Modeling Circumbinary Planets

Come join us for our monthly Astronomy talk!

7:30pm-8pm: Social time with snacks
8pm: Talk begins

Title: Modeling Circumbinary Planets

Abstract: Circumbinary planets, planets orbiting two stars, were once considered unlikely to exist due to the complex gravitational interactions of binary stars. Though over 6,000 planets have been discovered orbiting single stars, only 35 circumbinary planets have been confirmed to date. Their irregular transits and longer orbital periods make them difficult to detect using conventional methods, leaving many potentially undiscovered. Come learn about the search for hidden circumbinary planets through the subtle variations in the timing of stellar eclipses. We will discuss how these variations can reveal the gravitational influence of unseen planets, how computer simulations can help model these systems, and what these discoveries could tell us about planet formation in multi-star systems!

Bio: Elizabeth Zhang is a student from the Harker School in San Jose, California and will be graduating in 2027. She has been participating in science fairs for four years with her primary topic of interest being exoplanet science and is interested in pursuing Astro/Physics in college. Recently, she won the Second Place Grand Award in the International Science and Engineering Fair for her category. At school, Elizabeth is her school’s Astronomy club president, where she often creates Python workshops to teach members about computational astronomy. Outside of research, Elizabeth enjoys hanging out with friends and painting.

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