The red planet of Mars is a dynamic world. Its icy south pole is sculpted by the never-ending cycle of freezing and thawing carbon dioxide ice, causing materials to travel through hundreds of thousands of dark fans. ADVERTISING The red
The red planet of Mars is a dynamic world. Its icy south pole is sculpted by the never-ending cycle of freezing and thawing carbon dioxide ice, causing materials to travel through hundreds of thousands of dark fans.
When observed from orbit, these fans appear as long dark streaks that are thought to be jets of material erupting from the Martian surface. By studying these unique features we can better understand Mars’ climate and how it differs from Earth, opening up a whole new wealth of knowledge.
The public is invited to learn more about Mars exploration at 7 p.m. Feb. 17 during the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center’s next Maunakea Skies talk with Meg Schwamb, assistant scientist at Gemini Observatory.
Schwamb will introduce the “Planet Four” project, a collaboration between researchers and more than 150,000 “citizen scientist” volunteers worldwide. Connected through the power of the internet, volunteers map these fans and other surface features formed by carbon dioxide jets helping planetary scientist characterize surfaces on Mars.
Schwamb will discuss the discoveries made by these citizen scientists and explain how people can get involved in exploring Mars from the comfort of their own home.
Schwamb received her doctorate in planetary science from the California Institute of Technology in 2011. Before her work with Gemini, she was a National Science Foundation fellow at Yale University, and previously was an Academia Sinica Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan.
She has collaborated with hundreds of people to search for new planets outside of our solar system and study the climate of Mars.
Hosted by planetarium technician Emily Peavy, ‘Imiloa’s monthly Maunakea Skies program includes observational highlights of the current night sky over Hawaii, with the audience able to view prominent constellations and stars visible during this time of year.
Maunakea Skies planetarium presentations are on the third Friday of each month. General admission tickets are $10, $8 for members (member level discounts apply). Pre-purchase tickets at ‘Imiloa’s front desk or by phone at 932-8901.
For more information, visit www.ImiloaHawaii.org.
