Habitable Worlds Observatory
(HWO)

HWO Seminar Series

Habitable World Observatory Seminar

02 April 2025, 1:00pm – 2:00pm ET

Jason Tumlinson, STScI/JHU
You Were Here: Telling the Story of Cosmic Origins with the Habitable Worlds Observatory
HWO is envisioned as humanity’s life-finding super-Hubble, with the capacity to find and characterize dozens of Earth-like planets, searching for life. HWO will also possess the tools to revolutionize every aspect of frontier general astrophysics, from transient phenomena to the baryon cycle. This talk will highlight the astrophysics themes of HWO science, including key community contributed science cases. I will give my own perspective on how general astrophysics integrates with exoplanet science, concluding that astronomy has a unique role in answering some of humankind’s most profound questions about the Universe and our place in it.

Sarah Tuttle, University of Washington
UV Instrumentation: The Path to HWO
What will it take to have a UV spectrograph on HWO? What technologies will be needed — and what do we already have? This talk will cover the current state of UV technology, some of our key science drivers, and introduce challenges and next steps to motivate instrument development. This talk is accessible for all career stages and expertise levels — you don't have to be an UV instrumentalist to come hear what we're up to!