Wycombe Astronomy Society (WAS)
What's On
If you are not a member of Wycombe Astronomical Society,
you are welcome to attend any of our meetings on a trial basis and with no charge.
Our hope is, therefore, to encouraging new members to join our Society.
Wed 17 Sept
|Coleshill Village Hall
Lecture - Don Bell - Rogue Planets
Time & Location
17 Sept 2025, 20:00 – 22:00
Coleshill Village Hall, Barracks Hill, Amersham, Coleshill, Amersham HP7 0LN, UK
About the Event
About the lecture
A "rogue planet" is one that is not in orbit around a star. It has been speculated that there could be billions of them roaming the Milky Way Galaxy, but only about a thousand of them have actually been detected. That includes just three bodies that have passed right through the Solar System at high speed in recent years.
In this talk we will look at a couple of the theories of how rogue planets could be formed and also at a few of the techniques for detecting them. We will examine the amazing capabilities of recently commissioned large telescopes and also discover how just five spacecraft have managed to escape the Sun's gravity and become miniature rogue planets in their own right.
About Donald Bell
Donald Bell has a BSc degree in Physics and a PhD in electronic engineering. He spent some of his research caree…