SETI Live

Using data from NASA's Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, researchers at the University of Montreal found evidence that two exoplanets orbiting a star 218 light-years away are "water worlds," where water makes up a large fraction of the entire planet. These planets are unlike planets in our solar system -- they were previously believed to be rocky Earth-like planets but instead are really water worlds. Listen to Franck Marchis in conversation with lead researcher Caroline Piaulet to learn about these new findings. Press release: https://exoplanetes.umontreal.ca/en/universite-de-montreal-astronomers-find-that-two-exoplanets-may-be-mostly-water/ This episode was recorded live on 19 January 2023. If you like science, support the SETI Institute! We're a non-profit research institution whose focus is understanding the nature and origins of life in the universe. Donate here: https://seti.org/donate Learn more about the SETI Institute and stay up-to-date on awesome science: Subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/SETIInstitute/ Watch our streams over on Twitch at https://www.twitch.tv/setiinstitute Listen to our other podcast, Big Picture Science http://www.bigpicturescience.org/ Subscribe to our newsletter https://seti.org/signup Buy merchandise from Chop Shop https://www.chopshopstore.com/collections/seti-institute/SETI SETI Live is a weekly production of the SETI Institute and is recorded live on stream with viewers on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Twitch. Guests include astronomers, planetary scientists, cosmologists, and more, working on current scientific research. Founded in 1984, the SETI Institute is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary research and education organization whose mission is to lead humanity's quest to understand the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the Universe and to share that knowledge with the world.

We have to admit that 2022 was an impressive year for space science, what with JWST starting to collect science data and even releasing early results, the launch and return of the Artemis 1 mission, the DART mission, a NASA Juno flyby of Europa, and the end of the NASA InSight lander mission. And that was just NASA's part of the activity! China, Japan, and South Korea all launched missions, while commercial launches and space tourism continued to increase. 2023 is definitely shaping up to match. There are more potential mission launches for NASA, ESA, China, India, and Japan; a total solar eclipse; a sample return; more Juno flybys; and even a comet or two that can be seen with the unaided eye. Join SETI Institute senior scientist Franck Marchis and communications specialist Beth Johnson as they take a look at what's in store for the new year. Recorded live 4 January 2023.