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On September 11, 1999, scientists identified an asteroid that would soon reshape our understanding of the early solar system and perhaps the origins of life itself.
Named Bennu, this ancient, carbon-rich world rises higher than the Empire State Building and stretches nearly the length of five and a half American football fields. More than a celestial curiosity, Bennu is a pristine archive of the organic chemistry and volatile materials that circulated as planets were forming.
In his new memoir, The Asteroid Hunter: A Scientist’s Journey to the Dawn of Our Solar System, planetary scientist Dr. Dante Lauretta, principal investigator of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, pulls back the curtain on the daring, high-stakes effort to rendezvous with Bennu and return a sample to Earth. With that sample in hand, Dr. Lauretta and his team are now investigating the asteroid’s physical and chemical properties, refining assessments of its long-term impact risk, evaluating its resource potential, and probing the molecular and isotopic clues that link small bodies to the emergence of habitable worlds.
Join us on Zoom for an in-depth conversation with Dr. Lauretta, moderated by Monica Young, News Editor at Sky & Telescope. A Q&A will follow.
For adults. Registration required. Contact Ari at apappas@minlib.net with any questions.
AGE GROUP: | Senior (55+) | Middle School | High School | Adult (18+) |
EVENT TYPE: | Virtual | Science and Technology |
The Main Library is located on Church Street in Dedham Square. In addition to traditional library material, the Main Library also houses town archives, the Dedham Collection.
