Sep 17, 2018
Featured Guest: Scott Sheppard
On the hunt for the solar
system’s elusive Planet X, a team of astronomers accidentally
stumbled upon the discovery of 12 new moons of Jupiter. Oops. But
it gets even better, because one of these things is not like the
others and the way that moon just doesn’t belong might just solve
the mystery of lunar origins. To help us understand how one very
happy accident is shedding light on the formation of our solar
system, today we’re joined here at The Star Spot by the discovery
team leader Scott Sheppard.
Current in Space
Is the universe just a simulation? Simon says maybe. Then Tony settles the question of the habitability of potential water worlds. And speaking of water, Dave ponders the origin of our own planet’s H20.
About Our Guest
Scott Sheppard is faculty member in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution for Science. He received his PhD from the University of Hawaii. A Hubble Fellow, Sheppard is credited with the discovery of many small moons of the gas giant planets. He has also been part of teams that have discovered comets, asteroids and Kuiper belt objects.