Debra Fischer, planet hunter — live and on the Web

Yale astronomer Debra Fischer will discuss the search for new planets in a live Web video interview on Tuesday, July 24.

A leader in the hunt for exoplanets — planets outside Earth’s solar system — Fischer helped establish Planet Hunters, a program that enlists amateur stargazers to help professional astronomers detect new worlds.

“The search for planets is the search for life,” Fischer has said. “And at least for life as we know it, that means finding a planet similar to Earth.”

Fischer’s interview is the latest episode in the @Yale Live series, a live video interview program offering people worldwide an opportunity to query Yale’s great minds. Viewers may submit questions before and during the interview via Yale’s Facebook page, Twitter@Yale or socialmedia@yale.edu.

The program will broadcast on the University’s Livestream channel at noon (EDT) and will run between 20 and 30 minutes.