Welcome

Please join us at the Centre for Exoplanets and Habitability for a seminar with the Department of Physic's Professon Don Pollacco.

Refreshments (tea/coffee and donuts) will be available after the seminar.

How to Attend

The seminar will be hosted both in-person and online - see details below for how to connect.

In-person - S0.19 at 14:00

Online - via Microsoft Teams accessible at bit.ly/ceh-pollacco-teamsLink opens in a new window

The threat to habitability of space debris

The threat to civilisation from our pollution of the near Earth Environment has recently been assessed as so severe that it has been elevated to the UK national risk register alongside threats from pandemics and extreme solar storms etc. This has arisen from the realisation that much of modern life is dependant on the use of satellites: Industries such as finance, communication and even agriculture have become deeply dependant on satellite services. As such the effects of space debris extend beyond technological disruption, potentially affecting environmental monitoring, hazardous material management, ethical considerations and global broadcasting

In this talk I’ll look at the growing threat from space debris and how we try and study this population along with projections for the future. I’ll also introduce a Warwick led innovation called the “Digital Telescope” which could transform our knowledge of space debris.

When?

Friday 28th June 2024 - 14:00 BST

Where?

S0.19

or on Microsoft TeamsLink opens in a new window

Who?

Everyone is Welcome!

Professor Don Pollacco

Professor Don Pollacco's primary research interests lie within the field of extrasolar planets. He led the WASP project, which received the group achievement award from the Royal Astronomical Society in 2010 and remains the most successful ground-based transiting exoplanet survey. He is also a founding member of the Next Generation Transit Survey project, and the science coordinator for the upcoming PLATO mission from the European Space Agency. Don's other research interests include Space Situation Awareness, in particular space debris, and time domain astronomy. He recently held a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award.

Please visit Don's webpageLink opens in a new window for more information on his work.