Exploring Pluto: On the Ground, In the Air, and Out in Space

Public lecture hosted by the Faculty of Science, University of Auckland and Auckland Astronomical Society
Dr Michael Person

What have we learnt about Pluto since its discovery in 1930? Drawing on his experiences aboard the SOFIA airborne observatory and the New Horizons flyby, Dr Person will discuss the dramatic growth in our knowledge of Pluto, and its implications for our understanding of the outer solar system.

Dr Person is the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand’s Beatrice Hill Tinsley Lecturer for 2016, Research Astronomer in Massachusetts, Institute of Technology's Planetary Astronomy Laboratory and Director of MIT's George R. Wallace Astrophysical Observatory

Dr Person’s own research focuses on the atmospheres of Pluto and Triton, and the use of the SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) observatory and other assets to identify and monitor their changes