The Return of Judith Provencal

The Super Blood Moon seen on Sept. 27.
The Super Blood Moon seen on Sept. 27.

One of our favorite guests from season one of Campus Voices, astronomer Judith Provencal, returns for an episode that is truly out of this world.

Provencal is the resident astronomer at the Mount Cuba Observatory, as well as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Recorded on Sept. 28, we discuss the biggest space news: the discovery of water on Mars, the rare Super Blood Moon and the search for habitable planets. We also learn more about our own solar neighbors. For example, Venus has a 900 degree atmosphere, and there are oceans under the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. But it’s not all planet talk—Judy explains her work with White Dwarves, which are essentially dead stars. She takes us briefly through the stages of star death, and what will happen to our own Sun in a few billion years.

Judith Provencal
Judith Provencal

If you would like to hear more about the search for a new Earth, Dr. Fergal Mullaly from Kepler will give a lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 14 in Clayton Hall. The lecture, courtesy of Mount Cuba Observatory, starts at 7:30 p.m. Space is limited, so please register at mountcubaobservatory.org. Additionally, you can attend Mount Cuba’s viewing hours, which are every other Monday at 8:00 p.m.

 

Listen to the interview

Judith Provencal, UD Department of Physics and Astronomy and Mt. Cuba Observatory
31:12
30.0 MB