The Search for Life Beyond Earth
- Course Code: HS313
- Dates: 07/07/24 - 07/07/24
- Time: 11:00 - 16:00
- Taught: Sun, Daytime
- Duration: 1 session
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: Radmila Topalovic
Course Code: HS313
Duration: 1 session
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
We will explore the beginnings of life on Earth and we will look at the latest findings from solar system missions such as NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers both on Mars, the Cassini spacecraft around Saturn. We will investigate the characteristics of some potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system. We will talk about future missions such as ESA's ExoMars rover and NASA's Europa Clipper which will travel to Jupiter's moon thought to have liquid water beneath the surface and we'll discuss the astrobiology goals of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) under construction in the Atacama Desert.
What will we cover?
• Conditions required for life on Earth
• Possibility of life on Mars (and what would it be like for us?)
• What we know about Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus
• The hunt for habitable planets like the Earth beyond our solar system
• What the future holds for astrobiology.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
You will learn…
A definition of life and what it requires to get goin
The chemical and physical conditions of Mars, Europa and Saturn and why they are of interest to astrobiologists
How we detect extrasolar (exo) planets and what has been discovered so far
The scientific objectives of the JWST and ELT related to the search.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
An interest and a willingness to engage with the topic is all that is required.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Interactive lecture/discussion.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no other costs but you will require a notepad and pen if you wish to take notes.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Please see other science courses on the City Lit website.
Rad heads up Science & Engineering at Kaplan International College in London Bridge, having spent more than seven years at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich developing and delivering world-class education programmes. She holds a degree in Physics with Astrophysics and a PhD in Astrochemistry, and has taught physics, maths and astronomy for almost ten years. Her biggest passions are quantum physics and astrobiology. https://twitter.com/Rad_T
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
