SLAS Regular Meeting
Friday, October 16, 2009
McDonnell Hall, Washington University

The Lives of Stars

by

Author Ken Croswell

As Dr. Croswell describes his topic: “The stars that speckle the sky have long fascinated humanity, but only in the past century have astronomers figured out how stars are born, live, and die. Now we can use this knowledge to address the question: Which stars near the Sun might have planets with intelligent life?” Drawing on both the laws of stellar evolution and the latest discoveries of extrasolar planets, Harvard-trained astronomer Dr. Ken Croswell “describes the lives of stars and the alien worlds they may support.”
            Dr, Ken Croswell received his doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University for studies of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Now an astronomer-author living in Berkeley, California, he has written eight books on astronomy for the general public. His latest, recently released, is The Lives of Stars, which is particularly suitable for younger audiences.