In the interstellar and rocky world of astrophysicist Elizabeth Tasker

Astrophysicist and author Elizabeth Tasker knows one thing for sure: if you stay by her side long enough, you will only be able to hear a kind of planetary reality.

That's how she is.

Tasker, a professor at the Japan Space Agency (JAXA), will join young adult author Ria Voros on the national tour Passion for Astronomy: The Story of Two Authors.

The fascinating book by Tasker, The Planet Factory, and Voros' latest novel, The Center of the Universe, are both published.

The two women will explain how Voros' writings brought the couple closer together (a character from Voros's book is Tasker-based) and how binary star systems and mothers and daughters look alike. Think about it a little bit. Tasker will also discuss his book, his work and his love for a good exoplanet.

The duo will be in Vancouver on April 26 at UBC and April 28 for two events (the BC Humanist Association and the MacMillan Space Center). They will also give lectures in Victoria on April 27th.

Tasker, a native of Britain, took a little time to create computer models of planets and stars to answer a few questions.

Q: Of course, the first question you ask yourself is, what is the image of this black hole? What did you think when you saw it?

A: Black! I really enjoyed the grand unveiling around this event. Not only is the image amazing, but there is really this hole where even the light does not escape! – But press briefings around the world have really highlighted the global effort that has to be made, both in terms of the technology used (telescopes around the world) and scientists gathered to make it all happen possible. That's really why I became a scientist: being able to contribute to projects that nobody could do alone. As an exoplanet scientist, I was not connected to this particular project, but it's a great demonstration of how science should work!

Q: What does this image mean to us here on earth?

A: That we should stop talking about building walls and instead combine the best expertise in the world to achieve amazing things.

Q: Do you have a standard line or a fun fact that you use to explain to a layperson what you are doing?

A: One of my great interests is the diversity and strange strangeness of the rocky planets. We often hear about the discovery of a new planet similar to that of the earth. But in truth, all we really know right now is that its size is similar to that of the Earth. The problem is the same is true of Venus! Venus and Earth are extremely close in mass and radius. Venus orbits closer to the Sun, but in reality receives only twice as much radiation (sunlight) as we do. If we observed Venus around another star, we could think that it had an atmosphere similar to that of the Earth and, therefore, estimate a surface temperature of about 27 ° C. It looks like nice, is not it? But in truth, Venus has a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide and its actual surface temperature is around 460 ° C and can melt the lead! The longest spaceship ever survived on the surface of Venus is about two hours. (This was the Soviet Venera 13 mission in the early 1980s). So I'm very interested in rocky planets, but rather in the question of how different they might be from Earth, rather than hunting for a very similar planet. I find the idea of ​​a totally foreign landscape fascinating.

Q: What do you love most about the universe and beyond?

A: Since I wrote a book on exoplanets, I guess you know the answer to this question! Just as anyone has the misfortune to stay close to me long enough for me to communicate a fact on the planet. But while I've been working on galaxies, stars, and planets, imagining what the surface of another world might really inspire me.

Q: What prompted you to become an astrophysicist?

A: My dad took me to the planetarium when I was nine and I became hooked! In fact, I struggled a lot in school at that time. I was suffering from dyslexia and, well, being nine years old was usually difficult! – but I discovered that there were a lot of books and events like planetarium shows meant for my level, which really helped me feel that I always liked to learn, even though my school work was a bit difficult at the moment. Later, I read physics classes at the university, thinking that there were probably many areas of the subject besides astrophysics that I just did not have a chance to explore. There were, but astrophysics was always my favorite.

Q: Your book The Planet Factory looks at exoplanets. What are exoplanets and why do we look at them?

A: Exoplanets or extrasolar planets are planets that are not in orbit around the Sun. Most of these stars revolve around other stars, although we have found evidence of so – called "rogue" planets that seem to have no star at all! These were probably born in orbit around a star, but were then ejected from the system in the form of a gravity-fed sling after a close encounter with another planet. The two planets around other stars and the rogue planets are exoplanets.

In terms of why we are looking for them, I think this is perhaps one of the oldest questions of man to wonder if we are alone in the Universe. To answer this question, the first step is to determine if there are other rocky planets whose surface is conducive to life. Our first series of planet search telescopes (remember, we only found the first exoplanets in the early 1990s, so this is still a very young field) told us that the formation of the planet is common and that the planets are around many stars, even in systems quite different from ours, for example, around binary stars – like Tatooine in Star Wars. Our next generation of telescopes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope or ESA's ARIEL mission, will examine the atmosphere of some of these planets and this will be our first clue to the actual surface appearance.

