Opening Speech at Public Astronomy Symposium

Good morning and thank you for inviting me to open the Public Astronomy Symposium. I understand that many of today's speakers have been in Auckland for the 14th workshop on gravitational microlensing, and I would like to acknowledge the keynote speaker, Dr Jack Lissauer, from NASA.

The last month has seen a popular explosion of interest in extra-solar planets . . . at least on the big screen in 3D!

At least some of the science in Avatar is connected to reality. The voyage of the starship took at least six years as measured on the spacecraft. Allowing for the effects of time dilation, Pandora must be within 10 light years of Earth. The technologies required to build starships (which clearly don't seem to use exotic travel options such as wormholes) is not reflected in the craft used on the planet itself. One could imagine helicopter manufacturers producing similar rotorcraft, in the present day, with a cockpit familiar to any contemporary military pilot!

Of course, Pandora is actually a moon orbiting a gaseous Jupiter-sized planet. There is no indication of how close the star is, but it must be close enough for water to exist as a liquid.

There is a problem with the length of the day on Pandora - it is more indicative of a planet rather than a moon. However, the viewing audience will think that Pandora-style planets can exist, and within a foreseeable time (albeit beyond our lifetime), mankind will visit them for good or for ill.

The interest in Pandora is built around the discovery of extra-solar planets over the last two decades. New Zealanders have had a remarkable role to play in this endeavour. Our clear skies are also a tremendous advantage for the extra-sensitive science of gravitational lensing. The Mackenzie Basin is proposed as a site for a starlight reserve, an internationally protected space where amateur and professional astronomers have ideal viewing conditions.

As you will hear from Professor John Hearnshaw and Dr Phil Yock, New Zealand astronomers are at the forefront of the discovery of extra-solar planets. The Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics Group, or MOA, is a New Zealand-Japan group which uses the Mt John Observatory near Tekapo.

This group has helped discover around 10 planets. The important distinction about the planets that MOA has found is that they focus on finding smaller, colder, Earth-size planets.

Here I would like to mention Yvette Perrott. Yvette is going to be one of New Zealand's leading scientists. She has already presented leading work on the discovery of extra-solar planets, and will surely make fundamental contributions to astronomy during her career. As well as being a member of the organising committee for the workshop, she recently won an AIMES Award from the North Harbour Club. She has now been recognised nationally as one of New Zealand's most promising scholars, and has been awarded a Rutherford Scholarship to begin her PhD study in the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University.

Dr Lissauer will tell you that the planets discovered to date are mostly uninhabitable for humans; that they are either too close to their star or enormous gas giants. Science is now developing to the point where we may be able to discern which planets have liquid water.

Imagining life on these planets is a fascinating area of research. In the past, science fiction writers and Hollywood directors indulged in fantasies of little green men and triffids. Now the conditions and development of extra-solar biology is a serious scholarly study. Associate Professor Kathy Campbell will later discuss how extreme environments on Earth can be used to project what life may be like on alien worlds. She may be able to comment on the fictional biology of Pandora in the context of what we currently understand about extra-solar planets.

In the near future, the New Zealand Government is working with Australia to bid for the next mega-astronomy project. The Square Kilometre Array, or SKA, would be the largest radio telescope ever built, and will put New Zealand at the forefront of planet-based astronomy.

The Government supports the SKA because New Zealand needs to take part in global science efforts. These projects stimulate public interest and understanding of science. They also provide economic opportunities, through infrastructure development and innovation.

Astronomy in New Zealand is a growing area, one where we have natural strengths to build on, as well as world-class facilities and people. Astronomy has always been an inspiration to me, so I welcome today's symposium and the chance it gives the public to learn about the most up-to-date discoveries and theories of this ancient science.

I now declare the Public Astronomy Symposium open. Thank you.