The Space for Life: Lecture Series - What do extraterrestrials look like? - At the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium

MONTREAL, April 17, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - For the first event in its Lecture Series of 2013, the Space for Life welcomes astrophysicist Roland Lehoucq on April 30, 7:30 p.m., at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium; he will share his thoughts on the question: What do extraterrestrials look like? In comic books, movies, TV shows, and sensationalist magazines and newspapers, this topic always sparks curiosity and controversy in equal measure. But have you ever wondered what extraterrestrials might look like? Would they be humanoid, like us? Or would their appearance be completely... alien?

Who might these extraterrestrials be?
Roland Lehoucq has been pondering the Universe for close to 30 years. And he finds the potential existence of life elsewhere in the cosmos especially intriguing. If extraterrestrials exist, where are they? Discoveries made in the past 20 years are staggering: more than 850 planets are known to orbit around stars similar to our sun! And just think—a galaxy like ours contains hundreds of billions of stars! Even in our own solar system, we have Mars and Titan—a moon of Saturn that resembles a primitive earth—which show signs of potentially intelligent life either in the past or in the future. Astronomers and biologists work together to examine the data and try to formulate hypotheses. In light of current scientific knowledge, Roland Lehoucq considers these various suppositions in an effort to draw some conclusions.

A student of the Universe
Passionate about spreading scientific knowledge, Roland Lehoucq was a researcher at the Department of Astrophysics at the Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) in Saclay until 2011 and is currently a professor at the École Polytechnique. He is a senior fellow in physics and a specialist in cosmic topology, the branch of cosmology that works on how to determine the shape and size of the universe. A lecturer and prolific writer with 26 published works to his name, Roland Lehoucq is also the author of some 50 articles written for lay readers. In addition to serving as chair of Les Utopiales, the international science-fiction festival in Nantes, since 2012, Roland Lehoucq has been honoured with numerous scientific awards and distinctions, including the Diderot-Curien prize, bestowed by the Association des musées et centres pour le développement de la culture scientifique, technique et industrielle (AMCSTI), in 2010.

A signing will follow the lecture. The purchase of Mr. Lehoucq's books is possible with cash only.

Roland Lehoucq's lecture is made possible by the support of the Service de Coopération et d'Action Culturelle of the Consulate General of France in Québec City and the Association des communicateurs scientifiques du Québec (ACS).

Lecture: What do extraterrestrials look like?
Where: Milky Way Theatre, Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, 4801 avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin
Metro: Viau
When: Tuesday, April 30, 2013, 7:30 p.m.
Admission: Regular: $12 Students / Friends of the Garden / Biodôme / Insectarium / SAPM / members of the ACS : $9*
*Those holding discount tickets must show a valid membership card and photo ID at the entrance.
To buy tickets online: www.espacepourlavie.ca/en/ticket-office
Seats are limited
Parking (paid): 3000 rue Viau, corner de Marseilles
(The lecture will be in French)

SOURCE: Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan

Information for Montréal:
Diane Pinard, Communications Coordinator
Space for Life
514-872-5028
[email protected]
  
Nadine Fortin, Communications Coordinator
Space for Life
514-868-3053
[email protected] 

Information for Québec City and Rimouski:
Myriam Francoeur, Communication Agent
Association des communicateurs scientifiques du Québec (ACS)
514-508-5544 ext. 222
www.acs.qc.ca