The Quest for Life Beyond the Solar System

The Royal Institution of Great Britain , 21 Albemarle Street , London, W1S 4BS

The Quest for Life Beyond the Solar System

21 Albemarle Street , London, W1S 4BS

This show is for over 16's only. ID may be required at the door.
Description

Are we alone in the universe? This is one of the oldest and most primal questions of humankind.

But we may be closer to finding an answer, thanks to a recently-proposed new class of habitable exoplanets called Hycean worlds. Hycean planets are expected to be temperate ocean-covered worlds with H2-rich atmospheres, and thanks to their larger sizes and more extended atmospheres, compared to rocky planets of similar mass, Hycean worlds are significantly more accessible to atmospheric spectroscopy. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently observed the atmospheric spectrum of a possible Hycean world for the first time, named K2-18 b, which led to inferences of multiple carbon-bearing molecules in its atmosphere with hints of a potential biomarker.

How To Get Your Tickets

1. Book your desired number of tickets and await an email from us confirming your order. This is NOT a ticket.

2. Present your confirmation on arrival at the venue. Ensure that you take personal ID with you or you may be turned away

Pricing Information

• You can choose a Free Ticket or a Free Ticket with £5 Donation - all £5 goes straight to the Royal Institution to continue their excellent scientific education work. Both tickets allow the same entry to the event.

• No further payment applies beyond the TFG booking fee

Additional Information

• For further event information please visit here

Accessibility Information

• Please note: We recommend all access bookings are made directly through the event organiser, however, we are here to assist where possible. Please get in touch with us prior to booking if you have access requirements. For accessibility information please visit here

Genre
Dates & times

Monday, 27 Oct 2025 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Important information - please read

Are we alone in the universe? This is one of the oldest and most primal questions of humankind.

But we may be closer to finding an answer, thanks to a recently-proposed new class of habitable exoplanets called Hycean worlds. Hycean planets are expected to be temperate ocean-covered worlds with H2-rich atmospheres, and thanks to their larger sizes and more extended atmospheres, compared to rocky planets of similar mass, Hycean worlds are significantly more accessible to atmospheric spectroscopy. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently observed the atmospheric spectrum of a possible Hycean world for the first time, named K2-18 b, which led to inferences of multiple carbon-bearing molecules in its atmosphere with hints of a potential biomarker.

How To Get Your Tickets

1. Book your desired number of tickets and await an email from us confirming your order. This is NOT a ticket.

2. Present your confirmation on arrival at the venue. Ensure that you take personal ID with you or you may be turned away

Pricing Information

• You can choose a Free Ticket or a Free Ticket with £5 Donation - all £5 goes straight to the Royal Institution to continue their excellent scientific education work. Both tickets allow the same entry to the event.

• No further payment applies beyond the TFG booking fee

Additional Information

• For further event information please visit here

Accessibility Information

• Please note: We recommend all access bookings are made directly through the event organiser, however, we are here to assist where possible. Please get in touch with us prior to booking if you have access requirements. For accessibility information please visit here

This show is for over 16's only. ID may be required at the door.
Genre
Tickets
You may purchase a maximum of 4 tickets for this event.

Free Ticket

£2.95 Booking fee per person

Free Ticket with £5 Donation to Royal Institution

£5.00
+ £2.95 Booking fee per person

Location

The Royal Institution of Great Britain

21 Albemarle Street

London

W1S 4BS

How to find us