Here in Arizona we have one of the largest telescopes in America on Mount Hopkins—the 6.5-meter MMT optical telescope. We also have a unique optical system that takes the effects of seeing out of our images, allowing us to look with great detail around nearby stars.

Many extrasolar planets have been indirectly detected by their effect on their parent star, either by causing the star to 'wobble' or by crossing the disk of the star and blocking out some of the light as it transits. I'll talk about our hunt at Steward Observatory to take a picture of the planet itself. Our ongoing search is looking around twenty of the closest stars in our Galactic neighborhood.

[Click image for larger version.]

Dr. Matthew Kenworthy's Home Page

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