Speaker: Serge Dieterich (Space Telescope Science Institute)

The majority of stars in our galaxy are smaller than our sun and some have diameters as small as Saturn’s. Many small red dwarfs are among the closest stars to our solar system, but are quite faint, making them harder to study. Both as individual objects and as a population, small stars have intriguing characteristics, some with distinct implications for what life on their planets could be like. It is also important to consider what properties are necessary for a body to be considered a star and how small stars are different from their lower mass cousins, the substellar brown dwarfs.

Host: Dr. Frank Summers (Space Telescope Science Institute)

Recorded live on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

The 2019 Public Lecture Series offers talks on a diverse selection of cosmic topics held the first Tuesday of every month in the STScI John N. Bahcall Auditorium. Admission is free and free parking is available in the lot across the street. Find information related to driving directions and relevant transportation resources on our Getting Here page. Further information and directions are available by calling 410-338-4700.

Live and archived recordings:

• News and Introductions
• Red and Brown Dwarfs: Understanding our Smallest and Closest (sub)Stellar Neighbors (YouTube)