ÖAW-ISTA Lecture Lisa Kaltenegger
Searching for Other Earths
With more than 6000 new worlds circling other stars, the era of exoplanet research has shown a vast diversity of new worlds on our cosmic horizon. For thousands of years, humans have wondered whether we're alone in the cosmos. Now, for the first time, we have the technology to investigate - on the edge of technological possibility. But once you look for life elsewhere, you realize it is not so simple. How do you find it over cosmic distances? What is life in the first place?
Using our own planet as a Rosetta Stone, we need to creatively analyze Earth's history and its astonishing biosphere, to inform this search.
With the James Webb Space Telescope we can characterize rocky planets circling other stars for the first time - from lava worlds to Hot Jupiters to planets on the edge to the first worlds in the Habitable Zone of their stars.
I will discuss some of the most interesting recent discoveries in the ongoing search to find out if we are alone in the Cosmos - or not.
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