Our New Solar System
Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate

Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 7:30 PM

When the International Astronomical Union's 2006 vote reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet, controversy followed over this most beloved object in the solar system. Recent discoveries of icy Kuiper belt objects and hot Exoplanets have forced scientists to re-think previous classification schemes and their associated nomenclature.

Join Moderator Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium, and his panel of experts as they discuss and debate the ideas that drive our understanding of the solar system.

Panelists:

• Gibor Basri—Professor of Astronomy at University of Berkeley
• David Jewitt—Professor of Astronomy, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii
• Jack Lissauer—Space Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center
• Sara Seager—Ellen Swallow Richards Associate Professor of Planetary Science and Associate Professor of Physics at MIT
• Alan Stern—Planetary Scientist and author
• Mark Sykes—Director, Planetary Science Institute

Host & Moderator:

• Neil deGrasse Tyson—Astrophysicist and The Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium.