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Planetary Follow-ups: from the Ozarks

NASA Ames/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle

It is now well known that planets orbit nearly every star we can see.  Astronomers are constantly working to fill in the details and understand the development of solar systems from the wide array of candidates visible to us.  This work is done initially by space-based satellites, as finding the exoplanets requires large telescopes and is best done outside the earth’s distorting atmosphere.  However, to lock down the characteristics of the detected bodies requires extensive follow-up work, some of which is being done here in the Ozarks.  Mike Reed, an astronomer here at Missouri State University, is conducting long-term observations using the new twenty inch PlaneWave telescope, recently installed at MSU’s own  Baker Observatory.  He and I chat about exoplanets, their detection and the work he and our students do to better understand the universe above us.

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.