The birth of stars is a complex and dynamic process, one that leads eventually to the formation of planets and possibly life. Yet we still know very little about the way in which the Universe turns a massive cloud of gas and dust into a stable solar system like our own.

In this fascinating talk, Dunlap Fellow Dr. Quinn Konopacky describes our current understanding about the process of star and planet formation, and what we have learned about the birth of our Solar System from studying the youngest stars in the galaxy.

Dr. Konopacky is a Dunlap Fellow at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto. She got her Ph.D in 2009 from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include star and planet formation, binary stars, and the dynamics and atmospheres of directly imaged exoplanets. She is a member of the Gemini Planet Imager team which begins a search for exoplanets this year.

This talk is part of a series of monthly events organized by the graduate students of the U of T Astronomy Department called AstroTours. The tour features a public lecture on topics ranging from their research to great moments in astronomical history. Following the lecture, tour-goers can peer at the night sky through the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics’ balcony and dome telescopes, or watch a live planetarium show presented by a U of T astronomer.

Admission to the tour is free. Seating for the lecture is on a first-come, first-served basis (doors open ten minutes before the start of the lecture), and the telescope observing is walk-in. The planetarium shows require registration.

Complete details about this AstroTour talk and planetarium show registration here.