Q: What exoplanet really surprises you and why?

A: For the moment, we do not know much about the individual exoplanets: we usually know their size and their orbit and … that's all! But from there, we discovered something amazing: many planets gravitate much closer to their star than any other planet in our solar system. This strongly suggests that planets migrate: that is, they form in one place but then move inward toward the star.

This means that even a planet the size of the Earth orbiting at a distance similar to that of a star like our Sun might not be formed at all. It may have formed much further, perhaps near where our gaseous giant planets, Jupiter or Saturn, are currently in orbit. If so, such a planet could be the nucleus of a gas giant: a planet that was forming like Jupiter but then moved inward and saw its thick atmosphere carried away by the wind. The core of a giant gas would be very different from the Earth, probably consisting mainly of ice rather than silicate rocks. If there was geology, volcanoes might be able to vomit ammonia rather than sulfur. Can you imagine what such a landscape might look like? Or maybe the ice would melt and the planet would become an aquatic world completely covered with ocean. These temperate but migrated worlds interest me the most: what do they really look like? It is possible that the planets in orbit around TRAPPIST-1 are examples of migrated planets, because they are similar in size to Earth but lower in density.

Q: Do you think there is another planet similar to Earth?

A: Of the planets we have discovered so far … maybe not. Earth-sized planets are so small that they are very difficult to spot. Those we have seen so far tend to be in orbit around red dwarf stars; stars smaller and weaker than our own sun. The dim light of these stars allows the planet to gravitate much closer to the Earth than the Sun, while receiving a similar amount of stellar light. However, these close orbits – usually lasting only a few days or weeks – probably mean that the planet is blocked by tidal points. Like the moon orbiting the Earth, the well-locked planets have a side that faces the star, creating a divided world with one hemisphere of the eternal day and the other of the night. Such a world would need to rebalance the heat between day and night to be habitable and even if it did, such a world would surely be very different from the Earth!

Q: In the book, you say that the Earth may not even be the best place to support life, what?

A: I think this could refer to the discussion on super-habitable planets, which was an idea proposed by astrophysicist René Heller. We can blame him for this notion! However, the main idea here is not that there are planets – more habitable – than the Earth, but that they could remain habitable longer. This is very important when trying to track down the first example of life on another world: the longer it lasts, the more likely you are to see it! For example, one day our sun will clear as we approach the end of its life. When this happens, the Earth will become too hot and our seas will evaporate. The slightly weaker stars known as orange dwarves have a longer life than our Sun. A habitable planet in this system would therefore have more time to develop and maintain itself to life. Another idea is that a planet slightly larger than Earth could have more natural resources that could help sustain life longer. As we currently have only one example of habitable world: ours! – we do not know for sure that this will be the case: a larger planet would have a greater gravity and could produce a flatter landscape that might not favor life as much as the rugged and varied terrain of the Earth – which knows?

Q: You write about space missions. Would you go to Mars if you were offered a seat?

A: No! Is this a terrible admission for someone who works in a space agency? But I admit that I never wanted to be an astronaut. The prospect of being tied to a huge tube of fuel that is then ignited to explode in space is completely terrifying! In addition, although I admit that the views would be inconceivable, you would still be confined to a small area. I like to run. Plus, I'm not really sure I have the right skills. I could offer my fellow crewmembers amazing information about exoplanets and write some blog posts that appeal to people from home, but they probably want someone who is a little more practical with a hammer. or medical supplies.

Although I find human spaceflight extremely inspiring, the space missions that interest me most are the science-based robotic missions – it's the institute where I'm based at JAXA – the Institute of Science space and astronautics (ISAS). – work on. From missions like asteroid explorers; The Japanese companies Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REX of NASA, as well as the European / Japanese mission on Bury (BepiColombo) and Mercury, as well as NASA's Insight mission on Mars, could really teach us what it would take to constitute a habitable planet.

Q: Recently, the question of gender inequality in space programs has been highlighted by the total debacle of the size of the space suit. What are your thoughts on this issue?

A: Argh. Is it sufficient? Of course, safety must be the first priority in any activity in the space, so the decision to leave the first exit in the space reserved for women when it was discovered that the size of the suit was inadequate was only wise choice. But it is frustrating that the work of recruiting girls in STEM fields is then thwarted by the lack of equipment needed to do their job. Canadian geophysicist and science communicator, Mika McKinnon, recently wrote that women often have to pay a safety fee to be able to use their own equipment, even in Earth-based field work, because their sizes favor men.

