June 6, 2024 8-10 PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: Space Weather and the Evolution of Habitability
Lecturer: Ivey Davis
Position: PhD Candidate
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Over the past year, we have witnessed the peak of activity for the Sun. We've watched our Sun produce flares and launch energetic streams of charged particles that have threatened electrical grid blackouts and astronauts aboard the ISS, but also produced dazzling aurorae. This material released by the Sun is one of the major components of what we call space weather and, just like earth weather, it can have major impacts on the environment. In this presentation, I will discuss space weather and its effects, how we expect the Sun's behavior to change throughout its life, and what that means for habitability on the Earth and other worlds in our solar system and beyond.