Hunting for Planets in the Glare of Distant Stars
Date and time
Nov 06, 2026 at 6 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. CST
Location
Dempster Hall, Room 125, 1121 Greek Dr, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701
Category
How do we find planets orbiting distant stars, and what does it take to see them directly?
Presenter: Dr. Samantha Hasler
Affiliation: Space Telescope Science Institute, Maryland
Presentation Format: Remote speaker, streamed live to an in-person audience
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) is designed to transform our view of the universe, surveying vast regions of the sky to investigate some of astronomy's biggest questions.
In this talk, we will explore Roman's mission, its journey into space, and the discoveries it could enable. We will take a close look at Roman's Coronagraph Instrument, an innovative camera designed to block the blinding glare of distant stars to reveal the faint light of orbiting planets.
By studying this light, astronomers can begin to uncover clues about the properties and atmospheres of worlds beyond our Solar System. Roman's Coronagraph will pave the way for future telescopes that may one day image Earth-like planets and search for signs of life.
For the first time, Roman is opening a new window into distant worlds similar to those in our own Solar System, and bringing us closer to answering one of humanity's oldest questions: Are we alone?
Presenter Biography — Provided by Presenter
Dr. Samantha Hasler is a postdoctoral research associate at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland, where she works with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Coronagraph Instrument team. Her research focuses on directly imaging planets beyond our Solar System (“exoplanets”) and developing the tools and technologies needed to study their atmospheres.
She earned her B.S. in Physics from Southeast Missouri State University before completing her Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Her work spans the study of distant exoplanets and our own Solar System objects, which offer valuable insights into worlds around other stars.
Through her research with the Roman Space Telescope, Dr. Hasler contributes to advancing the capabilities that will enable future telescopes to search for Earth-like planets around other stars and search for potential signs of life.
Presentation Format and Logistics
Dr. Hasler will participate remotely. The presentation will be streamed live for an in-person audience gathered in Dempster Hall, Room 125.
The planned schedule allows approximately 60 minutes for the presentation, followed by 15 minutes for audience questions.