Free Public Talk on Earth 2.0 Oct. 7

On Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 7 pm (PST), Dr. Jessie Christiansen (CalTech) will give a free, illustrated, non-technical lecture entitled:

"The Search for Earth 2.0:

Why We Think It Exists, and How We’re Going to Find it "

in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, in Los Altos (see directions below)

The talk is part of the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series, now in its 28th year.

For thousands of years, we’ve wondered if the Earth is unique, or if there are other Earths out there to find. In just the last 30 years, we’ve progressed from merely wondering if planets exist around other stars to knowing that almost every star we see has planets. Ambitious planet searches have been probing further and further, finding planetary systems of an incredible – and incredibly surprising! – variety. However, we have yet to discover another planet that might be like Earth – a rocky planet orbiting just the right distance from a Sun-like star to have liquid water on its surface. NASA has a audacious new plan for a next-generation flagship telescope that will directly image Earth-like planets around nearby stars, but it will take all of our ingenuity and technical prowess to achieve this feat. Dr Christiansen will walk you through the past, present, and future of our hunt for Earth 2.0.

Dr. Jessie Christiansen (CalTech/IPAC) is the Chief Scientist of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute and a TED fellow. She has worked on NASA's Kepler, K2, and TESS missions, searching the sky for exoplanets, and is helping plan for NASA’s next big flagship missions - the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Dr. Christiansen’s research is in the detection and characterization of exoplanets - planets around other stars - and studies of exoplanet populations. She is married to fellow astronomer, Philip Hopkins, and also wrangles eleven-year-old twins, two cats, and a dog in their house in the foothills of Los Angeles.

Foothill College is just off the El Monte Road exit from Freeway 280 in Los Altos.

For directions and parking information, see: https://foothill.edu/parking/

For a campus map, to find the Smithwick Theater (Bldg. 1000), see:

https://foothill.edu/map/

Parking lot 1 is closest, with access to the theater by a long set of stairs. Parking lot 5 provides access from the same elevation as the theater. Elevator access: Lot 8 (via building 8100 and then building 8400 elevators.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: As of the Fall of 2026, the college will again charge for parking in its parking lots. Please read and follow the instructions on the signs, or feel free to pre-pay the $3 fee by registering here (check out the more detailed instructions).

The lecture is co-sponsored by:

The Foothill College Science, Tech, Engineering & Math Division

The SETI Institute and

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Past lectures in the series can be found on YouTube at: http://youtube.com/svastronomylectures

and as audio podcasts at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1805595