Celebrating 15 Years of Exoplanet Imaging

On the evening of August 31st, the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic and the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets invite you to attend a special public event celebrating the 15th anniversary of the direct imaging of the HR 8799 exoplanetary system. This event is part of the Canadian Astronomical Instrumentation Workshop, which takes place at the Université de Montréal on August 31 and September 1, 2023.

Title: Celebrating 15 Years of Exoplanet Imaging: A Discussion with the 2008 Scientists of the Year

Time: 7:30PM to 9:00PM

Date: Thursday, August 31, 2023

Location: Main Auditorium (A-1502), Campus MIL, Pavillon A, Université de Montréal, 1375 ave Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, QC

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This panel will bring together the three astronomers behind this revolutionary discovery: Christian Marois (NRC Herzberg/U of Victoria), David Lafrenière (UdeM/iREx), and René Doyon (UdeM/iREx/OMM). All three astronomers will share the behind-the-scenes story of how they captured the very first direct image of an exoplanetary system in 2008, a feat that won them the title of “Scientists of the Year” from CBC/Radio-Canada. They will also talk about how the field of direct imaging and exoplanets have evolved over the last 15 years and what they look forward to for the future of Canadian astronomy and astrophysics. The panel discussion, which will be in French and hosted by Nathalie Ouellette (UdeM/iREx/OMM), will end with a Q&A session with the public.

This public event is free of charge and requires no prior knowledge of astronomy and no registration or reservations. Doors will open at 7:00PM and seats will be assigned on a first come-first served basis.