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We'll be stargazing tonight, and we don't even need to go outside. If you want to wear a VR headset and take a stroll through the milky way while sipping your beer, you've come to the right place. And if you think there's too many rainy days in Scotland well, you know... it could be worse: it could be raining molten iron, like on some of those exoplanets out there! Please note that this event takes place on the lower ground floor and is not accessible for those with impaired mobility.
Cloudy with a chance of molten iron: detecting weather on exoplanets
It's been just over 20 years since we found the first planet orbiting a star other than our Sun. As the discovery of these extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, is continuing at an ever-increasing pace, we are now we are now looking to make sense of the diversity seen in their atmospheres.
I will describe our efforts to figure out what is going on in these active, and often hostile, environments.
I will describe our efforts to figure out what is going on in these active, and often hostile, environments.
Clouds? Where we're going we won't see clouds...
Would-be stargazers frequently lose out against the Scottish weather and its partner in crime, embra light-pollution. All is not lost: now we can go stargazing from the comfort of our own home, or in this case pub, using virtual reality headsets. Become immersed in a simulated night sky, guided by a professional astronomer. You'll even see things that aren't possible anywhere else on this planet. Join us to see what our new Starsight software can do! www.starsightvr.org.uk
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