Gallagher Colloquium Series: Our place in space: a voyage through our local star system​

Although it seems like space is mostly empty, there exists an ocean of space plasma that permeates our solar system. Planets and other bodies are embedded in this ocean like rocks in a river, and magnetized planets have specific and surprising interactions with this medium. Just as in an ocean, space plasma is filled with waves. It has channels made of magnetic field lines that charged particles follow as driftwood follows ocean currents. Understanding our home in the universe is about exploring our Sun’s territory in space, uncovering how magnetized planets are related to habitability and life, and studying the interaction of our Sun’s solar wind with all the worlds within its influence.
Dr. Allison N. Jaynes of the University of Iowa​ will take you on a voyage through the space plasma in our stellar neighborhood: from the auroras in the electrical atmosphere of Earth to the boundary of the Sun’s reach where our farthest human-made objects, the Voyager spacecraft, are hurtling through interstellar space. Science is nothing if not a human endeavor: Dr. Jaynes will share her own experiences as a woman space scientist in the pursuit of higher knowledge, and the future she sees for this fascinating field.
Presented at the University of Calgary on March 30, 2023