Stars and planets formation and possibility of life in solar system and exosolar planets

Speaker: Dr. Mohaddesseh Azimlu Abstract: Did you know that many elements in your body have been created in stars? Stars continually born from gaseous dusty clouds and die and recycle back into interstellar medium in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and other galaxies. Giant hydrogen clouds collapse into disks rotating around proto-stars. Planetary systems similar to our own solar system form within these proto-planetary disks. In the case of our solar system, there was just enough material left over at the right temperature to form rocky planets like the Earth, Mars and Venus within 250 million kilometers of the Sun. Farther out, where temperatures were cooler and more material was available, gas giants formed. Among the countless stars visible in the night sky, how many are surrounded by solar systems like our own? Scientists believe the number of other worlds may depend on the mechanism by which stars and planets are born. An estimation, supported by the very recent observations of Kepler space observatory suggests that planets like our own and within habitable zone may be common throughout our Galaxy.