The New Solar System

Abstract

Our perception of the Solar System has changed greatly in the last 20 years, in large part because of work done in Hawaii. We now recognize three major domains - those of the rocky planets, the giant planets and the comets - and, we are beginning to understand the connections and inter-relations between them.

The region beyond Neptune, in particular, has emerged as an unexpectedly rich repository of clues about the formation and early evolution of the solar system.

Prof. Jewitt will present a sweeping and accessible overview of the new solar system and of the latest ideas concerning its origin.