If hiring a woman is more expensive because of lack of equipment, it will be an additional hurdle that has nothing to do with capacity.

Q: You are participating in a conversation with Ria Voros, author of Y / A, who uses you as a character in her new book, The Center of the Universe. What does it mean to be a model in a fictional work?

A: I've heard people talk about writing a book as having a baby book; a reflection on the amount of work needed to build the story and the astonishment of seeing the finished product printed for the first time. In truth, I suspect that this analogy is not perfect! Seeing my own printed book was an amazing experience, but seeing myself as a character in Ria's book was perhaps even stranger. Ria places me in the Center of the Universe and performs activities that I have repeated several times; give lectures to people interested in the planets. In fact, in the book, I give a lecture in Seattle that Grace can not attend; When Ria first contacted me, I was about to go to the United States to do exactly that! It's pretty amazing to see the experience I've had often through the eyes of someone else.

When I read the Center of the Universe for the first time, I was not too worried about the way I was described. Ria had a story to tell and I was happy that my character was used to help her continue. But even though Ria and I had really exchanged only a handful of e-mails, I was amazed at how much I saw myself in fiction, Elizabeth. The advice that fictional-Grace gives me is certainly the kind of thing I would say to an aspiring astrophysicist – namely: the goal is incredible and you should do it, but do not hold back by not taking into consideration other opportunities that come to you. I was very proud to be seen this way by Grace and – hopefully – by readers of Ria. It's amazing to have a book with a strong STEM leader like Grace.

Q: Have you noticed an increase in the promotion of STEM studies among girls in your field?

A: I think it's definitely a work in progress because women are lost from STEM at different times in their careers.

In early adolescence, many girls cease to be interested in science because it is in the interest of boys. It is an aspiring scientist who is absolutely ridiculous to identify his gender or his interest in science. Just what ?! I think language makes a big difference here: terms like "manned spaceship" or "something" is a program for girls because it's easier to use, it just emphasizes the concept that you can not be a girl and a real scientist. What do they have to do with each other? Thus, although I too am guilty of imprudent use of language, I think that this movement of word disruption in terms such as crew has the potential to make a real difference.

I myself have seen the different possible models, which makes me particularly honored to be included in Ria's book as a model for Grace. My first teaching job was at the University of Hokkaido, in northern Japan. After the first year, one of the graduate students in astrophysics who had just completed her Ph.D. had sent me an e-mail telling her that she would never have applied to her next researcher position if that was not the case. me. I was stunned because I did not think I had ever tried to convince her to stay in academia or change her mind about her next career step. I realized at this point that seeing a few ranks above you in any career could make all the difference to whether you see yourself there.

Q: What do you say to those who are wondering why we spend so much money studying space, going to Mars, etc., when we have real-time problems that could save us money?

A: I think there are many answers to this question, both with respect to the resulting technology developed – for example. The CCD in your iPhone camera has been developed for astronomy, as is the technology used in medical imaging tools, such as MRIs or CT scanners – and to inspire the next generation of scientists. For me, the second example is perhaps the most powerful argument. In "The Center of the Universe", my character tells Grace that an aspiration to astronomy is incredible, but she should not ignore other possibilities for her future. Space exploration and astronomy are very visual sciences, which allow people of all ages, of all ages, to participate and enjoy the results. How many people do you think saw the first image of the black hole this week? I'm sure many of them were still in school and maybe for the first time, they saw themselves as a scientist making such a discovery. Some of these young people may indeed pursue careers in astronomy, but many may find that their love of science leads them to become surgeons, engineers or marine biologists. The power of space to attract people in our global effort to understand the universe, seems to me really profitable, hundreds of times.

Q: What is your favorite novel or movie in space and why?

A: I admit, loved Interstellar. The planets visited in the film all look like those of Earth from what we can see from Earth, but when the team arrives, they discover very different worlds. That's precisely why I'm excited about the diversity of planets: these Earth-sized worlds we've discovered so far may not look like our own planet and I find it exciting! I also like the fact that the end was completely crazy. For Cooper to return to Murphy, he must go into a black hole. We have no idea what is hiding beyond the event horizon in such a place, but it's not a good bet to go home. This underlined to me the distance that separates them from these neighboring worlds and the difficulty of interstellar travel. But that does not mean that we will not know more about the exoplanets discovered: as the telescopes will improve, we will discover their atmospheres and can even visualize them directly. This willingness tells us a lot about what it could be to stay there and possibly, if someone already is.

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