The Quincy Astronomy Club is set to host an intriguing live Zoom lecture titled ‘How Big is Our Solar System’ on Thursday, March 21. The event will take place at 7 p.m. at John Wood Community College, Room D022, located on the lower rear north end of Building D.
Following the International Astronomical Union’s decision in 2006 to remove Pluto from the list of planets, the Quincy Astronomy Club aims to shed light on the vast region beyond Neptune, which was left without proper representation in our solar system. Contrary to the common misconception that our solar system only extends to Neptune, the Oort cloud, the source of many comets, may reach distances of 100,000 AU, approximately one-third of the way to the nearest star. This boundary holds significant implications for interstellar interactions and the potential spread of life throughout the galaxy.
Dr. Fred Bruhweiler, a renowned astrophysicist with a diverse range of published research, will be the speaker for the lecture. Having retired as a professor and director of the Institute for Astrophysics and Computational Sciences at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Dr. Bruhweiler is currently a physicist-in-residence and research professor at American University, also in Washington, D.C. He has maintained an affiliation with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center since 1978.
For those interested in attending or seeking further details, they can reach out to Susan Asher at 217-653-5074 or via email at asherte@yahoo.com.
