Special Seminar

  I will address several questions related to how much life there might be in our Galaxy: What affects whether potentially Earth-like exoplanets might be good abodes for life? What kind of (Milankovitch-like) variations in habitability might be expected in exosolar systems?  And what does the origin of life on Earth tell us about the probability of life elsewhere in the Galaxy? I will also discuss the longterm evolution of binary systems, including thermal and chemical changes, and orbital evolution.  In particular, Jupiter will eventually become a hot Jupiter, and if it were somewhat closer to the Sun it would eventually be tidally engulfed by the future-red-giant Sun.