The renowned astrophysicist and discoverer David Grinspoon, an employee of the Planetary Science Institute and former Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, will deliver a lecture within the framework of Copernicus Festival 2023. David Grinspoon’s research is focused on comparative planetary science and the climate of Earth-like planets.

Comparative planetary science is a relatively young branch of science. We now know of as many as 5,000 thousand extrasolar planets, and the number increases every week. What is more, we not only know they exist, but we are also able to measure their size, structure and composition.

By studying other planets, we learn more things about Earth. Some astrophysical processes, at least as much as we understand them, are similar for the entire universe. Others, like the formation of planets, are subject to innumerable factors. But what about the creation of life? This is one of the Universe’s greatest mysteries.

David Grinspoon (born 1959) is an American astrobiologist and member of the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona. He collaborates with both NASA and ESA. In 2006, he received the Carl Sagan Medal, and one of the asteroids in the asteroid belt (No. 22410) bears his name. He is the author of many science books for the general reader, the latest of which is Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto (2018). He is a member of the DAVINCI mission, which aims to investigate the atmosphere of Venus in 2029.

For more information about the programme of the Festival, please visit its website.