By: Professor John E. Moores
Dr. John Moores is a planetary scientist and a newly published author from York University. His lecture discusses topics from his novel, “Daydreaming in the Solar System: Exploring the Planets with our Five Senses”. Professor Moores invited the audience to take a new perspective on understanding planetary science. He encouraged the use of the five senses and the art of storytelling to explain topics ranging from “how small is mercury?” to “How would food taste on Titan?”. He correlated planetary data from rovers and drones into a language that humans would understand, such as how the soil beneath a rover on Mars feels.
Exploration through reading:
On Venus, the audience was invited to a cloud city based on the interesting fact that breathable air rises into the Venusian atmosphere. The atmosphere, Professor Moores explains, would be the best place for any sort of balloon ride, as the atmosphere is fairly similar to what you’d find on Earth. However, the audience wasn’t just taking a trip to planets. We also found ourselves on moons of Jupiter and Saturn, specifically, Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. Doctor Moores has spent a decent amount of time studying Titans’ atmosphere. He explained the wonders of Methane lakes on Titan and the speedy sailing that would take place if we could only land a boat there. The sand on Titan, textured like coffee grounds, comes from the evaporation of the disappearing lakes on the mysterious moon.
In the end, Professor Moores painted a picture of space, the final frontier, in a way previously unseen and wholly unique to the First Friday series. He sent us on a voyage into the cosmos. He encouraged the history of past tales to once again be shared in a method of scientific knowledge. His lecture is available to stream on YouTube, and his book, “Daydreaming in the Solar System: Exploring the Planets with our Five Senses” , can be ordered here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262049290/daydreaming-in-the-solar-system/